Salt And Ice-Melt: 3 Basic Winter Tree Care Tips

Rock salt is a necessity in many cities. After all, the salt helps to keep the roadways and walkways safer by melting the snow and ice. Unfortunately, rock salt can wreak havoc on your landscaping – especially your trees. Luckily, with a little effort you can keep your trees healthy.

So how can you keep your trees healthy this winter? Here are three tips:

1. Wrap Your Trees

If you have young trees on your property, wrapping them is the best way to protect them. This is an especially good idea if the trees are located near any roadway or walkway where salt is frequently used. Plus, wrapping your young trees will also protect them from sun scald (the equivalent of a human sunburn.)

All you need to do is wrap the trees with burlap and some twine. You can do it yourself if you have the time or you can contact a professional tree service. Either way the burlap will help to shield your trees from the harmful salt and sun.

2. Water Thoroughly

Another helpful tip is to water your trees thoroughly. While watering them during sub-freezing temperatures isn't a good idea, you should be watering them whenever you can when the weather is warmer. Frequent watering will help to flush the soil, which will prevent the salt from dehydrating the trees.

When the weather is too cold to water, consider using specialized compost materials to help reduce the levels of sodium in the soil. Compost materials, such as gypsum, will absorb some of the sodium in the soil so that there isn't too much of a buildup come spring.

3. Aerate The Soil

Finally, you can help prevent too much sodium from building up in the soil by aerating it. You can aerate your soil either in the fall or spring. Regardless, aerating the soil makes it much easier for the snow and ice to drain when it melts. In turn, this makes it much easier to get rid of the excess sodium in the soil. It's a win-win.

As you can see, there are many methods for keeping your trees happy and healthy throughout winter – even with the use of rock salt. So if you live in an area that uses salt to keep walkways and roadways safe, utilize these tips. If you would prefer to stay warm and toasty inside, contact a professional tree service, such as Arbor Barber Inc. These professionals will help keep your landscaping healthy year-round.


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