What to do about ice storm damage
The recent ice storm took most gardeners by surprise! At least I wasn’t ready for it. Because it turned cold so quickly, I haven’t had time to get my hoses or tomato cages put away.
I have fielded quite a few questions about what to do with plants that were damaged by the storm. I’ll cover a few items today and see if there are more questions that come up.
If you have deciduous shrubs that were damaged, I wouldn’t worry too much about these unless there are broken branches. Prune these off now in order to avoid more damage with future snow and ice.
My hydrangeas were completely flat on the ground and have recovered for the most part. However, I cut them back to the ground level in the spring so I am not really worried about them now.
Smaller evergreen shrubs fared pretty well, but the taller evergreens such as arborvitae and pines took a beating.
My arborvitae are still a little droopy and I am just going to leave them alone until spring. I am hoping that once growth resumes and it’ gets warmer, they will perk back up.
If you have severe splitting of arborvitaes, you may want to stake or support the taller sections in order to straighten them up. Do this when temperatures are warmer and the branches are pliable. If you mess with them when temps are freezing, they may snap.
I noticed lots of pine trees with quite a bit of damage. Make clean cuts on the tree in order to avoid a ragged wound where the branch broke. It may mean that you have to take a branch clear back to the trunk.
If the central leader broke out of your tree, you have a couple of options. First, you can prune out the damaged part and let the tree grow naturally as is.
The result is pretty much a flatter-topped tree that will grow wide but not very tall.
The second option is that you can create a new central leader with one of the lateral branches by taking the longest lateral closest to the break, move it to a vertical position (central leader) and support it by wrapping it to the main trunk. As long as you have a branch that is longer than the lateral branches, it will develop into a central leader.
However, don’t do it now. Wait until spring, right before new growth begins and the branch is pliable. Of course, another option is to call a professional arborist and have them assess any damage to your trees and repair if possible. Certified arborists know a great deal about tree behavior and can help you out with any of the recent damage.
In the future, there is not much you can do about ice, but if we do have a heavy snow load and you are worried about branches, you can gently brush off the snow. Just avoid breaking the branch yourself. Pamela Corle-Bennett is the state master gardener volunteer coordinator and horticulture educator for Ohio State University Extension. Contact her by email at bennett.27@osu.edu.