|
| Just wanted to know would you guys rather have a heavy wet snow on deciduous trees or an Ice storm leaving the tree covered in Ice? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Rather have the snow. Ice is really much heavier. P.S. haeavy wet snow much more common here than ice thank goodness. |
|
- Posted by gardenapprentice none (My Page) on Sat, Dec 15, 12 at 17:22
| Well I think it depends lol, if your in the south like me and have zone 7 weather you get more used to ice than snow. |
|
| Getting 'used' to ice instead of wet snow doesn't really change the rather more destructive nature of ice on a tree....We got a lot of both and I start cringing when the ice build-up exceeds 0.5". |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 15, 12 at 19:36
| the worst is one followed by the other ... wet snow is a higher temp phenom.. often turning to rain/ice ... but ice does do the most damage.. perhaps.. as the branches bend.. snow will shift.. fall off.. while ice will still be on it.. when he branch is broken to the ground.. let me sum it up this way ... i had a 12 inch cherry branch EXPLODE off at 45 feet in one ice storm ... it sounded like a cannon going off in the middle of the night ... i have had some branch breakage with snow ... and its usually things that have leaves ... to hold the snow ... and consider some oak in that group ... one thing for sure.. i dont sit around wonder about which fury of hell mother nature is sending my way this winter.. thanks for bringing it up .. lol... ken |
|
- Posted by gardenapprentice none (My Page) on Sun, Dec 16, 12 at 2:11
| your welcome ken just hope that an ice storm comes through I know it sounds weird but I actually want to see if i get any bud-breaking from any ice. This is my first year living in the "country" even though im in a sub-division lol |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 16, 12 at 9:24
| buds breaking ...??? wood breaks.. buds are encapsulating in the ice .. and rarely long enough to be impacted .... prior to bud elongation .. live your dream.. lol ken |
|
| Ice is far more damaging. Once its on there, it pretty much has to melt to come off. Snow is much easier to be shaken loose. Usually, heavy wet snow will not stay on trees long after the storm ends, usually within a day or two its gone, even if it stays cold, because the wind knocks it off. Ice can remain for several days, essentially as long as its below freezing. |
|
- Posted by gardenapprentice none (My Page) on Sun, Dec 16, 12 at 10:51
| ken by bud breaking i meant a heavy ice hitting trees and some buds being slightly tender and breaking. lol well thanks for the info, I also agree with famartin but what if its a light snow and then an ice storm hits? |
|
| Well, the falling rain would knock most of the snow off the deciduous branches, so probably not much worse. However, the excessive snow and ice on evergreens would probably make it worse than just snow or ice alone. |
|
| I agree, ice is much more destructive than snow and usually lasts longer too. I am surrounded by woods and during a ice event it sounds like a war zone. You don't dare walk in the woods for fear of getting hit with falling branches or tops. As mentioned, snow can blow or slide off, whereas ice doesn't. Snow sublimates quicker than ice also. Mike |
|
| Glad you mentioned sublimation of ice/snow. It's a process many people don't even know occurs. It doesn't have to melt to melt, LOL. Ice is not cool for trees, and I'll never forget the devastation I saw on a fairly large forest stand in a county nearby. It's been five years since the ice storm hit it, and it's still shag nasty looking.........like a war zone. Good pruning techniques early in an ornamental tree's life can help defend it down the road for such events. Trees have built-in mechanisms with specialty tissue to bend or resist, but they have their limits, and ice/snow load will typically take out bad crotch angles, included bark, and rot affected limbs first. Although it is true to say ice is heavier than snow, the ratios of just how much depend on the sequence of weather events, and half an inch of ice, may be less damaging than six inches of wet snow on say an evergreen bough. |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 20, 12 at 8:16
| and.. besides ... after a big fluffy deep snow.. there is the ritual of bundling up.. and going out with a stick or something ... and going plant to plant ... and GENTLY knocking excess all off ... the kids are out playing.. the storm is gone ... fresh air.. exercise ... its currier and ives stuff ... but for the fact is might be 20 below.. lol ... ice?? may as well exercise the ice in the freezer ... and just drink yourself silly.. because there is NOTHING you can do.. but watch it melt.. which is right up there with watching paint dry.. as at 20 below.. it might be weeks before it is gone ... and looking out the window at your 12 foot oak.. [or even better.. 20 oaks...] ... bent in half ... because it didnt lose all its leaves .. and the storm came from one direction ... what can you do???? ken ps: and of course in an ice storm like that.. you wont have power.. so you cant go online to whine.. and you wonder what you did with the old cube trays.. because you dont want to open the fridge too many times .. or it will thaw.. so you find them ... and make ice outdoors ... only to find out.. you didnt stock up enough liquor to make it thru the power outage ... which reminds me.. i need to make a trip to the liquor store ... its all a very vicious cycle .. lol.. but i digress .... |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Trees Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.