Protection from snow damage?

[GailC]

How do you prevent snow damage on small trees in the ground?
I dug up a little bloodgood thats been in the ground a couple years to do some root work and discovered a number of broken branches from snow weight.
I ended up having to do a pretty drastic cut. Hoping for some good back budding but I'll need to better protect it next winter.

 

[sorce]

@Wirefence be putting stuff under branches and such.

@M. Frary would know too I reckon.


Sorce

 

[wireme]

How do you prevent snow damage on small trees in the ground?
I dug up a little bloodgood thats been in the ground a couple years to do some root work and discovered a number of broken branches from snow weight.
I ended up having to do a pretty drastic cut. Hoping for some good back budding but I'll need to better protect it next winter.

It is a tricky one. I do set up props under branches, snow supports over trees, branches guy wired to overhead deadwood. I’ve got a big box for some trees that I leave open until there is enough snow to insulate then I close the lid.

Mostly it is the voids under the canopy that creates the problem, no support. Working fresh snow down through the canopy to fill the voids helps a lot. Also helps keep subnivean critters away. It’s hard to do without damaging though. Probably the best way would be to use a leaf blower every time it snows and try to push snow into the voids. Once it’s packed up tight it can be left to be covered over.

 

[GailC]

@wireme how do you set up your snow supports? The snow is too heavy to blow around the trees and last time I tried covering with a box, the plant molded.
I could always manually pack the snow around it, I only have a couple to protect.

 

[M. Frary]

I let my trees go commando.
Decidious trees are usually bare so there isn't much worry there.
Pines and junipers are bendy so they're fine.
The ones that get snow weight damage that I get are pines with wire on them. And then the snow only bends them down a little and they might need a tad of adjustment come spring.

 

[Jzack605]

Usually don't worry about it. I'll shake them off if its heavy snow.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Whatever I have.
Many shrubs and trees are starting to leaf out here in Minnesota And then the snow.
Tarps till they get too heavy and the roof comes down! Buckets, leaves and
bins!

 

[Jzack605]

I look at it as a free watering service during a time period I don't want to spend any time watering my trees.

Couldn't imagine covering them.

 

[RKatzin]

I've never had a problem with breakage from just the snowfall. What does do damage is the after fall. Snow dropping out of trees in big clumps or sliding off the roof. When these hit a tree that is already bowed by the snow weight it will snap branches and trunks. I've learned to watch the overhead and not put trees in the drop zone.