Lately, we have been asked by clients for our exclusive ISA Certified Arborist Consultations. We’re being asked on a daily basis to determine what is wrong with plant material all over the Treasure Valley and prescribe a treatment to attempt to return it to full health.
Why are there so many damaged plants in the Treasure Valley this Spring? This past winter, we had the Trifecta of Tree & Shrub Damage.
(1) Early November Freeze — Trees and shrubs must transition into the winter gradually through a process called winter acclimation or commonly referred to as “hardening off”. If this winter acclimation process does not gradually happen, it will most likely result in dead plant tissue. Sometimes this only kills a branch or two, sometimes it can kill the entire plant.
(2) Dehydration — The dryness of this past winter caused dehydration and winter browning to most plant material. If you have noticed a tree or shrub that was Western or Southern facing in your landscape and it didn’t make it through the harsh winter, dehydration can be the main reason.
(3) Early February Warm Up — Due to the warmer weather we experienced in February, most trees and shrubs started to transition out of dormancy. We had a cold snap again in March, which didn’t allow enough time for the trees and shrubs to go dormant again.
Check out some of the damaged plant material we’ve found lately.
