What Is Sunscald and How Can You Prevent It?
Denver is one of the sunniest cities in the country during the summer months. And while the sun makes spending time outside more pleasant and beautiful, it can damage your trees. Sunscald, a type of sunburn that impacts trees and plants, can result in damaged growth, injured tree trunks, and an increased risk of other issues and diseases that can hurt your trees in the long run. But there’s good news: you can protect your trees. Here are a few tips that your Denver plant health care team wants you to keep in mind.
Avoid Over-Pruning
Regular tree trimming and pruning are essential for the health of your trees. But you’ll need to be careful as you go. If you over-prune your trees or remove too much of the growth at once, you can put strain on your trees and lead to an increased risk of sunscald.
Prune and trim only the excess growth that needs to be removed. If you’re not sure where to start or how much to remove, consider working with an experienced tree-trimming specialist. They’ll be able to prune and trim your trees in a way that preserves their health and reduces the risk of sunscald.
Block Excess Sunlight
As we mentioned earlier, sunscald is a type of sunburn that affects trees and shrubs. Unfortunately, there’s no tree-safe sunscreen that you can apply to protect the leaves and trunks on your property. The best way to prevent sunscald is to block excess sunlight whenever possible. That’s not to say that you should completely shield your trees. It just means you’ll want to protect the portions of your tree that you can.
If you have a young tree sitting in overly harsh direct light for most of the day, consider wrapping the trunk in a protective covering. This will reduce the damage done to the trunk and can strengthen the tree enough to resist sunscald on the leaves.
Water and Fertilize Appropriately
Weakened trees are always going to be more vulnerable to sunscald. This is because trees that are already in poor health don’t have the ability to repair minor damage like sunscald quickly enough to prevent it from becoming a major problem. Watering your trees and fertilizing them appropriately during the growing season is the best way to promote health and reduce the risk of all types of damage.
During wet months, you may not have to water established trees at all. But during periods of drought or particularly dry weeks and months, you may need to water your trees weekly. You’ll also want to consult with a plant health care specialist to determine a proper fertilization schedule for your trees. Fertilizer promotes healthy growth and gives your trees a boost of nutrients necessary for proper damage recovery.
Protecting Your Trees From Sunscald Is Possible
While sunscald is impossible to prevent at all times, there are things you can do to mitigate your risk and protect your trees in the long run. Consult with the plant health care team at Root Tree Service and let our experts help you keep your trees in good shape for years to come. Contact us to schedule an appointment.
Go Back Avoid Over-Pruning
Regular tree trimming and pruning are essential for the health of your trees. But you’ll need to be careful as you go. If you over-prune your trees or remove too much of the growth at once, you can put strain on your trees and lead to an increased risk of sunscald.
Prune and trim only the excess growth that needs to be removed. If you’re not sure where to start or how much to remove, consider working with an experienced tree-trimming specialist. They’ll be able to prune and trim your trees in a way that preserves their health and reduces the risk of sunscald.
Block Excess Sunlight
As we mentioned earlier, sunscald is a type of sunburn that affects trees and shrubs. Unfortunately, there’s no tree-safe sunscreen that you can apply to protect the leaves and trunks on your property. The best way to prevent sunscald is to block excess sunlight whenever possible. That’s not to say that you should completely shield your trees. It just means you’ll want to protect the portions of your tree that you can.
If you have a young tree sitting in overly harsh direct light for most of the day, consider wrapping the trunk in a protective covering. This will reduce the damage done to the trunk and can strengthen the tree enough to resist sunscald on the leaves.
Water and Fertilize Appropriately
Weakened trees are always going to be more vulnerable to sunscald. This is because trees that are already in poor health don’t have the ability to repair minor damage like sunscald quickly enough to prevent it from becoming a major problem. Watering your trees and fertilizing them appropriately during the growing season is the best way to promote health and reduce the risk of all types of damage.
During wet months, you may not have to water established trees at all. But during periods of drought or particularly dry weeks and months, you may need to water your trees weekly. You’ll also want to consult with a plant health care specialist to determine a proper fertilization schedule for your trees. Fertilizer promotes healthy growth and gives your trees a boost of nutrients necessary for proper damage recovery.
Protecting Your Trees From Sunscald Is Possible
While sunscald is impossible to prevent at all times, there are things you can do to mitigate your risk and protect your trees in the long run. Consult with the plant health care team at Root Tree Service and let our experts help you keep your trees in good shape for years to come. Contact us to schedule an appointment.