Combat Wind Damage Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-607 -- More Projects »
A little preventive medicine can help to minimize wind damage in your landscape:
When winds snap and separate large branches from the tree (figure A), the broken branch needs to be cut all the way back to the main branch. Letting the ragged break go will serve as an invitation to all sorts of potentially damaging insects as well as allow rainwater to collect and slowly rot the branch and possibly the entire tree. If the branch is high up in the tree, call a professional tree service. The best approach to preventing wind damage starts when you select your trees: stick with species that can withstand strong winds. Gardeners often select trees for their fast growth rate but those species usually have weak wood. Strong trees include ashes, dogwoods, hackberry, hickory, most maples, all oaks, redbuds, sweet gums, sycamores, improved elms such as lacebark and virtually all evergreens. Weak trees include box elder, cottonwood, Monterey cypress, silver maple and callery pears, especially the 'Bradford' (Pyrus calleryana).
Check the crotch angles (the angle between the branch and the trunk): if the angle is between 45 and 60 degrees, your tree has a good chance of surviving strong winds (figure B). Trees with crotch angles of less than 45 degrees are more likely to succumb to high winds or the weight of snow or ice. An easy way to determine the right angle is to slide your index finger between the branch and the trunk (figure C). If your finger doesn't reach the bottom of the "V" and you can see light below it, the crotch angle is too narrow, and the branch should probably be removed.
Pay close attention to the moisture needs of your plants that grow close to fences, and consider something other than a solid enclosure if they appear to be suffering. As prevailing winds hit the fence, they blow up and over the top and plunge downward--often at great speeds--causing plants to dry faster than usual. This is true even if there is plenty of moisture in the soil. As the wind blows across the leaf surfaces, the rate of water absorption by the plants can't keep pace with the rate at which the leaves lose water vapor; as a result, the plants wilt. The drying effects of the sun or even a slight breeze can cause the top inch or two of soil to dry out; when that happens, seeds simply will not germinate. In the case of newly-sown seeds, the top few inches of soil should remain moist until the seeds germinate; this may mean watering once or twice a day, especially if winds have been stronger than usual.
Young seedlings are also susceptible to wind damage, and in addition to its drying effect on plants, wind can actually stunt seedling growth. Place a portable picket fence with gaps between the pickets on the windward side of the bed (figure D). Solitary plantings can be protected by placing a short board a few inches out from the plant and hammering it in the ground. Remember that wind isn't all bad. In fact, that's how many plants are pollinated. Mild to moderate wind can make trees grow stronger, and wind promotes better air circulation around plants, helping to minimize fungal diseases.
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