Cold Winter Weather Care
It is that time of year again when preparations for winter need to be considered. Putting the winter tires on vehicles, making sure the furnace still works and preparing your outdoor plants for the cold. There will always be some plants that do not survive the winter but there are many things you can do to give your plants the best chance possible.
One of the most crucial factors of preparing your plants for winter is proper watering. There is a popular idea that you need to water your trees and shrubs heavily in fall just before freezing. This is not necessarily true for every plant.
Evergreens will benefit from adequate and consistent watering from spring thaw until winter frost. Soaking them heavily one time in fall cannot undo the damage caused by a summer of dehydration. Instead, continue watering established plants every seven to ten days depending on the weather. Continue doing this until heavy frost begins. This will ensure the plant is well hydrated and ready for a long hibernation.
Burlap wrapping is another thing that can help protect plants from winter sun damage. It is especially helpful with young evergreens. The recommended method is putting four wooden posts in the ground and stapling burlap fabric to the post about four feet high. Make sure the fabric is an inch beyond the branches. This will be tall enough to block the sunlight reflecting off the snow, while still giving the tree enough room to breathe. If the tree is wrapped directly it will serve the same purpose but the foliage will suffer from being crowded.
Shrubs also need protection. Having adequate snow cover is very important for all perennials and small shrubs. Branches that are exposed above the snow line will often freeze back. Something to remember the next time you are shoveling the sidewalk: aim for the bushes! (At least when the snow is light and fluffy). Piling heavy, melting snow on your shrubs could cause more harm than good as it can crush and break branches. Pruning in Manitoba tends to be most effective in early spring (to remove winter dieback and rejuvenate at the same time).
Spreading wood chip mulch around the base of your trees and shrubs will help retain moisture, prevent weeds from stealing it away, and help prevent frost damage to the roots. It also enriches the soil as the mulch decomposes, feeding beneficial fungi.
Some very sensitive plants require an entirely different approach. Some trees that are brought in from other regions are accustomed to longer growing seasons and need to be “grown hard”. This essentially means planting them in a high, well-drained area and letting grass grow close to the trunk. This will deprive the tree of some of its moisture, therefore “starving” the tree into an early hibernation. You will need to add water in the hot dry summers to keep the tree alive when it is young but it gives much better control over the moisture levels in wet seasons. This method is only recommended on a few select trees that need the push and could be harmful if used on the wrong varieties. Key varieties would include Autumn Blaze and Norway Maples, Catalpas, Mulberries, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Honeylocust, and Walnuts.
Protecting young tree trunks with a tree wrap is another vital step. A tree wrap is a plastic tube about 3′ long that can be wrapped around the trunk. This will prevent rodents from eating the tender young bark and protect the tree against frost cracking and sun scald. Placing a cage of stucco wire around your plant will also be helpful to protect against larger garments like jack-rabbits and deer.
One last thing that often is overlooked and comes back around to bite you is not clearly marking and labeling your plants. You may be able to identify all your plants once they are in leaf and blooming, but when the perennials have not yet sprung up it is all too easy to forget who was where and accidentally dig them up or trample them down.
We can never guarantee what the winter will do this year, so it is best to be prepared.