Published: April 25, 2008 01:15 pm            

Ice storm forgiven, but still not forgotten

EDMOND — The 80-degree weather has made its way back into Oklahoma and it truly feels as if spring has arrived. But for some reason the blasted ice storm won’t stay in the past. Even amongst the tulips, clematis, flowering trees and green lawns the memories of ice damage are all too fresh.

The remnants from damaged and removed trees can take on several different forms in the landscape. Knowing how to identify and treat these specific cases will help improve the health of the tree as well as the looks of the landscape.

The most visible repercussions from the ice damage are the suckers shooting out from leftover stumps and abandoned root systems. Sprouts growing from large pruning wounds in the canopy also are coming out in abundance.

If a tree did not survive the ice and had to be cut down, the stump might have been left behind. The ideal application is to remove the stump completely with a stump-grinding machine — most homeowners don’t own one of these, which leaves removal to the professionals. But due to the overwhelming demand put on arborists after the storm, the priority was to simply get rid of the present hazard, and come back later to clean up the details.

Stumps that remain are now sending out shoots of growth. This is because the root system underground is trying to help the tree recover by sending out these flushes of new growth — it is in survival mode if you will. But the tree doesn’t know that it has already been damaged too far to save itself. Having the stump mechanically removed is the best solution to get rid of this eyesore, but that is not always feasible.

There are products that can be used to kill the stump and inhibit the development of more new growth, or suckers as they are sometimes called. The catch with these herbicides is that a fresh cut must be made to the stump and the product applied within an hour or two for it to be effective.

If a major limb was damaged in the canopy of the tree, and the wound was then pruned back to a clean cut; sprouts can be found at these sites as well. Follow-up pruning will need to be done to thin sprouts out and select one that can be trained into a new limb.

Besides coming directly from the stump or canopy of the tree, suckers can sprout from the root system. Again, this is the tree’s attempt at surviving whatever has severely stressed it. These types of sprouts can be brought on by many things besides ice damage. Pruning more than one-third of a plant at once or disturbing the root system can cause the root system to sucker. If the tree is a complete loss, the suckers simply can be controlled by regular mowing or using a broad-leaf herbicide that won’t harm the turf. Use care with this product if desirable ornamentals are nearby.

If the sprouts are “connected” to a plant that is still living, they can be controlled by cutting them back individually, mowing them or using a product called sucker-stopper. Sucker-stopper will kill what it is applied to and will not move around in the plant’s vascular system. It is a contact herbicide, rather than a systemic — it only will kill the part that it touches. It is sold in a ready-to-use bottle that requires no mixing or pouring.

Even beyond these suckers and sprouts that are left to deal with now, there will be more signs of ice damage later in the year. Some trees may have been bent over just enough to make a small fracture within the plant, but not break or show a visible crack.

And beyond that, as the abandoned root systems below ground are decomposed by micro-organisms and fungi, mushroom caps are likely to pop up in the lawns. The mushrooms are the above-ground fruiting structure of the below ground fungus. There is no need to treat this, just remove the mushroom from the landscape to keep it away from children and pets. It is evident that the ice storm of December will not soon be forgotten.



SAMANTHA SNYDER is a horticulture educator for the Oklahoma County OSU Extension Service.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.