Winter is over at last! The snow has melted, the ground has thawed and green has begun to appear in the trees again. As spring begins in Minnesota, many of us are eager to get back out in our gardens and start planting. As much fun as it is to pick out fresh annuals, it’s equally important to preserve the health of your perennials, beginning with your trees.
Winter can place a lot of strain on trees in Minnesota, leaving them more vulnerable to diseases and pests come spring. Fortunately, with some basic spring tree care, you can help your trees stay healthy and resilient for the rest of the year. Keep reading for some vital tree health care tips!
Important Tree Health Care Practices for Spring
Pruning
When you prune a tree, you can shape its appearance to your liking while also helping to protect it against insects and disease. If a branch is dead, dying, badly damaged, or shows any sign of disease, it’s a good idea to prune it in early spring while the tree is still dormant. Removing a branch inflicts a wound, and doing so in early spring provides plenty of time for healing before fungal diseases and boring insects arrive for the year.
The exact time at which trees should be pruned during spring varies by species. Many shade trees should be pruned right at the start of spring. Meanwhile, some early-blooming trees, such as azaleas, lilacs, and magnolias, should be pruned right after they’ve finished blooming.
Mulching
Mulch doesn’t just make your garden beds look nice; it helps your plants in a number of ways. When snow melts, it often leaves mulch strewn all over the yard, with many bare patches in your garden beds. In spring, it’s important to replace the mulch before you begin watering your trees and other plants.
Mulch shields the soil against sunlight and heat, keeping it moist so that trees can absorb the water and nutrients they need to grow strong. Additional benefits include:
- Increased soil nutrition
- Prevention of soil erosion
- Reduction of weed growth
- Protection from root freezing in winter
Watering
If you plant new trees in spring, it’s vital to water them every day for at least two weeks to help them take root in your garden or lawn. Once a tree has developed a strong enough root system to sustain itself, you can cut back to watering every one to two weeks throughout spring and summer.
After a tree is two years old, it should be able to sustain itself most of the time. However, you may still need to water during droughts. Regular watering in spring keeps trees healthy and helps protect them from pest infestations and disease outbreaks.
Fertilizing
To help your trees grow back healthy after winter, you may need to apply fertilizer in spring. May is generally the best month to fertilize, but you should first conduct a soil test to determine if it’s necessary.
If the test shows deficiencies in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, or nitrogen, fertilization is recommended. However, if levels are already sufficient, adding fertilizer can actually harm your trees. This is why a preliminary soil test is so important.
Disease & Pest Prevention
Once spring begins, tree-boring insects and fungal diseases become a major threat. For example, emerald ash borers start emerging in May, making early insecticide treatments essential.
Fungal diseases like oak wilt, diplodia blight, and apple scab also emerge between April and June. Treating your trees with fungicides early in spring helps prevent these diseases from spreading and damaging your trees.
Professional Tree Health Care in the Twin Cities
Performing basic tree health care in spring is the best way to keep your trees healthy and protected all year long. If you’d like expert help with tree health care in the Twin Cities metro, we encourage you to reach out to a local team of tree health technicians. Contact Pro-Tree Outdoor Services today for any tree health care services you need in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area!
