Garden Tips: Have a stake in your trees’ battle with the wind

As you know, wind is a force of nature that needs to be acknowledged and respected. As gardeners, we know that breezy, blustery, or downright windy weather can cause a variety of problems.

A little over a week ago, strong winds quickly swept through our area and toppled a number of trees. Windthrow due to gusty winds is not an uncommon occurrence in our region. While it is logical to blame the wind, there are typically other factors that can be the underlying culprits.

Recently planted trees are more likely to blow over because their roots have not had a chance to grow out into the native soil to help anchor them. Trees planted on windy sites may need to be staked. This is done by placing two stakes on opposite sides of the trunk in the ground outside the original root ball. They should be placed perpendicular to the prevailing wind and attached to the trunk no higher than two-thirds the tree’s height.

The movement of a tree’s trunk stimulates root growth and encourages a stronger, thicker trunk. Tying materials should be flexible enough so that the trunk can move back and forth in the wind. Do not use wire or other stiff tying materials that can cut into or scrape the bark. Staking should only be left on long enough for the roots to become established. Never leave staking on more than a year.

Even trees that have been planted long enough to become established can blow over because of poorly developed or shallow root systems. Circling or girdling roots that are not corrected at planting time prevent the root system from developing correctly and expanding out radially from all sides of the trunk. Compacted soil impedes the development of a healthy, robust roots capable of providing a large tree with stability. Likewise, consistent shallow irrigation promotes a shallow root system that does not provide good anchoring.

Luckily most of our trees are still standing, but they may not have escaped damage from the recent winds. In early spring, tender young leaves can be ripped off a tree by strong gusts or become wounded and even shredded from thrashing about. Wounding will later show up as small holes that grow larger as the leaves grow. As the leaves expand, the holes and tears can look like damage from chewing insects. This type of damage is often observed on maple and plum trees, but other trees are also vulnerable.

This has been a frustrating spring for gardeners because there have been very few calm days for spraying pesticides safely in the yard and garden. However, gardeners should always observe caution and use the rule of thumb of never applying pesticides when the wind is greater than 10 miles per hour. Also, it is good to plan on spraying early in the day when the wind tends to be the calmest.

Even the slightest breeze can carry a pesticide off target and cause problems. Small droplets from a sprayer can be picked up by the wind and moved a long way from the intended “target” pest, causing damage to desirable plants or killing pollinating insects. Larger droplets are less likely to drift, so it is a good practice for gardeners to reduce their sprayer’s pressure and to use nozzles that produce bigger droplets.

I do not know how long our windy weather will prevail, but whether strong or light, wind does spell trouble.

This story was originally published May 5, 2018 at 7:43 AM with the headline "Garden Tips: Have a stake in your trees’ battle with the wind."