Most conifer trees and plants around the valley hold their needles and leaves year around. Wind and drought conditions can cause these plants to suffer from winter burn and browning. Winter burn will occur when the plant cannot replace the moisture being lost from transpiration. Typically, a homeowner will have their sprinkler system blown out and shut off in October substantially cutting the amount of water to the plant. When Mother Nature doesn’t provide natural irrigation caretakers must provide water to the root zone to prevent damage.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREVENT WINTER BURN? Prevention is KEY!
In Boise we can expect to have a fairly dry and mild winter where we go weeks without an ounce of precipitation. Proactive plant owners will have us come out in December and January to spray an Anti-Desiccation treatment. This waxy type material is applied to the needles and will slow down moisture lost from wind and transpiration. In addition to the spray we recommend that all conifer and evergreen plants receive irrigation about once a month. This can be a challenge for homeowners if the ground is frozen. At Terravita we do this by using a high pressure pumping system and root injector to break through frozen ground and apply material directly to the root zone.
Please call us or use your customer portal to schedule and discuss these services.
What is transpiration in plants?
Exhalation of water vapor through the stomata.
Plants lose more than 90% of their water through transpiration
What is the average annual windspeed in Boise?
20.92MPH
Winter Burn Susceptible Species?
Deodar
Atlas Cedar
Blue Spruce
Alberta Spruce
Laurel