Pruning for Hurricanes
By Terri Olson
Volusia County Master GardenerAfter last year’s losses of so many trees and plants, Volusia County residents want to be more prepared. Pruning landscape trees and shrubs is beneficial in reducing the debris that may become airborne in a storm.
In preparation for this year’s hurricane season, remove loose limbs from any trees near or overhanging your home.
Proper pruning has multiple benefits for plants. It removes the dead, dying or damaged wood — some of which may remain from last year. Pruning also removes diseased and insect-infested plant parts, which reduces spreading to other parts of the plant or neighboring plants. In general, pruning improves the vigor of the plant, as well as controlling the size and form of a plant or tree.
Remember that most plants should not be cut back more than one-third. It is also important to position the cut away from where the branch grows out of the trunk—away from the branch collar—to avoid damage to the tree.
Be sure to check (with your eyes, not your hands) for any suspect limbs close to power lines, if above ground. The power company can be notified to remove these limbs.
Keep in mind that there are some invasive plants that may have spread more rapidly when the wind and rain of the storms pick up the seeds and send them to new areas. Be sure to eradicate these before any more storms. Examples of this are the Brazilian pepper berries or the rain tree seed pods.
In some cases, residents might be wise to remove some of the tall pines or laurel oaks that may be set to fall on their roofs. It may be that the trees were weakened by last year’s storms. The important thing is to replace any tree that has been removed with another, less dangerous tree.
Planting the right tree in the right place can prevent future problems. If you are looking for a new tree for your house, a recommended tree for the North Central Florida area is the needle palm. This is a small native palm that is somewhat shade tolerant, although it prefers full sun. It is very cold tolerant, evergreen and grows to a height of eight feet.
The fringe tree also is a native and grows to about 15 feet. It has unusual fringe-type flowers in the spring before leafing out.
Another popular tree that blooms late spring to fall is the crape myrtle. This tree can grow to 30 feet, but is a good plant for withstanding wind. It is deciduous (loses leaves in winter) and has blooms in many colors.
An excellent source of information is the University of Florida’s website
http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/maturetreecare/stormdamage.htm.
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