The last remints of snow here in town is melting, tree buds are swelling, and the crocus are pushing up from the soil. The snowy month of February, now dubbed snowmageddon 2019 has made this spring even more precious to me. I sense others are feeling this way as well. The greetings and smiles are once again cheerful and everyone seems to be out walking, biking or working in their yards. As we all get back to it, I thought I would mention some relevant tree tips in the next few weeks that might be helpful. First tip is, if you have any ground work you might want to do, now is the time! All the snow and rain has saturated our soil and the ground is very pliable. For example, now would be the perfect time to cut out any sod to widen planter beds or expand tree circles around your trees. The shovel will cut through the soil like butter compared to later when things dry out. Further, once the roots and the actual blades of grass are growing again, there is much more volume to the sod. Another tip is to repair prune any limbs that have bent out from the original form of your trees or shrubs. Many species of Fir have broken limbs from heavy snow. These should be pruned back to the trunk so proper compartmentalization can begin. Some deciduous trees such as River Birch have bent limbs from snow load. They may need reduction pruning to help them grow back into their normal place in the crown. Shrubs like Pencil Holly and Arborvitae may have fallen apart and need to be tied up for a few months to get them back into original form.
More tips next week and as always, for further questions, quotes or consultations, give us a call today!