It's time to think about weatherizing your trees and shrubs

When fall winds kick up, it's easy to think about battening down the hatches and weatherizing your home ahead of winter. But what about your trees and shrubs? They could use some help preparing for winter, too.

"The natural tendency is to assume that once you've raked your last leaf, you don't need to think about your trees and shrubs again until spring," says Tom Tyler, a certified arborist/arborist representative with the Woodridge office of Bartlett Tree Experts. "But there's plenty you can do now to help them brace for winter, and protect their long-term health and beauty."

Tyler has some tips for homeowners who want to help ensure that their trees and shrubs make it through winter in the best shape possible.

Mulch

Applying a layer of mulch around your trees and shrubs is the single most important thing you can do for them, says Tyler. Mulching trees and shrubs with organic materials, such as wood or bark chips, provides a variety of plant health benefits. Mulch acts as a blanket that insulates soil and reduces winter injury to trees and shrubs. It retains soil moisture and improves the physical condition of soil.

Apply mulch 2 to 4 inches deep around landscape plants, leaving space between the layer of mulch and the stem to help deter rodent damage and keep the bark dry. Since roots reach well beyond the outermost branches of a tree, extend the mulch as far from the trunk as possible.

Deer repellent

Deer can be a problem in many suburban areas. Deer often set their feeding patterns in fall, when their natural food sources become limited. Repellents applied now can encourage feeding patterns that do not include your landscape plants.

There are a variety of repellents available. Some, applied directly to your plants, discourage feeding by their unpleasant taste. Others, applied near plants, repel deer by odor. Repellents can be applied anytime the temperature is above freezing.

Fertilization and root health

Trees and shrubs lose nutrients every time they drop their leaves or needles. Fertilization is a way to replenish those nutrients. Fall is also a peak time for woody landscape plants to grow roots. By applying fertilizer now, the actively growing roots will be able to convert the nutrients that the plant will then store and use for canopy growth in spring. Different soil conditions need different fertilizers, however. A soil test is important for tailoring the fertilizer to your specific soil and plant needs.

Depending on soil conditions - if your soil is tightly compacted - for instance, your trees might benefit from taking an additional step in root and soil care. And once again fall is a good time for it. It's a process that essentially creates potting mix for your trees. Arborists use a supersonic air tool to break up the soil to a depth of six to eight inches - a process similar to rototilling a garden that does not harm the roots. They then mix in fertilizer, organic matter and/or beneficial fungi in the cultivated area and cover the area with mulch. Generally, the next flush of growth after creating this "potting mix" for trees and shrubs is more dense and vibrant.

Anti-desiccants

Do you have evergreens on your property? You can help them get through winter by applying anti-desiccants, which help prevent winter winds from drying out their leaves. Anti-desiccants reduce moisture loss from leaves, which in the case of some evergreens are needles, by providing a watertight film on them.

Anti-desiccants can be applied any time air temperatures are above freezing.

Contact a certified arborist to learn more about these and other steps you can take to prepare your trees and shrubs for winter - and protect your landscape investment.

•Provided by Bartlett Tree Experts. For information, visit bartlett.com.