How are Your Trees?

Snow, snow, snow!  While beautiful, my back is sore from shoveling and my trees poor branches are sagging!  With the heavy snows we’ve had recently, it’s sad to see my arborvitae bent or even broken from the weight. Removing the snow from the trees is the standard advice.  Here are some tips from Olbrich Botanical Gardens Horticulture staff.

 

Olbrich battles the same thing – only with a lot more trees and shrubs!   Olbrich’s Director of Horticulture, Jeff Epping, has suggestions on the best snow removal techniques that might be able to save your plants.  

 
Get that snow off!

If possible, get out into your garden and gently remove the snow with a broom or some other soft device during or immediately after the snowfall.  “If it’s practical, get out while it’s still snowing, maybe even one or two times,” Jeff says. Of course, he adds, it’s not foolproof advice, “I went over my arborvitae twice at home and they still bent over from the weight of the heavy snow.”

It’s best not to wait any length of time to remove the snow, especially if colder temperatures are forecasted, since snow will freeze onto the foliage or branches of the plants and be difficult to remove without causing further damage.

Technique

Jeff’s favorite method for getting the snow off low branches is to brush it off in a sideways motion using his entire arm.  That way the snow gets pushed off to the side without damaging the foliage, rather than wet clumps falling further down into the plant.  However, for tall arborvitae, you might need to be more inventive. There’s no real tool for this, so Olbrich’s horticulture staff has come with a few contraptions that make the job easier. “We use telescopic pole saws so we can adjust the height.  We remove the saw blades and attach a small flexible rake or a foam ball with a rag around it secured with duct tape.  You want something that’s soft on the plants and not so heavy to lift.” Even so, Jeff admits, your arms will get tired and your hands will get cold!

Well, sore back, tired arms and cold hands, it is winter in Wisconsin!