Trees need different things at different times of year, and a little attention each season keeps small problems from turning into big ones.
Winter (December to February)
- Prune most trees while they're dormant. Oaks are best pruned in November and December.
- Structure young trees. Remove competing leaders and crossing branches while cuts are small.
- Inspect bare canopies. Dead limbs, cracks and weak forks are easiest to see with the leaves off.
- Scrape spotted lanternfly egg masses off trunks, stones and outdoor furniture.
- Pick bagworm bags off red cedars, cypress and other evergreens.
- Water evergreens like holly, cedar and pine during long dry spells when the ground isn't frozen.
- Apply dormant horticultural oil to trees with scale insects.
- Plan spring planting and order trees.
Spring (March to May)
- Stop pruning oaks. Avoid cutting oaks from March through August.
- Prune spring-flowering trees like dogwood, redbud and serviceberry right after they bloom.
- Plant early, before trees leaf out, if you missed the fall window.
- Refresh mulch to 2 to 4 inches, raking up the old layer first and keeping it off trunks.
- Watch dogwoods for anthracnose leaf spots during cool, wet weather.
- Protect healthy ash trees from emerald ash borer. Soil treatments are applied in spring, into May or early June.
- Remove stakes and ties from trees planted last year.
- Get a pre-storm inspection before hurricane season starts on June 1.
Summer (June to August)
- Water young trees deeply once a week when there's been less than an inch of rain.
- Water mature trees during droughts, especially shallow-rooted species.
- Treat bagworms with Bt in early summer while the caterpillars are small.
- Watch for drought stress, like wilting, scorched leaf edges and early leaf drop.
- Look for bacterial leaf scorch on oaks in late summer.
- Check pines for pitch tubes and fading needles.
- Keep mowers and trimmers away from trunks.
- Skip the fertilizer. Summer feeding pushes soft growth during heat stress.
- Stay storm ready. Hurricane season is underway.
Fall (September to November)
- Plant trees. October and November are the best planting months in Virginia.
- Water deeply before winter if the fall has been dry.
- Prune oaks in November and December.
- Rake and remove fallen leaves from diseased dogwoods and sycamores.
- Mulch-mow healthy leaves into beds around trees.
- Check trees after storms. Peak hurricane activity runs from August through October.
- Fertilize only if a soil test calls for it, after the leaves drop.
Any Time of Year
- Remove dead, broken or hanging limbs as soon as you spot them.
- Look over your trees after every major storm.
- Call for help right away if a tree starts leaning, cracks or shows mushrooms at the base.