Prevent snow breakage on trees

What is snowfall?

One speaks of snow breakage when the branches of trees are overloaded in winter by wet snow, frost or ice and break off. Coniferous and evergreen trees are particularly affected by this, as they offer a significantly larger contact surface for the load.

Where does the damage often occur?

It becomes critical when a lot of wet snow falls in a short period of time or when the snow cover becomes too high over a longer period of time. In addition to free-standing coniferous trees and evergreen shrubs and hedge plants, deciduous trees and shrubs can also be affected.

Prevent snow breakage

It is quite easy to effectively prevent snow breakage in your own garden:

• Regularly shake off snow from shrubs and bedding plants. This relieves them of the heavy load and reduces the effects of cold.
• You should tie unstable shrubs together and possibly give them a stable framework with supporting sticks.
• In autumn, prune endangered branches so that the snow has little to attack them. First and foremost, these are branches that are at an unfavorable angle to the trunk.

First aid for affected trees

If, despite all the precautionary measures, it did happen and a branch gave way under the weight of the snow, you should prevent further damage as quickly as possible:

• Cut the affected branch down to the thickening at the base of the branch, the so-called a string, return. This allows the tree to close the wound faster.
• Depending on the strength of the branch, use a sharp one for this job secateurs or sawthat you disinfect beforehand. This is the only way to ensure that no fungal spores or pathogens can penetrate the wound.
• Did the broken branch lead to bark tears on the trunk or even a large piece of bark carried away, first wrap black foil around this point and fasten it securely fabric tape. This measure stimulates the overflow of the entire wound surface to the outside and it closes more quickly. You should remove the film after one growing season at the latest.