Nashville and the surrounding Middle Tennessee areas are notorious for late freezes during the spring. It’s a bitter truth Nashvillians have been living with for years. And while a late freeze generally doesn’t affect us other than an occasional frost on our car in the morning, it can affect the livelihood of your newly budding trees and flowers. Your landscape is especially susceptible to freeze if shrubs, small plants or young trees are planted.
Take precautions in order to decrease the risk of damage from frost. If you have things ready to go for your landscape, it’s time to focus on the trees themselves. Though trees are strong and can withstand a lot, it’s important to be cautious. Of course the arborists at Parke are always happy to help monitor and determine precautions for your tree care, but here are some things to keep in mind to get you started:
What to Know About Tree Health in Winter
Healthy trees are happy trees
Have an arborist from Parke come out to do a full tree care work-up on all your trees. Our experts will make sure your trees, whether young or old, large or small, are healthy. This keeps disease and illness away. If a tree is damaged or diseased from a previous ailment, the tree will use its resources to fight off illness, not the freeze from a late frost. Prevention is an arborist’s number one piece of advice to avoid mishaps in the future.
Deep watering right before freeze
Many arborists will recommend giving your trees a deep watering right before a freeze to help keep damage from occurring on the buds of trees. By watering, moist soil will absorb heat during day and alleviate some of that cold air in the evening from the tree. You can also water your trees by spraying or misting leaves and buds.
Blanket young trees and shrubs
Like your landscape, consider using burlap or a sheet to cover young trees and shrubs. This is a great preemptive tree care measure and it helps keep your trees and landscape looking pristine.
Of course there are times when trees fall victim to freeze damage and there’s nothing that will save it. If this is the case, call a Parke arborist and schedule a tree service appointment. Our experts will be able to tell what damage has happened, if the tree can be nursed back to health, or if crown thinning or tree removal services are necessary.
Trees, especially full-grown trees, are resilient and can withstand all kinds of Nashville weather. As long as your trees are healthy and you prepare in advance, they can withstand the late freezes this spring. Contact the Parke Company’s tree service team and they’ll be able to come out and assist you with any tree care needs. Spring is the season for new beginnings and a fresh start. Don’t begin the season with damaged or dying trees due to an inconvenient late freeze. Take advantage of our tree care expertise at the Parke Company.