By: Island County Extension Educator, Donald B. Meehan
You can expect to have some damage if temperatures fluctuate a lot, if we have very low temperatures, if your plants were not well cared for this fall, and if your plants have been damaged by snow, ice or mice. Without going into a long explanation about the reason why, here are some things you can do to reduce winter damage.
Start by giving them some protection from the wind. When the soil freezes, the roots are not able to provide moisture to the leaves of evergreens. Moisture is essential even in below freezing soil conditions. This is especially important to broadleaf evergreens. Mulch around your plants to minimize the changes in temperature. This is important because root hardiness is less than trunk and limb hardiness.
If you have apple and pear trees, mice damage can be severe during
the winter time. Clean an area around the base of the tree about
three feet in diameter. If your tree is young, you will want to
mulch it also, being sure there is still some clear area on the
outside of the mulched portion.
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