Use T-shirts to protect trees, shrubs from snow damage
Sooner or later, there will be a big snow. When heavy snowis caught in the needles of evergreen shrubs, it can sometimes bend their branches alarmingly.
Usually, the alarm is unnecessary. “Most evergreens will bounce back and straighten up once the snowmelts,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at TheMorton Arboretum in Lisle. On deciduous shrubs and trees, which have no needles to catch snow, it falls harmlessly between the bare winter branches.
However, arborvitaes, evergreen shrubs with upward-pointing branches, can suffer, especially smaller or younger trees. “Theweight of amajor snowfall can splay those branches out so far that they break,” Yiesla said. Ice storms can also do damage, because a coating of ice on branches is much heavier than snow.
If a big snowfall is in the forecast, you can protect an arborvitae by gently tying its branches together so they can’t be forced to bend out. The snowwill be trapped harmlessly between the tied-up branches and will eventually melt away.
The best materials for tying branches are flexible and soft, such as old pantyhose or strips of fabric torn fromold T-shirts or sheets. Rope, twine or bungee cords are too harsh; they can rub against the bark and damage the tree.
Don’t spiral a single long tie up the tree. Instead, use separate pieces of material to make bands around the tree at intervals.
Starting near the bottom, surround the tree with a length of material, pull on it to gather all the branches fairly close together, and tie it securely. Don’t make the band too
tight, or some branches may break. Move up about 2 feet and make another band. Continue up the tree.
You should be able to do this without climbing a ladder. “It will only be worth tying up younger plants, which have especially bendable branches, and theywon’t be too tall,” Yiesla said.
By the time an arborvitae reaches its full, mature height— which can be 30 or 40 feet— its branches are strong enough to stand up to snow. A hedge of arborvitaeswon’t need to be tied up, because the closely spaced trees will support each other.
Only the largest storms, with double-digit snowfall, pose any risk to an arborvitae. Arboretum research has shown that tree branches can support 2 to 3 times theirweight in snowor ice before failing, so light andmoderate snowfalls don’twarrant tying up your tree.
It’s also not a good idea to tie it up as a preventive measure and keep it bound all winter. “Thatwould block sunlight fromreaching the needles,” Yiesla said, “and over time, the branches could rub on each other as the tree moves in the wind.” Instead, have your materials ready, but don’t use them unless a big storm is forecast. Remove the ties once the storm has passed.
If you didn’t get your arborvitae tied up before a major snowstorm, you can use a broomto gently sweep snowoff the branches before it builds up.
Don’t try this if the temperature drops, as it often does after a snowfall. Cold temperatures can make wood brittle, so you might break branches. In an ice storm, stay safely inside.
Your other plants probablywon’t need help to handle snow. In fact, it will do them good. Snowis good insulation; after all, it consists mostly of air, trapped between ice crystals. A layer of snowon the ground protects plants’ roots from bitter winter cold.
“The temperature under the snowis oftenwarmer than the air temperature,” Yiesla said. “Roots can be growing in the soil under the snow, and beneficial soil organisms can be at work.” Then, in spring, the snowwill melt to provide moisture just when seeds and sprouts need it.
“Snowis tough on commuters and young arborvitaes, but for most plants, it’s a good thing,” she said.