How do I protect my baby trees in winter?

[Desirai]

I planted baby trees in March of this year.

I have;

Magnolia (15 in tall)
Eastern redbud (12in tall)
Southern peach (2 ft tall)
Red maple (3 feet tall)
Weeping Willow (6 feet tall)
Washington hawthorne (12 in tall)

I live in zone 7-8 in north Alabama. Our winters usually don't bring snow but we do get lots of frost and rain. The first frost will probably be the middle of October

All of my trees are in direct sunlight and won't have any protection by other trees.

[Gary350]

When trees grow in the wild mother nature does nothing special for the trees, either they live or they die.

I have 8 volunteer Tulip Poplar trees I transplaced to a row in the garden last year. I put a tomato cage over each tree as a marker so I would not accidently mow they down with the lawn mower. One tree died last winter now I have 7 trees. I keep the grass cut round them and thats all I do. I am going to dig them all up in about 2 months after the first frost and plant them all in my yard.

[rainbowgardener]

But if you don't want to go the survival of the fittest route, with such baby trees, water them very deeply before the first frost and then mulch heavily around them (but keep the mulch away from the tree trunk). If you get a lot of windy conditions in the winter, I would stake them, but loosely, with a cloth figure 8 (so one loop around the stake, tightly, but a separate loop looser around the tree). If you have critters around that might nibble on them or chew the bark, I would cage them (except the two tall ones, you could wrap the trunk on those).

[bullthistle]

And do not use a weed wacker around them no matter how careful you think you are.

[tomc]

I planted baby trees in March of this year.

I have;

Magnolia (15 in tall)
Eastern redbud (12in tall)
Southern peach (2 ft tall)
Red maple (3 feet tall)
Weeping Willow (6 feet tall)
Washington hawthorne (12 in tall)

I live in zone 7-8 in north Alabama. Our winters usually don't bring snow but we do get lots of frost and rain. The first frost will probably be the middle of October

Sunscald and dry-out might be your biggest concern. Water them in well as frost aproaches. Um, and maybe a hardware cloth wrap for peaches to cut down on vole-feild mouse nibbling.

If the lawn mower don't get 'em, not much else should trouble this list of trees outdoors.

All of my trees are in direct sunlight and won't have any protection by other trees.