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snow on arborvitae
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Posted by onedaylily 5/6 (My Page) on Sat, Feb 6, 10 at 17:37
| I'm new to GW and haven't been to this forum before but I'm hoping someone can provide advice. We've had a heavy snowfall and the arborvitae we planted last spring look splayed out/bent over. Is there anything we can do, and is it permanent? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: snow on arborvitae
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| Free it from snow load and it should recover in no time at all. If it stays in a bent position after recovering it could have a loose root ball. In that case straighten and secure with a stake. Dave |
RE: snow on arborvitae
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| Thank you - I'm relieved! |
RE: snow on arborvitae
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| and next year... you can tie them up to avoid the problem .... it is imperative in your zone ... welcome to GW .. ken |
RE: snow on arborvitae
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| Thanks for the advice - I'll tie up the existing plants next year. The garden centers should probably mention this... But I need screening plants in other parts of the yard. Yew won't work because of the deer. I'm starting to think hollies. |
RE: snow on arborvitae
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| Snow load was big problem for me as well, particularly in southern NJ this winter where we had a couple record storms with over 30" each. I have 12 - 14 ft. arborvitae that were bent over so far that they were touching the ground. I staked them back when I could but a lot of damage was done. The tops of the arborvitae are still somewhat bent (but still very full) and from, say, 3 - 5 ft above ground there is a lot of dead branches. So, my question: can I (should I) trim off the top 2 - 3 feet to even them out (I have 6 in a row), and which will - so I am told - serve as a catalyst for new growth in the lower areas. Thanks much. |
RE: snow on arborvitae
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| Single-stem versions of Thuja are the only way to go in snow country. Even though it was not such a snowy winter around here this past season, there was one 15" snowfall that occurred in mid-Dec. and then stuck around for months. All the silly multi-stemmed cultivars are now being cut down. They're junk. Meanwhile, up in my woods I've got hundreds of specimens of the straight species. None of those were adversely affected by snowload. A pine tree did fall on one though, and that one is not standing too straight anymore! +oM |
RE: snow on arborvitae
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| Can bent branches get strong and stay upright again if tied up as they grow during summer? |
RE: snow on arborvitae
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| i suppose you can tie them ... and maybe it will work ... and hopefully you will remember to remove the ties over time. .. if you do tie.. use twine that will break down.. rather than plastic based ... they rot off if you forget for a decade.. lol ... or go in.. and remove all multiple leaders... the single leader will very quickly force massive growth and look pretty good within a year or two ... or... cut the ones leaning.. until they pop up straight ... usually i err towards too long.. and have to make a few cuts until i find the sweet spot ... again.. with no impact on the root system.. they will fill in.. sooner or later ... the short term uglies.. IMHO .. is better than rope and stakes.. etc ... yes its major surgery .. but your only other option is to get a single leader plant... and kill the first.. may as well experiment first ... ken |
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