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Routine maintenance helps trees stand up to winds
By YVONNE SWANSON
Published April 16, 2006
Your home landscape is more likely to survive a major storm if trees and shrubs are healthy and properly cared for throughout the year. This includes routine trimming to remove dead limbs and those located too close to a house, garage or other structure, or to overhead utility lines. Some last-minute preparations, too, help minimize damage to your home and yard. Add these to your hurricane readiness checklist: -- Inspect trees for rotten or dead limbs, which break easily in high wind, and remove them with a pruning saw or lopper. Brown fronds and seed pods on palms should also be removed. -- Trim your trees early in the season. Don't do this the day before the storm, when a pile of dead branches can quickly become hazardous windborne debris. Do it early on and take the yard waste to a collection site. If you do wait until the last minute, secure the dead branches in the garage or other safe place so the material doesn't become a threat. -- Beware of chain saw-toting, drive-by tree service companies that advertise last-minute "hurricane cuts'' for trees and palms. Green fronds should never be pruned from palms unless they are a safety hazard. Heavy pruning of shade trees with chain saws is never recommended. If the job requires a professional, hire a certified arborist, preferably before a storm is on the way. -- Save small trees and tall garden plants from snapping in high winds by staking them with wood, plastic or other sturdy stakes driven at least 8 inches into the soil. Secure stakes to the trunk with hose-covered, heavy-duty wire. Flag the wire with bright-colored tape or cloth so no one trips over them. -- Lay arches and trellises on the ground to protect vines growing on them. Anchor them with rope or wire to keep them grounded. -- Don't let garden furniture and decor become airborne missiles in a storm. Bring all loose items indoors, including flags and awnings, garden hoses, wind chimes, bird feeders, hanging baskets, lawn ornaments, wreaths and plaques. The same goes for all potted plants. If you can't bring them inside, lay them on their sides in a sheltered location. -- Prepare your gardening hurricane kit with necessities you might need after the storm: pruning tools, garden hose and sprinkler (in case there's no power to run the irrigation system), tree stakes with rope, rake and shovel and outdoor garbage bags. Don't forget the sunscreen, bug spray, hat and gloves. -- In the days just before a storm, pick ripe fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers in the yard before they are destroyed. You might as well enjoy them if time permits. Yvonne Swanson is a freelance writer in St. Petersburg and a master gardener for Pinellas County.
[Last modified April 13, 2006, 16:04:27]
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