Help A Tree, #2
Dan Goodman
August 25, 2009
My Own Observation
I was riding in my car a while back. I was going to see a friend who lived quite a few miles away.
On the way over, I put the car radio on. Classical music, that time. While listening, I decided to take in the scenery. Lots of greenery; that is trees, shrubs, grasses, etc.
I noticed; while keeping my eyes on the road in front of me; in the back; on the sides of my car; that there were trees, standing alone; standing together; shrubs, standing alone; standing together; and, trees as well as shrubs; standing together.
When I got to my friend´s house, I became aware of an amazing thing. That, with one exception, all the trees and shrubs that were together; a shrub, tree, shrub pattern, were doing well. The one I saw, the tree did not have any leaves. I do not know, if the tree was a seasonal tree or was indeed dead. Based on all the others I saw, I concluded that it was a seasonal tree.
Not so, for trees; standing alone or standing together, or for shrubs; standing alone or standing together. In some cases, all the trees or shrubs, either standing alone or standing together, were doing well. In most cases, however, some trees or shrubs standing alone; were no longer alive. The same for trees or shrubs standing together.
When I got back from my friend´s house, I decided to pursue this further. After considerable time researching and additional time thinking things through, I came to the following conclusion: The reason shrubs and trees work well together is that a shrub shades the trunk of a tree from the sun while a tree shades a shrub, overhead with its branches and leaves, from the sun. A shrub lowers the temperature in the trunk of a tree. This decreases the likelihood of heat stress from occurring to the tree. A tree reduces the temperature on the leaves and branches of a shrub, thereby preventing sun scorch on the shrub.
I have confirmed this. When I physically touch a tree (after rinsing, or if necessary washing my hands, you want clean cool hands to do this), which is with a shrub or shrubs, it is cooler to the touch then a tree, standing alone. This is not necessarily the case for trees; standing together. The trees inside and towards the center are the coolest, and in some cases, cooler to the touch, then a tree that is with shrubs. The same is true for a shrub that is with a tree. It is generally cooler to the touch, then a shrub, standing alone, but a shrub in the center of a number of shrubs, might be cooler.
I am glad I did all this research as well as thinking for now some of my trees in my yard are growing branches near the base of their trunks. Being summer; and that they are standing alone, when I physically touch them, they are hot. These branches, as are called suckers by some, I have concluded are being grown by my trees in an effort to shade their trunks from the sun. I put an artificial shade around one to see if this was correct. Sure enough, the tree was cooler to the touch, and it seemed less stressed. So, these branches growing from the base of the trunk, stay!
Related Information:
1) Fall Planting Is Best, "Make Every Drop Count"
"Plants established during fall require less frequent irrigation and less likely to suffer sun scorch or heat-related stress than those planted in spring and summer."
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C895/C895-3.htm
2) "Heat Stress", Susan Jones
"Heat stress is a condition that occurs . . . when excessive heat causes an imbalance in transpiration, the process by which moisture evaporates from the plant´s tissue."
http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=pests_and_diseases&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=5650
also,
http://www.somonews.com/article/Home_Garden/Home_Garden/Rx_for_Plants_with_Heat_Stress/1732
3) "Sun Scorch", The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture
http://books.google.com/books?id=KeGzp-YXrPYC&pg=PA3262&lpg=PA3262&dq
also, "Leaf Scorch", Leaf Scorch of Trees and Shrubs
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP_25_W.pdf
(Author´s note: From what I have been able to determine the difference between sun scorch and sun scald is that sun scorch is tissue damage caused by heat whereas sun scald is tissue damage caused by cold.)
I was riding in my car a while back. I was going to see a friend who lived quite a few miles away.
On the way over, I put the car radio on. Classical music, that time. While listening, I decided to take in the scenery. Lots of greenery; that is trees, shrubs, grasses, etc.
I noticed; while keeping my eyes on the road in front of me; in the back; on the sides of my car; that there were trees, standing alone; standing together; shrubs, standing alone; standing together; and, trees as well as shrubs; standing together.
When I got to my friend´s house, I became aware of an amazing thing. That, with one exception, all the trees and shrubs that were together; a shrub, tree, shrub pattern, were doing well. The one I saw, the tree did not have any leaves. I do not know, if the tree was a seasonal tree or was indeed dead. Based on all the others I saw, I concluded that it was a seasonal tree.
Not so, for trees; standing alone or standing together, or for shrubs; standing alone or standing together. In some cases, all the trees or shrubs, either standing alone or standing together, were doing well. In most cases, however, some trees or shrubs standing alone; were no longer alive. The same for trees or shrubs standing together.
When I got back from my friend´s house, I decided to pursue this further. After considerable time researching and additional time thinking things through, I came to the following conclusion: The reason shrubs and trees work well together is that a shrub shades the trunk of a tree from the sun while a tree shades a shrub, overhead with its branches and leaves, from the sun. A shrub lowers the temperature in the trunk of a tree. This decreases the likelihood of heat stress from occurring to the tree. A tree reduces the temperature on the leaves and branches of a shrub, thereby preventing sun scorch on the shrub.
I have confirmed this. When I physically touch a tree (after rinsing, or if necessary washing my hands, you want clean cool hands to do this), which is with a shrub or shrubs, it is cooler to the touch then a tree, standing alone. This is not necessarily the case for trees; standing together. The trees inside and towards the center are the coolest, and in some cases, cooler to the touch, then a tree that is with shrubs. The same is true for a shrub that is with a tree. It is generally cooler to the touch, then a shrub, standing alone, but a shrub in the center of a number of shrubs, might be cooler.
I am glad I did all this research as well as thinking for now some of my trees in my yard are growing branches near the base of their trunks. Being summer; and that they are standing alone, when I physically touch them, they are hot. These branches, as are called suckers by some, I have concluded are being grown by my trees in an effort to shade their trunks from the sun. I put an artificial shade around one to see if this was correct. Sure enough, the tree was cooler to the touch, and it seemed less stressed. So, these branches growing from the base of the trunk, stay!
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Related Information:
1) Fall Planting Is Best, "Make Every Drop Count"
"Plants established during fall require less frequent irrigation and less likely to suffer sun scorch or heat-related stress than those planted in spring and summer."
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C895/C895-3.htm
2) "Heat Stress", Susan Jones
"Heat stress is a condition that occurs . . . when excessive heat causes an imbalance in transpiration, the process by which moisture evaporates from the plant´s tissue."
http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=pests_and_diseases&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=5650
also,
http://www.somonews.com/article/Home_Garden/Home_Garden/Rx_for_Plants_with_Heat_Stress/1732
3) "Sun Scorch", The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture
http://books.google.com/books?id=KeGzp-YXrPYC&pg=PA3262&lpg=PA3262&dq
also, "Leaf Scorch", Leaf Scorch of Trees and Shrubs
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP_25_W.pdf
(Author´s note: From what I have been able to determine the difference between sun scorch and sun scald is that sun scorch is tissue damage caused by heat whereas sun scald is tissue damage caused by cold.)
©2009 Dan Goodman
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