Hi CBN'ers,
I planted 20 silver maples from bare root stock this spring. They all grew great all spring and summer here in Upstate NY. They havent even lost their leaves yet as most trees have in my yard. My question is, should i make a cover or shelter for them for the winter months or will they be ok? They will get wind and snow through out the winter. Any ideas. I think i probably should do somthing for them myself.
Thanks for any replies, Larry
They should be ok but if you want to protect them from the elements, put three stakes in a triangle and wrap burlap around the stakes. Further to this if you want fill the triangle 1/3 with leaves to prevent freeze/thaw cycles.
We do this on the roses and other sensitive plants. Thjen in the spring unwrap and remove the leaves
I did the three stakes today. I gotta go get the burlap or something else soon. They already had a good bed of mulch around them so i think that will be good enough for that part. Thanks for the advice. I dont want them all broke off in the spring as these trees are very important to me...Larry
I would suggest you give them plenty of water, so when the ground freezes, the roots will not freeze dry. Good to do with all plants (bushes and trees) to help them in the winter in frozen ground.
Does to much water cause freeze dry effect or not enough water? That would also depend quite a bit on the soil and mulch as well. Please explain more on this.
Not enough water causes freeze-dry effect, especially on roots of new plantings. Older plantings have better soil to root contact. Shallow rooted plants also can suffer from very dry soil conditions going into winter where temps get down to the 0 degree F. and stay there. That is why heavy watering in the fall is recommended.
Similar to frozen foods in a freezer. Freezer burn will happen when below-freezing air is all that is in contact with the food. At least that is my experience.
I did the burlap today. ChasePitkin had 50'x3' rolls of burlap for 6 bucks. Perfect for what i needed. They all look snug and ready for winter. I figure this will be the only year I need to do it. They are all ready 3' tall in one season so next year they should be ok without cover. These trees are out on our road frontage. We look forward to them getting big fast! Thanks for the advice.
Larry
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