The sun is a necessity for trees and their health, but overexposure can cause damage. This damage appears in two main ways, as summer and winter sunscald. Winter sunscald comes from the rapid freezing and heating cycle as the sun warms the bark. Summer sunscald occurs because of the higher temperatures under the sun’s rays.
Blocking Sunlight
You can use many methods to prevent sunscald on trees, but the easiest and most effective way is to prevent the sunlight from hitting the tree’s trunk. Ensuring the tree receives sunlight elsewhere will prevent both winter and summer sunscald and keep it safe throughout the year.
Proper Pruning
Pruning is an important step to keep a tree healthy and under control, as some natural growth can lead to issues. However, pruning your tree too much will remove its natural cover and let the sunshine directly on the bark, possibly leading to sunscald. That’s why you need to be careful to only prune your trees as necessary.
Wrapping the Tree
Wrapping a tree trunk can prevent sunscald and keep the tree safe. You’ll need to wrap the tree with protective paper from the base of the tree to the first branches at the bottom to give it the coverage it needs.
Invest in Tree Guards
Some people like to use plastic tree guards instead of wrapping their trees in paper. This solution is much more durable and will last longer than tree wrappings. However, the upfront costs can be expensive and the guards make the tree look odd. The method you choose really depends on your wants.
Healthy Trees
One of the most important things you can do to protect your trees from sunscald is to keep them healthy throughout the year. Healthy trees resist sunscald naturally in most cases and with plenty of water. Also, consider hiring an ISA certified arborist to help you care for your trees and keep them healthy.
Learning how to best protect your trees and keep them healthy will help you in the long term. You’ll get better landscaping and increase the appeal of your buildings because of your small efforts to care for your trees. That’s why learning about how to prevent sunscald is so important.
Recent Comments