Minnesota winters are harsh, characterized by below-freezing temperatures and feet of snow. Despite the harsh conditions, tree pruning and removal can be a better time. Can tree care be done during the winter? It’s a common misconception that tree maintenance stops during the winter months. However, there are many benefits to performing tree pruning and […]
Despite our abundance of lakes, Minnesota summers have been dry. A dry summer is stressful for people, trees, and plants. Although droughts are regular, dry weather during crucial growth periods can cause irreversible damage. The term “drought” refers to a period of time without precipitation. As the water content declines, trees can no longer extract […]
Summer provides many challenges to trees, from heat and drought to attacks by other living things. Many things are beyond our control, but there’s a lot we can do to help our trees. Watering and providing good soil for a tree to grow in can help boost the tree’s natural defenses. Some issues, however, especially […]
Protecting the trunks of young trees is one of the most important things we can do to help with establishment after planting. It is essential in order to set a tree up for a long and successful life in the landscape. The question to ask is, how to protect your tree in winter? Winter subjects […]
When caring for trees, we often focus our efforts on what we can see: the canopy. Pruning is an important tool to manage trees, but ignoring what’s happening below ground is leaving out half the picture. Tree roots are the living, breathing, resource collecting first step in the process of photosynthesis. Ensuring they have everything […]
Winter in Minnesota provides many challenges for trees and shrubs. From extreme cold to dry winds and even the sun. Bright, sunny days can pose as much or even more risk to some plants. The main issues we see later in winter are sun scald and winter burn. Both of these issues are best treated […]
Here in the frozen North, we pride ourselves on our hardiness and ability to embrace the winter. Whether indoors or out, we have all developed adaptations that help us get through the cold and dark. Our native trees and shrubs are no different, having evolved over tens of thousands of years to survive in this […]
Ever since the agricultural revolution, humans have been pruning trees. While the tools and techniques have changed, the underlying purpose has remained the same: we’ve needed to tame nature. Pruning was originally used to increase orchard production and create sustainable sources of firewood but eventually expanded to include the landscape management we often think of […]
At one time or another, we’ve likely all been struck by an impressive sight- a tree that has stood the test of time. These trees come in many forms. They might be particularly large or appear old and wizened. Some may be relics of the time before settlers, some may be remnants of groves that […]
Make plans to plant trees this spring – they are needed now more than ever! The more than 100 million trees that died in California after being weakened by drought and insect infestations have transformed large swaths of the Sierra Nevada into browned-out tree cemeteries. In some areas more than 90 percent of trees are […]
