Clean-Up After the Polar Vortex #springgardening
by
Wallace Gardens
(IC: professional)
This is not a pretty post. But it can become one.
Here in Zone 7B (Suwanee, GA) we had a wicked winter, like much of the country. Temperatures were well below normal, and the wind-chill factor hovered around zero on more than one occasion. All this has taken its toll on our plant materials, but with spring on the horizon, it's somewhat amazing to see how little permanent damage was actually done.
The worst problems for some of my clients seemed to be with plant materials that (1) were installed in the late fall (November 2013), just a couple of weeks before temperatures dropped dramatically, and (2) with a few established broad-leaf evergreen trees and shrubs - in the way of "leaf burn," aka desiccation. Desiccation occurs when harsh winds and cold temperatures remove the moisture from plant foliage, faster than the root systems can replace lost moisture. (That's why it is a good idea to water around the root systems of newly installed materials several hours before a freeze: this allows the roots to pass moisture to the foliage before the foliage is disturbed by frigid temperatures.)
Below are examples of plants with desiccated foliage, and some suggestions to help them recover.
As a general rule: wait until all danger of frost has passed before attempting any pruning on trees and shrubs. Plants that look dead may actually be alive, and begin to push out new foliage from bare branches once spring growth resumes. Allow burned foliage to fall naturally from the branches of broad leaf evergreens, and wait to see if new growth emerges.
Newly planted trees may experience "frost cracks" along the trunks. This is caused by an unseasonable and sudden drop in temperature. The moisture within the trunk can freeze, causing a split along the trunk. The tree will heal itself, if the frost crack is not too severe.
More Info:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/weather/coldprotect-shrubs.html
Here in Zone 7B (Suwanee, GA) we had a wicked winter, like much of the country. Temperatures were well below normal, and the wind-chill factor hovered around zero on more than one occasion. All this has taken its toll on our plant materials, but with spring on the horizon, it's somewhat amazing to see how little permanent damage was actually done.
The worst problems for some of my clients seemed to be with plant materials that (1) were installed in the late fall (November 2013), just a couple of weeks before temperatures dropped dramatically, and (2) with a few established broad-leaf evergreen trees and shrubs - in the way of "leaf burn," aka desiccation. Desiccation occurs when harsh winds and cold temperatures remove the moisture from plant foliage, faster than the root systems can replace lost moisture. (That's why it is a good idea to water around the root systems of newly installed materials several hours before a freeze: this allows the roots to pass moisture to the foliage before the foliage is disturbed by frigid temperatures.)
Below are examples of plants with desiccated foliage, and some suggestions to help them recover.
As a general rule: wait until all danger of frost has passed before attempting any pruning on trees and shrubs. Plants that look dead may actually be alive, and begin to push out new foliage from bare branches once spring growth resumes. Allow burned foliage to fall naturally from the branches of broad leaf evergreens, and wait to see if new growth emerges.
Newly planted trees may experience "frost cracks" along the trunks. This is caused by an unseasonable and sudden drop in temperature. The moisture within the trunk can freeze, causing a split along the trunk. The tree will heal itself, if the frost crack is not too severe.
More Info:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/weather/coldprotect-shrubs.html
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Published March 11th, 2014 9:40 AM
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2 of 5 comments
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Wallace Gardens on Mar 12, 2014I know EXACTLY what you mean @Jeanette S . You live in the Atlanta area too. Our front yard looked like it was full of corpses !! Good luck on your spring recovery.
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Jeanette S on Mar 12, 2014You too. This year it is going to be container garden...something to eat.
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