Seasonal Tree Maintenance Guide for Boise’s Climate

Trees thrive with proper planting and care. This guide provides tips, tools and instructions to help you succeed with your new trees.

Avoid letting newly planted trees sit too long in containers. Remove containers or burlap wrapping before planting. Minimize the exposure of your trees to salt, especially along streets and driveways. Salt extracts moisture from soil and roots, which can harm a young tree.

Spring

Trees can enhance curb appeal and add value to your property. However, trees require regular maintenance to thrive. Proper care reduces the risk of disease, pest infestation, and hazardous conditions. Whether you’re planting a new yard tree, or caring for your existing ones, understanding the best times to perform specific maintenance activities can help you get the most out of your investment. follow link for more: http://boiseidtreeservice.com

Planting

The spring is the best time to plant in Boise, as it gives your garden the chance to take advantage of our warmer weather and rich soil. If you’re planting fruit trees, it’s also important to plant them early so that they have a chance to ripen before summer’s heat sets in.

When planting, be sure to straighten the hole and secure it with one or two stakes, if necessary. Be sure to backfill slowly and gently, so that you don’t accidentally drive the stakes through the root ball. Apply a layer of mulch to conserve moisture and promote hydration, while suppressing weed growth.

Summer

During summer, trees provide significant benefits to our community including reduced urban heat and lower peak season summer energy bills, improved quality of life and increased storm resilience. Regular monitoring during this time can help identify and treat problems such as insects, disease, or abnormal growth patterns.

The summer is also the optimal time for pruning flowering and fruit trees, repotting deciduous and coniferous trees, and applying mulch to the root zone. It’s also the best time to limit salt use near your trees, as salt extracts moisture from soil and roots.

The City of Boise has partnered with local non-profit Treasure Valley Canopy Network, The Nature Conservancy in Idaho and the U.S. Forest Service to develop the Elaine Clegg City of Trees Challenge. Together, we aim to plant one urban tree for every Boise resident and 235,000 forest seedlings in the Boise National Forest by 2025. This partnership will also support a sustainable local nursery industry through sourcing trees from our local wholesale nursery partners – Jayker Wholesale Nursery, Edwards Greenhouse and Flowershop, Franz Witte Garden Center and Zamzows.

Fall

The fall is a great time to plant shrubs and perennials, and also the best time to prune deciduous trees. Fall pruning prepares trees for winter by reducing disease risks and removing branches that could damage property or harm people. It’s also the ideal time to install or repair wind chimes and braces on evergreen trees.

It’s a great idea to rake leaves regularly to avoid soil compaction and thatch buildup, which can prevent grass from photosynthesizing. This is also a good time to mulch to conserve soil moisture and suppress weed growth.

Urban forests have a significant impact on reducing extreme heat by providing a natural cooling effect. They reduce peak season summer energy costs, provide stormwater benefits and improve air quality, while also contributing to jobs, economic development and a high quality of life. For more information, visit American Forests Vibrant Cities Lab and Treasure Valley Canopy Network Heatmap.

Winter

While trees and shrubs are dormant in winter, they still need care. Windy winter temperatures can dry out conifer needles and broadleaf evergreen foliage. Snow can add weight that stresses and breaks branches. And deer, rabbits, porcupine and mice often girdle young or newly planted trees by chewing on the bark.

A windbreak can help keep tree needles from drying out in winter winds. Mulching the root zone can also help retain soil moisture during a drought-like period. Wrapping conifers in commercial white wrapping can help prevent sunscald, which occurs when the south or west sides of the trunk heat up during the day and crack when the temperature drops at night.

The City of Boise and Treasure Valley Canopy Network are partnering on the Elaine Clegg City of Trees Challenge to recruit residents to plant a tree and to provide resources for caring for urban trees. To support the climate and equity goals of the City of Boise, the Challenge will focus on reaching historically marginalized neighborhoods with a high incidence of extreme heat.