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Young evergreens may need help in the winter

Q. What is an evergreen anti-desiccant and how do I use it?

A. Let's start with what is desiccation? Desiccation is the drying out of plant tissue by wind or lack of soil moisture. First make sure there is plenty of moisture before the ground freezes. If there hasn't been sufficient rain or snow, water. Winter can be harsh. Long cold periods with drying winds can dehydrate plants.

Organic mulches have several qualities to help reduce desiccation. In fall, mulch will slow the change in soil temperature, allowing a longer time for plants to adjust to the winter weather. It will also help retain the soil moisture after watering. The root system will absorb and move as much water into the needles and leaves as possible. During the growing season, mulch layering should be only 2-3 inches; mulches for winter can be deeper with the understanding you will remove the excess in spring.

Winter desiccation is a result of water loss in the plant due to the winter sun. As the sun heats up the plant, its needles (or leaves) open its pores and releases moisture to cool itself. Basically the plant sweats. Since evergreens, both needles and broad-leaved, maintain live foliage through the winter, the foliage continues to lose moisture even when frozen. Water loss, if too great, will turn the needles or leaves brown. The plant can't absorb water to replace that lost through the needles and, as a result, they dehydrate and die.

An anti-desiccant spray will protect the evergreens by forming an airtight seal over the leaves or needles, preventing water loss. Always read and follow product labels, which provide all the necessary information including how best to apply and the benefit from their use. Typically, they are applied on days above freezing and may need to be reapplied late winter or very early next spring to provide the protection you want. Do not apply the winter rate until the plants are dormant.

Another way to reduce dehydration is to make a screen to partially block the wind. Use sturdy stakes that are a couple of feet longer than the plant is high. Place the stakes in the ground before it begins to freeze. Once the ground begins to freeze, nail, staple or tie a material like burlap to the stakes.

If using the V-shaped screen around an individual plant, the bottom of the V stake is directly west of the plant. The other two stakes are to the southeast and the northeast of the plant. The entire east side of the plant is left open. The barrier is to reduce the flow of wind through and around the evergreen. It isn't supposed to stop the wind entirely.

You need to make sure light reaches all of the plant, therefore don't situate the screen too close to the plant.

When you've taken all the necessary steps you can to protect the plants in your yard, Mother Nature can also help. Plants buried in snow are much more protected than those out in the open with bare ground. To encourage that, perhaps a snow fence strategically placed in the landscape is in order.

- Terri Passolt

• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 on Wednesdays or email northcookmg@gmail.com. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/mg.

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