Last week’s weather convinced me that I am finished with my garden for the 2021 season.
I managed to get 225 new tulip bulbs planted in areas where I wanted more early spring color. I used my cell phone camera to make a video of my flower beds early last spring so when I was ready to plant this fall, I knew exactly where the open spaces were. It will be fun to see that effort rewarded next spring.
As our season moves into winter mode, let me remind you to wrap the stems of newly planted trees, particularly smooth bark trees like maples and lindens.
The bark on these trees is very easily damaged by sun scald during the winter. That problem is caused by the sun reflecting off the snow during cold weather and warming the bark enough to allow moisture to “transpire” out of the tissue. The roots cannot replace that moisture because the ground is frozen. The affected bark tissue dries out and dies. In spring, when the tree begins to grow, the dead bark cannot expand to accommodate that growth and it splits open, exposing the heartwood beneath.
This damage always shows up on the south or southwest side of the tree.
Wrapping the trunk with paper tree wrap or spiral tree protectors from the ground up to where the branches start will prevent the problem. This protection is necessary particularly for maples until the bark matures enough to develop furrows.
If you have a tree that has experienced this damage, it is especially important to protect the new bark that is trying to close that wound. The tree has an amazing ability to heal itself but will need your help for a few years to avoid the new bark getting sun scald just as happed before.
Another young tree to protect for winter is a flowering crab or apple tree. These trees have bark that is a favorite for rabbits when we have a heavy snow cover and their food options are limited. They will strip the bark off the trunk without asking permission. That is called girdling and is a death sentence.
Girdling can also be caused by male deer polishing the velvet off their antlers. Their activity shreds the bark and the result is the same. I prefer the plastic or vinyl spiral tree wraps because they are inexpensive, super easy to put on, and can be reused for many years.