Florida Tree Care in the Autumn and Winter

It's the height of summer and I wrote a piece for my Tree Service client about what to do for your trees during the fall and winter. I thought it made sense because now is the time to plan for what's coming up.

Here's a bit of what I covered in that piece:

Florida rarely gets hard freezes, but our trees still need some attention.

Since our winters mostly feel like an extended autumn, I put them together as a single season.

Many trees in the Mid Florida region can withstand cold snaps and light freezes, but some trees can be seriously harmed. Then, of course, is the rare hard freeze that can damage the toughest Florida Trees. Taking some pre-season precautions can mitigate these risks.

When the temperature begins to drop is often the best time to have your trees pruned. The cooler, drier weather holds a reduced risk of tree disease and infection.

The drier weather also allows the soil to become more firm, allowing allowing trucks and heavier machinery to work over the roots with less risk of damage.

Winter Tree Pruning also allows the tree some time to recover in time for the spring rains that will prompt the tree to put on new lush greenery.

Your grass and other ground level plants may benefit from having your trees trimmed. This is a time of less direct sunlight, so thinning the branches may allow more of that sunlight to reach your yard.

No matter the season, whenever you need tree service in Central Florida, my go-to suggestion is always Mid Florida Tree Service.

Preparation for Hurricane Season

Florida residents hear it every year: "Be prepared for hurricane season." That can mean a lot of things, like making sure you have plenty of water to drink, in case there's an outage, checking your roof to make sure it's in good repair and maybe getting an electric generator.

But, often overlooked is preparing one's trees for the season. It doesn't take a direct hit to damage trees and some preventative maintenance can go a long way to mitigate the threat the weather has on your trees, and therefor on anything those trees might fall or drop limbs on.

• In winter or early spring, have your trees trimmed. 
• Have your tree service expert clear the deadwood from your trees.
• Always work with a licensed company
• Always work with a certified arborist
• Don't go crazy with the trimming. Let the arborist help you decide how much to trim.

Professionally pruned trees tend to be stronger and healthier. Stronger, healthier trees are less likely to fail during a storm.

I'd suggest that you allow Mid Florida Tree Service to prune your trees' dead branches that could be blown around in heavy winds. If there are dead trees on your property, have Mid Florida Tree Service remove them. Whenever possible, avoid cutting large healthy limbs. The large cross section cut gives too much opportunity for wood destroying organisms to get a foothold on your tree.  

If you'll follow the link I provided earlier, you'll get some more information about Hurricane Tree Preparation and have the opportunity to get in contact with Mid Florida Tree Service.

Dealing with Invasive Florida Trees

When you recognize that a tree on your property is actually an invasive species, and you decide to remove the threat, ensure it is done correctly to prevent it from re-sprouting, or getting spread to a new location.

What am I going on about?

Florida's amazing warm and humid climate is an excellent environment for many plant species. It's so amazing, that some non-native species thrive better here than in their native lands. When that non-native species becomes a problem by out-competing the locals, it takes the lable "Invasive Species". 

Florida invasive trees include  the Camphor tree, Brazilian Pepper, Chinese Tallow, Mimosa, Melaleuca (aka: Paper Tree) and many others.

The optimum time to remove invasive trees might be in the fall, when they their resources are pulled into their root system, preparing for cooler weather. 

Hire a professional Tree Service

You don't have to do this on your own! Trust a professional arborist to remove your invasive Florida trees. As always, I recommend Mid Florida Tree Service.

Cutting them down to a very low stump, then painting the open top with herbicide may facilitate the herbicide being drawn down into the roots, killing them entirely and preventing the tree from re-sprouting.

The cut debris from invasive trees must also be handled with care so that seeds are not carried away and deposited on new ground. If burning the debris onsite is an option, that may be best, but often that option is just not possible. So, careful transportation to offsite incineration or deep burial would be other options.

When you are thinking of adding trees to your property, please choose native trees that thrive, but do not pose an invasive risk to our amazing ecosystem!

Dry Season Tree Care

Florida typically experiences a dry season from October to sometimes as late as May. During a prolonged period of very low rainfall, trees and shrubs are stressed. Let's see how to recognize drought stress and take corrective action.

Drought stress occurs when water in the soil becomes limited and unavailable to trees and shrubs. As the soil dries, young roots can be killed, further hampering the ability of trees and shrubs to absorb water. The inability to obtain sufficient water then reduces their ability to defend against insect and disease problems.

Signs to look for are 

• loss of leaves starting in the top center of canopy
• yellowing and/or browning of leaves
• wilting of leaves
• dead branch tips at the top of the tree. 

Each of these indicates water not reaching the canopy and signs of a dry root system.

Fertilizer can also cause root injury when soil moisture is limited. Avoid fertilizing during a drought. 

Florida Irrigation Strategy

Give priority to newly planted trees because they lack full root systems, as well as trees with damaged root systems, these are the most at risk.

Remember we want to keep the tree’s roots moist, but not wet. Saturated soil can weaken your tree’s root system. Let the top 3 or so inches of the soil dry out before considering irrigating again.

Most tree roots in mid Florida are within 2 to 4 feet of the surface. It is this area where we want to supply water. Light, frequent irrigation will not work for trees.

Water slowly so water penetrates the soil, use one or two deep watering’s every week or week and half during drought.

If you have them, soaker hoses and drip irrigation should be used because they are the most effective watering tools to discharge even streams of slow, trickling water directly to the root zone.

Water strategically. Trees absorb more water in the morning, before the warming sun causes evaporation.

Finally be sure your program complies with local water restrictions.

No matter the season, when you need help with your trees, I recommend Mid Florida Tree Service.

Florida Winter Tree Care

Preparing the Landscape for Cold Weather

Florida's winter hardly compares to the harsh northern conditions, but we do get some cold weather. We even get the occasional frost and the rare freeze in Mid Florida. A little pre-planning and proactive care can make the difference between your trees living or dying. 

The first thing you can do for your trees is to keep them healthy year round. (see my recommendation below) A healthy tree is more likely to survive a harsh winter vs. a tree that's already weakened. 

Get Ready for Winter

Avoid fertilizer in late fall and throughout the winter. Fertilizer promotes new growth, which is generally more prone to injury from the cold. Pruning in late fall and into the winter can also be troublesome as newly pruned trees may also be more easily damaged by the cooler temperatures. 

If you would like to keep less cold-hardy plants, keep them in containers so they can be moved to a protected area when we are expecting a freeze. Stock up on blankets for your most vulnerable trees.

This leads me to the next topic:

Pay attention to the weather forecasts.

We usually get some notice before a frost or hard freeze. When one is predicted, move your vulnerable potted plants inside or to an otherwise protected area.

Cover your trees with blankets before the temperature drops. Let the blanket reach all the way to the ground. An electric light bulb can be placed under the blanket for added heat. If you can't cover the entire tree, wrap just the trunk with blankets or newspaper.

Aftermath

Don't be too quick to prune away cold damaged portions of your trees. Once spring arrives, you'll be better able to see  what parts of the tree remain healthy and then prune only as needed. 

Of course, when you need help with your trees, I always recommend Mid Florida Tree Service. They've been in business about as long as I've been alive. They know their Florida trees and are ready to help you take the best possible care of your trees.