While Georgia is known for its mild winters, there are a few days per year when temperatures dip below freezing. At Arbor-Nomics, we enjoy providing high quality lawn care services for local home and business owners in the Atlanta, GA area. Our certified lawn care specialists understand how important your ornamental trees, shrubs and plants are to the overall beauty of your lawn. We always strive to help our clients achieve success, no matter what season it is. That is why we are excited to offer some helpful tips on how you can properly cover your trees and shrubs when the threat of frost arrives.
Insulate Soil with Mulch
Applying a few inches of mulch on the soil near your trees or shrubs can provide an extra layer of insulation. Mulch can help keep your roots from freezing. Just be sure not to place the mulch too close to the trunk to avoid accidental damage or deterioration of the wood.
Use Tree Guards as a Pest Deterrent
Pests can become more of a nuisance during winter weather, because food is scarcer. Insects and pests may become desperate for nutrients and will seek out tender bark for essential vitamins and minerals. Tree guards can be used to keep rodents and other animals away until warmer temperatures arrive.
Wrap Trees to Protect Bark
Winter often brings images of overcast skies. The truth is that the sun can still blaze strongly even when the temperature is low. Since most trees lose their leaves in the fall, tree trunks can be particularly susceptible to getting too much sun damage to their bark. Wrapping the trunk in tree paper can help avoid overexposure to direct sunlight and can also prevent cracks from frost.
Carefully Cover Vulnerable Plants
While large, well established trees can survive a few cold days, there may be vulnerable shrubs and saplings that need extra protection from the frost and harsh winds of winter. You can create a barrier by gently surrounding these delicate plants with bedsheets, burlap, landscape fabric, canvas or another breathable material. Surround the tree or shrub with stakes, drive them into the ground securely and staple the burlap onto the stakes, avoiding direct contact with the plant. If you don’t want to use stakes, you can purchase specially designed plant fabrics in the appropriate size, but make sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions. Never use plastic wrap, since it can overheat the plants and don’t leave the covers in place longer than necessary. Ideally, they should be removed when the temperature rises the following day.
Do You Need Help Nurturing Your Lawn Through the Winter? Call Arbor-Nomics
Are you concerned about the condition of your lawn during the Winter season? Let the professionals at Arbor-Nomics help nourish your grass and landscaping plants all year long. Our certified specialists are always ready to help you improve the condition of your lawn with services like aeration, fertilization, weed control, outdoor pest control and more. Call Arbor-Nomics to discover more information or to schedule a convenient appointment with an expert in Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Brookhaven, Johns Creek, Dunwoody, Woodstock, Alpharetta, Cumming, GA and nearby communities.