During cold winter months, as trees (and vegetation in general) look as if they are in a dormant state, it is easy to think there is no need for any maintenance. As trees shed their leaves and focus on the growth of deep and strong roots, it is the exact time for some maintenance work such as: pruning, mulching, wind and cold protection, composting and even watering, so when spring comes - they will be ready to flourish and bloom at their best!
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Pruning
A horticultural practice that involves selectively removing specific parts of a plant, such as branches, stems, buds, or roots. The primary goals of pruning are to improve the overall health, appearance, productivity of the plant and a way to reach the abundant fruits.
Pruning involves making precise cuts using appropriate tools, such as pruning shears, loppers, pruning saws, and sometimes specialized tools like pole pruners for reaching higher branches. The timing and method of pruning depend on the type of the plant, its growth habits, and the specific goals of the pruning.
Pruning in winter, often referred to as dormant pruning, has several advantages for many plants, particularly deciduous trees and shrubs.
Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall, and they are often pruned in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. During the dormant season, the deciduous tree (Apple, Fig, Cherry, Sweetgum, Chestnut, Almond, Platanus and many more) conserves energy and resources, and it doesn't actively grow new leaves. As spring approaches and temperatures rise, new leaves emerge, and the tree resumes its growth and reproductive processes.
Reasons for Winter Pruning
Dormancy - During winter, trees are in a state of dormancy as it is not expending energy on growth, making it less stressful for them to recover from pruning.
Visibility - Without leaves, the tree's structure is more visible, making it easier to assess the overall form and identify any structural issues, deadwood, or crossing branches.
Encourage Growth - Pruning in winter can stimulate new growth when spring arrives, the idea is to prune the trees before we can notice the buds. By removing certain branches or buds, you can direct the plant's energy toward specific areas, encouraging healthy and vigorous regrowth. This is especially relevant for fruit trees and flowering shrubs where strategic pruning can enhance the quality and quantity of flowers or fruit.
Shape and Structure - Winter pruning is particularly useful for shaping and structuring deciduous trees. It allows for the removal of undesirable or poorly positioned branches without affecting the overall appearance of the tree.
Disease and insects Control - Removing dead or diseased branches during the dormant season reduces the risk of disease transmission. Most pathogens and insects are less active in low temperature, minimizing the chances of infections entering fresh wounds created by pruning cuts.
Which trees should we pruned in winter?
Deciduous trees and bushes, fruit deciduous trees, vines.
Basically we won't prune evergreen fruit trees (such as: citrus, avocado etc.) in winter ,the best time for this is late autumn or right after we harvest their fruits in the spring, we can just remove dead branches and if needed we prune them for size control.
Notice that some deciduous fruit trees like Pecan, which their fruits are much easier to collect from the ground, will not be pruned, we would like them to grow tall to form the upper layer of the canopy.
There are some tolerate winter pruning evergreen trees we can prune during milder days when the temperature is not extremely low, such as: Pine, Cypress, Holly and more. Remember evergreen do not respond well to heavy pruning.
When is the right time to prune my trees?
In general the best pruning time will be from the end of December to the end of January. Non productive deciduous trees can be prune from the moment they lose all their leaves. While with productive deciduous fruit trees we will try to be more precise about the pruning time. In order for a tree to be able to produce fruit, its buds need to be exposed to sunlight as much as possible at the time of differentiation, which will result in the productive development of the bud, which means fruit, and not vegetative development (caused by a lack of light expose) resulting in a branch or leaf. With good prune and thinning in a way that light enters to the interior of the tree to expose the inner and lower buds to sunlight we can increase the productivity of our trees.
Other important maintenance steps
Diluting flowers
It is mainly true for young trees that bloom during winter (such as Almond, Cherry, Loquat and more) and we would like to help them focus more on their growth and not on fruit production by diluting their flowers in blooming time (will vary depending on the type of tree), thereby avoiding a load of fruit on a young tree, preventing branch breakage and delaying growth. In mature trees, the flowers can also be thinned in order to improve the quality of the remaining fruits that will develop or to reduce the future load weight on relatively soft branches with a large amount of flowers that will develop into fruits.
Composting
Adding compost to your trees in winter can be beneficial. Generally, compost provides valuable nutrients to the soil, improves soil structure, and enhances the overall health of your trees. Spread compost evenly and generously around the roots area, avoiding direct contact with the trunk. Consider applying the compost under a mulch layer - doing so will retain the moisture of the compost, helping and supporting the prosperity of all the microbiological life that is part of the decomposition process. Ensure the compost you use is well-decomposed and from organic sources. Try to use compost from different origins, and consider adding vermicompost and other organic additives ( as / if needed ) that will supplement the missing nutrients for the trees to use.
Mulching
Mulching around the base of the tree and basically on all the exposed soil on your land
helps to insulate the soil, regulate temperature, retain moisture, nourishes the soil by decomposition and suppresses weeds. Apply a generous layer of organic mulch (at least 10 cm), such as wood chips or bark or any other organic matter you can find, making sure to keep it away from the trunk to prevent rot. There is no such thing as too much mulching, whenever you can add more mulching to your soil don't hesitate, it will break down as part of the decomposition process and enrich your soil in nutrients. You can also use mulch to cover exposed irrigation pipes which will protect them from thirsty birds trying to make holes in the pipes to drink. Be aware that when covering the pipes with mulch it can be more tricky to notice any leaks, and take care not to damage them during maintenance work.
Wind Protection
If your area experiences strong winter winds, consider tying young or vulnerable trees to some kind of support-sticks or any support structure. When using support sticks, you should pay attention to a few basic things:
Wind direction - Knowing the wind's general direction flow in order to place the sticks so that the tie is vertical to the wind flow direction, in this way the support will hold the tree in the right direction and not allow it to swing and eventually to break.
Using thick and wide tying ropes - Using these types of ropes ( compared to thinner rope ) will keep the tree from injuring during its growing process. When a tree is tied to thin ropes and the tree continues to naturally grow, the thin rope will “cut” the tree, eventually hurting it. If the type of rope you have is thin, it can be threaded through an irrigation pipe, which will serve as a shield and come in direct contact with the tree.
Tie it wisely - Tie the rope to the tree in a way that will not apply to much pressure on the stem, and will not prevent it from growing and getting thicker.
Watering
Proper watering is essential even during winter as in every winter we face some long dry period. While trees may not require as much water as in the growing season, it's crucial to keep the soil consistently moist to preserve the microbiological activity. Watering is especially important for newly planted trees because their root system is still not developed enough to get water from deeper moist areas. During winter the watering hour is not so important because there is no evaporation of the water and the sun cannot burn the root base of the tree, but we will make sure not to water in the early morning or late evening. On a small scale farm / land watering the trees with a hose will be enough, but on bigger scale lands it is recommended to use a drip irrigation system.
Thermal Cover
Before the frosty mornings become a matter of routine, it is important to take care of young and vulnerable trees that were recently planted ,which still did not adapt and establish strong resistance roots and canopy systems. Aim for individual thermal cover to protect them. Something very basic, a simple structure from sticks around the tree with transparent plastic sheet that will cover it will act as a small greenhouse that captures and retains solar heat, creating a warmer environment for the tree.
In conclusion, there is no better time then now to prune and give great attentive care to many of the trees around our land. Stay tuned as we finish a great, kind of continuous article to this one, of 7 great different techniques to prune your trees.
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