Winter Storm Damage

Welcome to March in Kansas. Saturday brought a winter storm of ice and 4 to 6 inches of snow. Sunday and Monday spring rushed back with bright sunshine and warm temperatures.

Most damage to plants we have experienced, revolves around tree damage due to ice and snow. The big snow storm did not hit us as the temperatures were too warm for the snow to start early. Instead the precipitation came down as rain and then ice and then snow. The ice built up to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch on tree branches. Then the heavy wet snow came and the weight of it all took its toll. Mainly damaging bradford pear, river birch, and mature pines. In that sense the ice was bad.

In some ways though the ice actually helped other plants. Ice and snow actually help protect tender new buds from freezing temperatures. They act like an insulator from the hard freeze. This is why you often see pictures from Florida orange groves of farmers watering the orange trees before a predicted hard freeze.