One of the things on your winter checklist this year should be caring for the trees in your yard. Proper tree care is important for the health of your trees and for the safety of your yard this winter season. Here’s a look at a few things to check for your trees before the first snow falls.

 

Prune Low-Hanging and Dead Branches

 

Low-hanging and dead branches pose a safety hazard during the winter months. The weight of the snow on the limbs can cause them to crack or fall, causing damage to anything below. It is important to trim or remove dead branches before they become weighted down. Late fall and early winter is a great time to prune trees because they have gone dormant for the season.

 

Mulch, Water, and Feed

 

Before the snow hits the ground, check the mulch levels around the tree. Mulch helps to hold in moisture for the tree roots, creating a healthier and happier tree. Make sure the tree has a good drink of water before the ground freezes. Hydrate up until the ground won’t absorb more water because of the temperatures. Finally, give your trees a last dose of fertilizer before the snow flies. This gives them the nutrients they need to make it through the winter season, making them much healthier when the time comes to bloom in the spring.

 

Protect Trees From Salt

 

Trees are susceptible to too much salt in the winter. It causes them to dry out, pulling the moisture from the roots. Opt for alternatives such as calcium chloride and calcium magnesium acetate. For trees closer to the road, put up a barrier like a burlap covering or a snow fence or spray the trees with a protective coating of anti-desiccant spray. After the snow melts, plan to spray off the tree with water, removing any excess salt build-up.

 

Taking these small steps can mean a huge difference for the health of your trees in the spring. Quality Tree Service can help you prune your trees in anticipation of the upcoming cold season. Give us a call today for a customized plan for the trees in your yard.

Although your trees won’t be growing in the fall, they aren’t immune to the effects of being exposed to the harsh weather conditions. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do in the fall to reduce the stress placed on your trees as the cold weather sets in. Review the following tips to prepare your trees for chillier conditions.

 

Depend on Mulch

 

Place mulch underneath your trees on the fall or early winter to help sustain water and regulate the temperature of the soil. A slender layer of mulch will serve as a cover and provide the tree’s roots with a bit of additional protection from the elements.

 

Water Your Trees

 

Watering your trees in the winter is especially important for young trees. However, make sure that you water when the temperature is mildly cool and not frozen.

 

Avoid Injuries

 

Winter weather is prone to causing trunk damage, as well as splits and broken branches. You can help minimize the risk by wrapping your tree’s base with a plastic guard, hardware cloth, or a burlap cloth. Just remember to remove these promptly in the spring to avoid damaging the tree when it starts to grow again.

 

Prune Your Trees

 

Fall is a great time to prune, as it’s easier to monitor a tree’s structure when it lacks leaves. Pruning will also alleviate some of the strain placed on the tree, which will be especially helpful during its dormant months.

 

Plant Trees Now

 

Fall is the optimal time to plant new trees in your front or back yard. When the cooler weather has fully arrived, the soil is ideal for nurturing root growth in new trees. After the roots are established in the fall and winter, the trees will flourish when the season shifts in the spring and summer. Before you plant any trees, however, it’s important to ensure that there will be enough time for root establishment prior to significant temperature changes. Depending on the time you are planning to plant this fall, double check to be sure that the type of tree you want to plant has the ability to assimilate in time.

Trees can play a large role in landscaping, but they require regular care to thrive in your neighborhood. No matter what your landscaping plans are, whether you want to help trees grow or need to remove them, Quality Tree Services can help in the Medford area.

 

Tree Pruning

 

No matter what size tree you have, regular pruning can help encourage growth and keep your trees safe. If your tree is in a more urban area, it may also need pruning to prevent it from damaging your home, powerlines, and other nearby objects. At Quality Tree Services, we have the experience to help you get the best results.

 

Tree Removal

 

Trees may die or begin to damage surrounding trees and objects. When this happens, tree removal may be the best solution. Our staff can help you evaluate a tree to find out if removing it is the best solution. If it is, we use proper safety equipment to take down the tree with minimal risks, and then we clear the property of any debris. Afterward, you can enjoy your new space or even plant a more suitable type of tree.

 

Stump Grinding

 

Stumps can pose a risk of termite infestation and an eyesore to your yard. Removing one on your own can be a hassle – but you don’t have to do that. Quality Tree Services has the equipment and knowledge to get rid of unwanted stumps quickly, giving your yard an instant improvement. We clean up all debris and make sure to leave your yard as we found it – minus any stumps of course.

 

Lawn Care

 

Quality Tree Services may be our name, but that’s not all we can do. We provide one-time and ongoing maintenance services to help keep your lawn in the best possible shape. Whether you need to tend to grounds outside a home or business, we can handle the job. We also offer several discount programs, helping to keep your lawn care affordable.

 

If your lawn and surrounding trees are important to you, you need the help of Quality Tree Services. Our licensed and insured professionals have been serving the Medford area for over 10 years. Contact us for a quote on our services today.

As the cold temperatures gradually subside and the weather becomes warm once again, many homeowners in Medford, Oregon, will begin thinking about how they can best prepare their lawns for the warm weather. If you have already prepped your lawn during the fall, you may not have too much to do this spring. However, if you didn’t prepare your lawn, spring lawn care will be instrumental in ensuring your lawn will be able to gradually rejuvenate itself. Consider the following spring lawn care tips to help bring your lawn back to life this season.

Rake

Many homeowners may associate raking with fall lawn care but raking your lawn in the springtime is an important task. Raking helps you remove thatch that has built up over the winter and allows you to detect any dead patches requiring your attention. Conduct a comprehensive raking before you to start to treat or mow your lawn. If you discover any compacted areas, you will have to use an aerator to dislodge the soil, so the grass can grow again. Take advantage of spring showers by reseeding the bare patches by with grass seed.

Determine Soil Acidity

Local garden stores offer soil pH tests, which are great for homeowners when prepping their lawns for the summer months. Particularly long and cold winters can cause your soil’s pH level to become highly acidic, making it more difficult for grass to grow. If you determine your soil has become acidic, spread a layer of lime on your lawn, which helps to moderate the acid, so your soil can promote your lawn’s growth.

Manage Weeds

Spring is a good time to use herbicides on your lawn if your lawn is susceptible to weed growth and you didn’t treat your lawn for weed development last fall. It is easier to remove stubborn weeds before they develop than to handle to them when they are fully grown, so be sure to take preventive care as soon as you can. However, do not use too much weed killer on your lawn in the spring because this can result in damage to the new grass beginning to emerge.

With branches bare and the land fully in the grip of winter, it can be difficult to remember the green leaves of spring and summer. It may be that leaves brushed your vehicle as you pulled in your driveway, or branches looked vulnerable to breaking in a windstorm last fall. If you’ve considered pruning branches from a tree in your yard, now is the time to have professional tree pruning done.

 

Problems That May Require Pruning

As branches hang down or grow lower to the ground, they can scratch vehicles or cause other safety hazards to passersby. Lower branches obstruct your view and can become a problem in your yard. Weaker branches can break during an inclement weather, causing damage to property and harm to the tree itself.

 

Pruning Is Good for You and Your Trees

Clearing out lower tree branches not only improves the appearance of the tree but avoids the hazards of walking in the yard or mowing under the branches. Removing dead or weakened branches strengthens the tree overall and makes it less prone to damage from storms. Clearing out unhealthy limbs can help prevent damage or infection that can destroy the whole tree.

 

Proper Pruning Requires Expertise

Simply sawing away at branches will clear the limbs but may cause permanent damage to the tree as well. The best time for most trees to be pruned is now, during the dead of winter. During winter, trees are dormant, which means they are better able to withstand pruning without risk of damage. With less sap running through the branches, the tree pruning will not result in messy sticky sap becoming a problem. While sap doesn’t harm the tree, it may attract pests that harm the tree later.

In most cases, pruning cuts heal faster during winter, which helps keep your tree stronger. However, it is important to know what is best for each species of tree, how and when to prune that type of tree, and how much pruning it can take without problems. Having an expert provide these services helps ensure your tree will remain strong and beautiful for years to come.

At Quality Tree Service, we understand that Medford citizens love their lawns. With relatively warm seasons and temperatures dropping to freezing in Oregon’s winter, keeping up your lawn is a year-round process. Obviously, winter lawn care will not require as much work from you as during the summer, but there are several steps you can take to ensure your lawn returns strong and vibrant in the spring.

 

Dormant Grass

 

Because of the climate in Medford, our lawns experience a robust warm season followed by several freezing points during the winter. Grass goes dormant, its color fading to brown. This warm season lawn requires very little of you; however, if you want a year-round lawn, you could over-seed with a perennial or annual grass such as ryegrass before the first frost hits.

 

Weeding

 

If you have a lawn with a lot of weeds, you will need to continue mowing in winter. Set your mower to the usual height for cutting. Most weeds you see will die in the face of repeated mowing. Make sure you use a bag attachment to prevent reseeding the weeds. Pro tip: go get your new 2018 calendar and mark September as the time to use a pre-emergent herbicide to cut down on winter weeds.

 

Simple Care

 

Be mindful of where you walk during winter. You do not want to walk on a lawn that faces a hard freeze or snowfall. If you must walk on the lawn, vary your path to protect turf-grass crowns. If you don’t, your lawn will have bare spots in the spring.

 

Regarding the leaves, if you were unable to clear all of them before the snow got here, watch for a temporary thaw, and get it done then. These leaves will kill off turf crowns and could cause snow mold to grow in your lawn, further damaging it. Be very careful when raking, especially on moist soil, so you don’t pull up your grass. On that same 2018 calendar, put notes in the fall months reminding you to pick up all the leaves before the first snow arrives.

 

These simple steps can help you have the lawn you want come spring. For more help or to schedule your spring lawn maintenance, give Quality Tree Services of Medford a call today.

The icy grip of winter approaches, and it’s not just your house or car that needs help withstanding some of the year’s toughest months. To keep the trees on your property healthy and hardy so they can provide that lovely shade you enjoy the rest of the year, you need to protect them from the deep freeze of winter.

Freezing temperatures bring multiple dangers to your plants. Anything that isn’t hardy will likely not make it through the season. Extremely cold temperatures, fluctuating temperatures, or stress on plants prior to the season places your foliage at greater risk of decay. Be on the lookout for some of these freeze dangers.

 

Sun Scald

If your trees have long dried or cracked areas of dead bark, most often found on the southern facing side of the plant, the trees have experienced sun scalding. Direct sunlight stimulates cambial activity, which cold temperatures then kill. Young or newly planted trees or those with thin bark are at the greatest risk. Protect the trees by wrapping them with tree wraps, plastic guards, or a light-colored material for the winter.

 

Winter Discoloration

Yew, arborvitae, or hemlock plants face the greatest risk to discoloration, a sign your plant is slowly dying. Do not plant these types of plants on the southern side of your property if they are not protected from the sun or wind. Set pine boughs or Christmas tree greens against these plants to protect them and encourage snow build up, a natural protector. Care for them properly throughout the year so they are strong and healthy come winter.

 

Dieback

Shoot dieback or bud death strikes deciduous trees and shrubs when winter comes. Flowering buds face more risk than their vegetative brethren. Forsythia provides a great example, where the stems and leaves remain strong, but the flower buds experience freeze injuries. Protecting against dieback can be difficult. If you plant the semi-hardy versions in protected or sheltered areas, you can make it easier for the plants to thrive. Any plant that experiences vigorous fall growth is at extreme risk of dieback; avoid trimming or overwatering to prevent this.

Quality Tree Service of Medford encourages year-round maintenance to protect your landscaping. If damage has occurred, contact us today for help in saving your injured plants.