Its not often that you hear about someone being sad about warm weather in February… but I am sure getting worried about some of our trees.
These temperatures are warm enough to trigger growth in many trees. Some trees have safeguards against growth when its warm this early but many don’t because they have the ability to handle warmer climates so to them, this spring just feels like they moved south for the summer.
So what can we do to help our trees through this? Keep an eye on how dry the ground is. A moist ground warms a lot slower than a dry ground. Second, if you have any snow left, shovel it around the tree around the drip line. The extra cool and moisture can be the difference between life & death.
In fact this weather is so warm… we are considering starting to re-pot trees that need it. Normally this is a fall task but with how hot and dry it was – that was not wise. Normally this task in the spring wouldn’t start until mid April… this year? Mid February?? Its almost unheard of.
– I always start writing these blog posts a few days before I post it. Since initially writing it there has been some more cold and moisture – however the wackiness of the weather continues as today, Feb 19th we are experiencing our first rain of the year. Last year at this time it was in the middle of our deep freeze, this year, plus 5 and rain! Tonight? -15 and 5-10cm of snow!
Unfortunately this moisture wont replenish what was lost with last years drought because the ground is still frozen solid an inch below the surface which means this moisture wont soak in as well as it should. So the hope for a wet spring continues!