Tree Maintenance in Dallas, TX During Fall

Once the sunny days of summer are over, then the time comes for your trees to bed down and prepare for dormancy through winter. By the end of December in Dallas, most deciduous trees have shed their leaves, but the coldest months are still ahead. There are several important tasks all home and property owners should do for their trees each year to help put their trees to rest before the bitterly cold winds start to blow. Here’s a list of tree maintenance Dallas homeowners should do before the New Year.

Why is fall an important season for trees?

Fall marks an important transition period for trees. In the spring and summer, plants and trees use their leaves to collect sunlight and then convert it into energy through photosynthesis. As the days grow shorter in the fall, there’s no longer enough sunlight available to keep the trees operating at full capacity, so they are forced to adapt. They do this by shedding their leaves and preparing for dormancy. Dormancy allows trees to conserve water and energy through the winter.

Tree nutrition for your Dallas area trees

Fertilization is one of the best things you can do for your trees to keep them healthy and strong. You can fertilize trees any time of the year, but there are benefits to fertilizing your trees during the fall. Summer in Dallas is tough. The excessive heat is stressful for trees, so it’s good to replenish the soil with nutrients before winter. During the winter, a tree’s root system continues to grow and collect water and nutrients from the soil even though the tree is dormant. Fertilizers release nutrients into the soil gradually. Over a period of several months, nutrients seep into the soil, and the roots soak it up, giving the trees what they need so they’re well-prepared to leaf out in the spring.

Help your tree’s root system.

If you plan to fertilize your soil this season, one of the products we highly recommend is MitoGrow™ because it encourages the root hair growth of trees and improves the root system’s overall health. Winter is an important time for tree roots to continue to grow and collect nutrients from the soil in preparation for spring, and MitoGrow™ can offer the roots an extra boost. Root hairs only last about two to three weeks before they die and are replaced by new cell growth. Winter, like summer, is an arid season in Dallas, and periods of drought can severely stunt the process of root regeneration. In extreme cases, dry seasons can even destroy the tree’s root hairs’ ability to soak up the necessary water and nutrients. MitoGrow™ helps counteract that by boosting the tree’s ability to create continuous cell formation. If you’d like to learn more, our Dallas tree care experts are available to talk with you about the benefits of fertilization and using MitoGrow™ or similar products.

Mulching in Dallas

Although many people like mulch for its aesthetic appeal, mulch is much more than just a decoration. It helps keep weeds from growing, and during the winter, mulch acts as a protective blanket over the roots of your trees. Mulch keeps the soil moist, and it also helps with temperature control, keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer. Adding a fresh layer of mulch around the trees’ base during the fall can protect your trees from cold winter air, but be careful because there is a wrong way to mulch. You don’t want to use too much mulch and create what tree arborists in Dallas call a “mulch volcano.” Over-mulching can cause the roots to grow up around the base of the tree and choke it. This is called tree flare, and although expert tree services in Dallas can fix tree flare, it’s much easier not to create the problem in the first place. When you mulch, make a layer about two to four inches thick. Put the layer around the tree’s base, starting six inches away from the trunk, going out in all directions for three to six feet. Aside from being a protective layer over the soil, mulch can also be a very effective fertilizer. It seeps into the soil slowly over time, gradually adding nutrients and feeding the tree’s root system.

Wrapping your Dallas trees before winter

Fall is a good time to consider wrapping your trees if they’re not already wrapped. Not all trees need to be wrapped before winter. Most mature trees, especially trees native to Dallas, are accustomed to the North Texas climate and don’t need to be wrapped to protect them from the cold. However, small or newly planted trees might need to be wrapped. Also, consider wrapping the trunks of trees with thin bark. Most garden stores sell tree wraps, such as polypropylene fabric or paper tree wrap. Wrap the trunk of the tree starting at the bottom and winding it upwards around the base. Make sure it’s snug but not tight enough to choke the tree.

Dallas tree trimming and removal

Fall and winter are ideal times for trimming and pruning your Dallas area trees because the trees aren’t using energy to grow leaves, flowers, fruits, or nuts, and so they have more energy available to focus on healing. All trees need to be pruned regularly to stay healthy and maintain a strong structure, but if you notice a tree limb that seems to be dead or dying, please call a tree care expert as soon as possible. Trimming dead branches and tree removal can be very dangerous if not done correctly. Our team at TreeNewal is expertly trained to help with any tree trimming and removal Dallas area services you might need.

Give us a call today.

If you have any questions about fall tree maintenance or how to prepare your trees for winter, our Dallas area ISA Certified Arborists are just a phone call away. We are available to talk with you or go to your house or property to assess more serious concerns. We specialize in tree nutrition, tree pruning and trimming in Dallas, Dallas area tree removal, insect management, disease, and fungus management. Give us a call at tel:(817) 592-6846 if your trees could use assistance in any of those areas.

To learn more about Tree Maintenance in Dallas, TX During Fall, call our Argyle and Southlake based teams

at tel:(817) 592-6846 or send us a message.

We’re a little different than the average tree services company.

Learn more about TreeNewal’s ISA Certified Arborists!

Our Dallas/Fort Worth-based tree doctors can explain how sustainable tree care services add more value to your bottom line.

Healthy trees, healthy lives.