How to Protect Trees in Winter

It’s interesting when there’s a chance of bad weather everyone flocks to the grocery store. But you know if want to protect your trees and shrubs the best place to go is probably the hardware store.

You see high winds, in heavy ice on trees and shrubs can be one of the most damaging things for them. And to avoid lot of expense and trouble later, there are few things you can do.

You see younger and newly planted trees can literally be uprooted by weight of ice and force of wind. About the best thing to do for them is to make sure that they’re well stake and guide. For larger trees and shrubs what you want to do is help them at their weakest point and that’s always where a branch departs from the tree trunk.

Now I’ve done this by wrapping the tree with rope and anchored it to the wall. The weakest point on a tree is where you have two branches of equal diameter coming off the trunk of the tree. At this point is where they seem to inevitably split. You see the branch collar which supports the a limb can’t wrap itself 360 degrees making this very susceptible to high winds and lots of heavy ice.

Broadly for evergreens like hollies and magnolias are more vulnerable than deciduous trees because of increase wind resistance and more ice on their leaves. Seeing damage like this cannot only break your heart but also your pocket book. It’s always a reminder to me that properly pruning a young tree is one of the best ways to make it strong, thus avoiding problems and headaches like this in the future. From the garden I’m Allen Smith.

For more on this topic and other information just check out my website PAllenSmith.com and make sure you watch me on the MBC today show on December 6 and 8 where I’m going to show some holiday tips.


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