TREES VS NATURE
Landscaping is an important factor in enhancing the appeal of Shell Knob homes, but what can you do when nature steps in with Hurricanes, Ice Storms or the recent Wildfires and destroys your prized vegetation?
Ozark Mountain territory has been exempt from coastal storms and drought, which can lead to savage fires, but we were host to a severe freeze and also an ice storm earlier this year. The effects of these events will be long lasting.
Shell Knob did not suffer from the ice storm Springfield did, but we were hit with the late freeze. I noticed a maple tree in my yard looking strange recently. We had planted several maples 16 years ago. They don't do really well in this rocky soil, like oak, hickory, walnut or sycamores. We were happy to see 4 surviving, with a little extra tlc.
My maple has the bark split and peeling. It had us wondering if this was caused by a very late deep freeze last spring. Then I read an article from the University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic clinic, which unfortunately confirmed my fear.
"Following the recovery of trees and other landscape plants damaged by this year's record-breaking spring freeze, some homeowners are surprised to find lasting problems in plants that have appeared to grow normally for several months. . . . wounds that were created when plant tissue froze after coming out of dormancy have become infected, or stress from the summer has weakened vascular tissues, which leads to cankers.
Cankers are infections of a stem or trunk of a plant, which destroy the water-conducting tissues and the branch wilts and dies. "
The best thing to do, the Plant Clinic said, is to prune out the cankers and water. This doesn't bode well for my maple, as the lower portion of the trunk is where the bark is peeling. It may take another cycle of seasons to see if more trees and bushes are lost. Looking around my 3 acres, I see lots of potential candidates.
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