PREPARING IMMATURE TREES AND SHRUBS FOR WINTER
After a long season in the yard and garden, November is usually time to kick back and relax. There are a few more critical chores to do before you let old man winter really set in. Fruit trees and edible shrubs that were planted this year, or any trees or shrubs that are still immature, need some protection from winter and critters. Winter winds and cold can cause bark to split on trees and desiccation on evergreens and stems, leaving you with struggling plants come spring. Rodents and deer love to feed on tender fruit tree twigs and bark. So, a little prevention now will go a long way to getting a healthy jump on next year's growing season.
One of the keys to tree and shrub survival is to go into the winter as healthy as possible. Trees and shrubs continue growing new roots as long as soil temperatures are above 40°F. Keeping your plants well watered while the soil is warm is important. Water weekly, providing enough moisture to sink at least 1 foot deep into the soil until the ground begins to freeze. Fall is usually not the time to fertilize. However, you can fertilize for root growth with products like Root Stimulator, which have high phosphorus and pot ash and low to no nitrogen.
Often it is not the cold temperatures that kills trees and shrubs but the wind, which can cause desiccation. This is primarily a problem for deciduous evergreens, like Rhododendrons and Boxwoods, or true evergreens. It is generally recommended to choose plants well suited to the location in which you are planting them. Paying attention to such information as “protect from winter wind and sun” and planting accordingly will help alleviate extra work and problems. Watering until the ground freezes, using anti-desiccants like Wilt Stop (applied in November and again in midwinter whenever the air temperatures are above 40°F) or, in real unusual cases, using burlap to create a wind break, can ensure these plants successfully survive the winter.
Immature trees, most especially fruit and maples, are also susceptible to sun scald. On cold days the sun's light warms the tree bark. Once the sun sets, the bark quickly cools causing it to split and break open. This is a perfect location for diseases and insects to attack. Use tree wrap, a tree protector or paint (white latex paint diluted three parts water to one part paint) to keep the bark from heating up and splitting. Mice, voles, and deer love to eat fresh young twigs and bark in winter, especially if there is a snow cover and little else to eat. Use tree protectors or guards that wrap around the trunks. Be sure to place these 1 inch below the soil line and as high as you expect the snow line to be. For deer control try snow or wire fencing around individual prized trees, or use repellent sprays or granules. Start using deer repellents now so that deer will learn to stay away from these plants while they still have other food sources. During the course of the winter reapply repellants using a variety of sprays to confuse the deer and, hopefully, keep them away. Of course, if hungry enough a deer will eat anything, so fencing is really the only failsafe method to keep them from munching on your plantings.
Excerpted from: http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=Protecting-Fruiting-Trees