The most common question in late fall is how to take care of TreeDiaper^® treemats during the winter. The answer is simple: do nothing! 

Just leave them where they are on the root zone. It is the best for the trees and shrubs and your backs. Freezing is not going to do any damage to TreeDiaper^® treemats (Pictures below shows before freezing, frozen and after thawing). 

In addition, leaving TreeDiaper^® outdoor during winter time offers many benefits. Here is a partial list of them:

1. The rain, snow, ice or whatever form and mixture of H₂O falling from the sky can be caught and saved for later use. Otherwise, the precipitation during winter time is just wasted. Plants do need water in winter time. Not much! But they can't live without it. 

2. TreeDiaper^® is like an additional insulation layer. It keeps the root zone warmer and prevents freezing damage during the winter time. Our case study in Richmond VA showed that the root zone temperature was maintained above freezing during a single digit winter vertex. 

3. Leaving TreeDiaper^® outdoor on plants promotes root growth during winter time. It is common knowledge that trees and perennial plants continue their root growth even when they shed all their leaves. And for newly planted trees, it means the life or death difference in many cases.

4. TreeDiaper^® is the best technology to protect plants against winter droughts. Winter droughts are rare; but it can be more deadly than summer droughts as the trees won't show the signs of water stress like wilting and yellowing leaves. Unlike other irrigation technologies that have to be placed in storage or have to be winterized (blowing air through the pipes), TreeDiaper^® continue work in winter time.

5. Preventing handling damage to TreeDiaper^® products when they are moved around. They should not be used like a watering bag and they are made to stay in one location until the tree is established.

6. Earth worms can't survive freezing temperatures, so they simply burrow deeper in winter time. TreeDiaper^® can provide a paradise for them.

7. Because TreeDiaper^® is available in winter time, it can help to keep deicing salts away from the rootzone. Check this case study out ( https://www.treediaper.com/roadsaltstudy.cfm ). It is also published on APWA Reporter: https://apwa.partica.online/reporter/august-2021/flipbook/76/

Note: Using TreeDiaper^® treemat or garden mat products in a way that is not recommended may void manufacturer warranty. 

Revised on Oct 29, 2021