Will Snow Covered Trees Grow Back Upward?

3 years ago

Hi,

This is my first post here. Nice to meet everyone.

We recently had a huge snowstorm (Cleveland), and many of our trees were weighed down by more than a foot of snow. Some branches snapped, but others on medium/large-sized bushes just bent and bowed dramatically until they came close to the ground. From what I can tell, the branches and trunks are intact, and nothing has been uprooted.

My question: will they right themselves and eventually grow back vertically again? I’ve heard, of course, that trees and plants grow “toward the sun”, but I’m not sure if that’s a fact that applies here, or just a motivational calendar quote.

I’m not sure the type of trees, but several of them are evergreen bushes, while others are deciduous. I removed as much snow as I could during and after the storm to help the process. (I hope.)

Thank you very much!

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Comments (8)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Most do....some don't. Arborvitaes in particular seem to have some difficulty with side branching that gets weighted down from snow loads and fail to regain their very vertical growth habit. They just splay out to the side and need to be trimmed back or tied into the main trunk to look tidy.

Removing as much of the snow as possible while it is still falling will certainly help.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
a pic or two will allow us to ID them for you .. and decide how bad it is ....

as gal notes.. splaying of arbs is a big problem in snow/ice load places ... and it may or may not be fixable ... we have to look ...

use the camera button below the box you type a reply in.. to post pix ...

whether or not they can be fixed ... depends on age and size ... you could probably stake up a youngster.. and in a few years it can be freed ... but older thick wooded trees may not be salvageable .... and im back to pix ...

see link below.. look familiar ...

welcome ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ice+splayed+arbs&t=ffnt&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
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Kerim Catovic
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Really depends on trees and snow. Unlike the commenter above says, my arbovitaes bend dramatically under snow but they're all straight as an arrow and doing fantastically. On the other hand there's this deciduous tree that has very thick branching. Last year some big branches broke under snow. Last month some branches broke off again under the wind because their structure had been damaged by snow before. All the other trees are perfectly fine though and I got plenty of varieties
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Splaying of individual branches is quite different from the entire tree bending under the weight of snow. Bending is typically recoverable....splaying much less so. And breakage is breakage :-)

You can Google for arborvitaes splaying under snow loads and get loads of hits describing this very common phenomenon.
Embothrium
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Multiple comments on here in the past about columnar arborvitae cultivars being a pain in snowy climates because of them falling open or even breaking. That the issue is particular to columnar variant forms - which are frequently used to form living fences - is a key point. With the abnormality of their upright branching structure being what makes them prone.
User
3 years ago
fwiw: In October, my 7 ft. tall Red pines (pinus resinosa) had most of the horizontal branches pinned to the ground. One looked so bent, it laid parallel to the trunk almost straight down. From a distance, I thought for sure it had broken.

It warmed up in a few days and the snow melted. To my surprise, they all came back up with no apparent damage.

If it has been colder, they probably would've broke. Branches can get quite brittle in below freezing temperatures.
bengz6westmd
3 years ago
My experience is some will mostly come back up, but if really bad may have to be pulled back up & staked (tied to a stake).
Phoenix Rising (Zone 7a/b, NJ)
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Believe it or not, even most cultivars of evergreen, Southern Magnolia will dramatically bend after a heavy, weight snow...., then magically right themselves up after the snow melts (at least in a climate in which there is relatively rapid melting in the light of day).

BTW, what Embothrium posted above is quite accurate. My columnar cultivars of M. grandiflora are extremely vulnerable to snow falls. The snow get trapped in the strongly, vertically angled branches...., almost never issues with the sprawling, horizontal varieties!

Will Snow Covered Trees Grow Back Upward?

Comments (8)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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