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Fruit & Orchards

protecting young trees from Hannah's wrath

15 years ago

For those of you that may be affected by strong winds this weekend... What are you doing to protect your trees? All of my trees are young 1 and 2 year old trees. We could potentially get 45 mph winds here in central North Carolina. My dwarf trees are solidly staked but my young semi-dwarfs are not (not supposed to be). I fear of losing some of them.

Thomis

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Comment (1)

bcfromfl
15 years ago
If you're in central NC, you won't have 45mph winds from Hanna. Unless you're in an open, exposed area, the higher winds from tropical storms stay above the treetops once they move inland. Your trees are more in danger from experiencing microbursts from ordinary thunderstorms, which push to ground level and will snap/uproot small trees.

Hanna or no Hanna, you must stake your trees! I can't imagine who would tell you not to stake a small tree. Yes, it's good for trees to sway in the wind as they mature to develop some "toughness", but to expect a small tree (especially a grafted one) to withstand a strong wind without critical damage is asking too much.

It's a simple matter to take 1/2" PVC held together with corner connectors and make a tight square frame (depending upon the size and shape of the tree, maybe 12" to 18" across) around the trunk 3-4 feet above the ground. Stake the frame securely on four sides, but leave the tree loose. That way, it can sway a bit inside the frame, but if a really strong wind comes along it will push the tree against the PVC and stop it.

Remember that with a tropical storm comes rainfall. If you don't place your stakes deep enough, the rain will soften the ground and wind will pull them out.

Good luck!

-Bruce
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