Why Are My Evergreens Turning Brown?
Evergreen trees and shrubs generally are low maintenance selections and are a great pick for beautiful color year round. However, they are susceptible to winter burn which, in large amounts could affect the overall health of your evergreen.
What is Winter Burn?
When evergreens gather their energy from the sun during photosynthesis, they release water, called transpiration and results in the evaporation of the moisture throughout the leaves and needles of the tree. When the lost water is not able to be replaced in the tree due to heavy drought or freezing temperatures, they will dehydrate and cause shedding of leaves, branches and sometimes can lead to the death of the tree.
If your evergreens have already fallen ill with the winter burn and you don’t want to lose your beloved evergreen.
Trim away dead branches.
Starting by trimming off the branches that are completely dead, preforming a proper prune. Make sure the lopers you use are sterilized and haven’t been used on any other specimen as this can spread diseases between trees extremely quickly.
Insulate.
The next step is to wrap the tree in burlap, usually found in a hobby store or online, this will help the trees by providing extra insulation against the harsh weather.
Fertilization.
Fertilization of the roots is another very important step in getting your trees back to health. North American Tree Service performs a number of deep root fertilization treatments on your trees in Atlanta to provide them the extra boost of nutrients to repair the damage.
Mulching the base.
To help prevent future illnesses it is highly recommended that you mulch around the base of your trees at a 3” depth, making sure to keep the mulch away from the trunk as this can result in greater disease or root rot. By mulching the base of your trees, you can provide the soil a number of extra nutrients to help out in harsh winters and also retain a lot of moisture in the soil for those dry windy days.
If you have any trees in Atlanta that look like they could use some attention, please give North American Tree Service a call to have a certified Arborist come out and give you a free assessment of your trees in Atlanta. We offer a number of tree health care services in Atlanta and are staffed with highly trained technicians ready to assist you with your next project.