Protecting your garden

PROTECTING YOUR GARDEN BEFORE AND AFTER SEVERE STORMS

By JESSICA DAMIANO Associated Press

AS we celebrate blooming roses, ripening tomatoes and the pollinator frenzy in our backyards, we gardeners also should be aware of the downsides of summer: thunderstorms, tropical storms and hurricanes.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an “above-normal 2022 Atlantic hurricane season,” and even as tornado season winds down, some threat remains year-round in parts of the country.

So what’s a gardener to do? After ensuring that people, homes and other structures are safe, our thoughts naturally turn to our beds and borders. We’ve poured our blood, sweat, tears and money into them, so protecting our investment – and the joy it brings – matters.

BEFORE THE STORM

When storms are predicted, close patio umbrellas and store garden furniture indoors, if possible. Examine trees for cracked or broken branches and remove them before they’re torn by strong winds and sent flying. If those trees are large, hire a certified arborist to inspect them - the cost is nothing compared to the damage they could cause if they were to break or topple.

In warmer climes, palm trees are well-adapted to high-wind conditions, so there’s no need to prune them, but remove coconuts and store them safely indoors.

If your soil is moist — either naturally or from recent rain — apply 3 inches of mulch over beds and borders. That will offer protection against the soaking effects of a deluge, which could uproot trees, especially shallow-rooted ones like white pine, birch, willow and tulip poplar, among others.

Stake any newly planted trees to support them, and bring hanging baskets and planters into the home, shed or garage. If that’s not possible, line them up against the house or another protected spot.

Protect the flowers of small blooming plants by covering them with buckets or cloches topped with something heavy, like a brick, to hold them in place. Wrap larger plants with burlap secured with twine. Orchids, bromeliads, succulents, air plants and other tree-dwelling plants can be tied into place with fishing line.

Check that all vining plants are secured to their supports, and that the supports are firmly staked into the ground. If they don’t feel secure, remove the supports and lay them – and the plants – on the ground until the threat passes.

Lay row cover fabric over tender, young seedlings and pin it into place with landscape pegs.

AFTER THE STORM

Once the storm has passed, clear away fallen fruit and vegetables, which could attract rodents if left to rot on the ground, and remove protection from around plants.

Inspect trees for damage. If you can safely remove hanging, broken branches while standing on the ground, do so. But avoid pruning anything higher than your head or climbing a ladder to prune. Those jobs are best left to a professional -- and that doesn’t mean a guy who shows up at your door with a chainsaw, who is unlikely to know what he’s doing and could be a scammer.

The International Society of Arborists maintains a list of certified arborists on its website at https://www. treesaregood.org/findanarborist; start your search there.

If a small tree has been toppled or uprooted, straighten and stake it as soon as possible, tamping the soil firmly as you replant it. Insert stakes into the ground around the trunk, attach twine, rope or cord to the stakes, and fasten them to the tree. Apply 3 inches of mulch or straw over the soil, keeping it 3 to 4 inches away from trunks, and water the tree regularly for the remainder of the growing season. This will help re-establish the root system.

Wind sway helps trees develop strong trunks and roots, so don’t keep the tree staked for longer than six months to a year.

Salt spray can desiccate, or dehydrate, trees and shrubs near the coasts, and they might not show symptoms until the following year. Apply mulch around trees to retain soil moisture, and water deeply and repeatedly to flush out salts.

Refrain from pruning evergreens or removing dry tips until after new growth appears the following spring.

If high tides encroach upon your property, salt will likely form a crust on the soil’s surface, leading to dehydration. Most plants won’t survive such devastation, but the soil can be restored: Water deeply, then spread gypsum over the soil.

It will react with the salt to form sodium sulfate, which will wash through the ground with repeated waterings. Continue watering deeply for the rest of the year.

EXAMINE trees for cracked or broken branches and remove them before they’re torn by strong winds and sent flying.

HOW IS A HURRICANE CLASSIFIED?

HURRICANES pack sustained winds of 74mph or more and gusts can be much faster. With sustained winds of 175mph, Hurricane Gilbert (1988) is the strongest hurricane to hit the western hemisphere.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale classifies hurricanes into five categories based on their sustained wind speed at the indicated time and pro- vides information on wind impacts.

The scale does not address the potential for other hurricane-related impacts, such as storm surge, rainfall-induced floods and tornadoes.

Hurricanes reaching category three and higher are considered major hur- ricanes because of their potential for significant loss of life and property. Category one and two storms are still dangerous, however, and require preventive measures.

The scale was developed in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteor- ologist Bob Simpson, who at the time was director of the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC).

The scale was introduced to the gen- eral public in 1973, and saw widespread use after Neil Frank replaced Simpson at the helm of the NHC in 1974.

The initial scale was developed by Saffir, a structural engineer, who in 1969 went on commission for the United Nations to study low-cost housing in hurricane-prone areas.

While performing the study, Saffir realised there was no simple scale for describing the likely effects of a hurricane.

Mirroring the utility of the Richter magnitude scale in describing earthquakes, he devised a one-to-five scale based on wind speed that showed expected damage to structures.

Saffir gave the scale to the NHC and Simpson added the effects of storm surge and flooding.

In 2009, the NHC made moves to eliminate pressure and storm surge ranges from the categories, transforming it into a pure wind scale, called the Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

The new scale became operational on May 15, 2010.

The scale excludes flood ranges, storm surge estima- tions, rainfall and location,

DAMAGE: catastrophic. A high percentage of homes will be destroyed, fallen trees and power lines isolate residential areas; power outages lasting for weeks to months; most areas will be uninhabitable.

A category two hurricane which hits a major city will likely do far more cumulative damage than a category five hurricane that hits a rural area.

The agency cited various hurricanes as reasons for removing the “scientifically inaccurate” information, including Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Ike (2008), which both had stronger than estimated storm surges, and Hurricane Charley (2004), which had weaker than estimated storm surge.

In 2012, the NHC made slight changes to the windspeed range for category three, four and five hurricanes.

SAFFIRSIMPSON SCALE

CATEGORY 1

Sustained winds of 74-95mph. DAMAGE: very dan- gerous winds will produce some damage. (AP Photo/ Dieu Nalio Chery) MINOR damage to exterior of homes, toppled tree branches, uprooting of smaller trees, extensive damage to power lines, power outages.

CATEGORY 2

Sustained winds of 96-110mph.

DAMAGE: extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage.

MAJOR damage to exte- rior of homes, uprooting of small trees and many roads blocked; guaranteed power outages for long periods – days to weeks.

CATEGORY 3

Sustained winds of 111-129mph.

DAMAGE: devastating. Extensive damage to exte- rior of homes; many trees uprooted and many roads blocked; extremely limited availability of water and electricity.