Saturday, 25 April 2015

How Florida Keys Tree Services Save Cold-Damaged Palms

By Toni Vang


Palm trees are a quintessential part of the Florida landscape. What residents and gardeners there may not know is that they are available in many species. However, they are not able to tolerate extremely low temperatures indefinitely, and so when they are cold-damaged they need special attention. Florida Keys tree services can provide advice and assistance in treating and potentially saving damaged palms.

An interesting fact about the palm tree's life cycle is that its new leaves grow and mature in the summer. This is something that has to be taken into account in tending to the damaged tree. The buds or spears that are visible on the trunk are the miniature shoots from which the new leaves grow and develop. It is these spears that are used in inspecting trees and determining if they are going to survive or how bad the damage is.

So, once the damage has been done by the cold snap or bad weather, the first thing to do is to check the spears. You simply look at them, since you can tell by eye what the situation is. Also, pull on one or two of them with your fingers. The spear might snap off and come away in your hand. If it is still green, the tree has a hope of recovery.

After the inspection, the next phase is to prune trees. All the dead material, i. E. Leaves and branches, must be removed. However, the partially dead leaves, which are not completely brown, should be left on trees. These are still needed to produce the nutrients that the tree uses to grow new leaves. They still contribute to the tree's metabolism so they should be left there.

Another possible problem in the damaged tree is infection. No matter how implausible this sounds, a tree can also be infected by bacteria. More usually, though, the infection is by fungi. Antiseptic products are available on the market, and the one to use is the copper disinfectant. It acts as a fungicide and it stops decay or infection. It should be sprayed onto the spears.

Also available on the market are cold protection compounds. These are supposed to give the tree or plant more resistance to lower temperatures. Fertilizer is another issue that requires proper advice to understand. It needs to be provided at the right time. It should not be provided in winter, but only at the start of the tree's growth time, which is summer.

Consequences of the cold damage can take a long time to manifest themselves. Even if the tree survives, and even if it maintains all its original buds, the new leaves that grow during the next summer can be deformed or brown. Gardeners should realize that the tree won't recover entirely from the damage during the next growth season. It might take up to a year for that to happen.

Trees are permanent members of your garden or landscaped area and so it is usually a last resort to chop them down or leave them to die. It also takes a long time to determine whether a tree is in fact going to survive the cold damage. If you don't know how to do this yourself, you should speak to Ramrod Key FL tree services for a professional opinion.




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