Timing is Everything!

Written by: Certified Arborist, Keith Glaznap

Posted: 2021 | Tree and Shrub Care | Winter

Sometimes it’s hard to think about tree care with a foot of snow on the ground. Ironically, this is the best time to be thinking about your trees. Trees, insects, and diseases are all currently dormant. This dormancy period gives us the perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season.

Once our trees begin coming back to life, the insects and diseases that attack them become active as well. Waiting until that point to start thinking about your trees could result in “problems”.

An analogy for this situation might be dinner time. My family normally eats dinner at 6:00pm. If we wish to serve dinner punctually we need to have a plan earlier than 6:00pm. Waiting until 6:00pm to begin planning dinner might lead to “problems”.

For any of you who currently have, or have had kids around the house you know all too well that waiting beyond dinner time to begin making dinner could result in, shall I say, an unpleasant evening for everyone.

Another “problem” created from dinner being late would be a negatively impacted schedule. Maybe one of us has a PTA meeting or a doctor appointment. To attend these meetings on time, dinner needs to be ready at a specific time. If dinner is too early or too late, some family members might miss dinner or need to cancel their meeting. Having dinner ready at the correct time can help to keep everyone satisfied while also allowing for scheduled meetings and appointments to be attended.

Preparing your plant health care treatments for the season can be analogous to preparing for dinner. The treatment(s) being recommended often need to be administered within a specific window of time to be the most effective. If a client approves their prescription letter too late for a given season they may encounter “problems”.

Slightly late treatments could still be effective. Although, the later a client approves their treatments the less effective certain treatments might be. If a client approves a treatment exceptionally late there is a chance that it could be ineffective and need to be completely omitted for that season.

When you receive your tree care prescription letter this winter or spring, think of it like preparing for dinner. The sooner your plan is approved, the better. Contact your Wachtel Tree Science arborist with any questions right away. We are here to help you prepare your tree care prescriptions now so that your trees can be cared for at the appropriate times during the season. I speak for all of us when I say, we look forward to helping you care for your trees again this season!