"Good Music" wrote in message
. com...
HELP, we have a tree line in our back yard of 10-foot tall
Spartan Junipers.
Following are a couple of close-up pictures of one section of
the tree line:

http://www.eternalgoods.com/trees_1.jpg
http://www.eternalgoods.com/trees_2.jpg

These pictures were taken right after a heavy rain. As you can
see, the
tree in the middle of this section of the tree line appears to
be
"splitting", where one half of the top branches are hanging to
one side, and
theo other half to the other.

Is this normal, or does this signify a problem which needs
treatment, for
these kinds of trees? We have frequent high winds, rain, and
sometimes ice
storms here in central North Carolina. This tree line has been
there for
about 5 years since we moved in this house. We fertilize and
water them
regularly with a "soaker hose" buried along the tree line
running past the
trunks of all the trees, when they don't get good rain.

She thinks that every time one of these trees shows a section of
the
branches near the top hanging out significantly like that after
a rain, that
means we need to go out with a ladder and climb up and use
coathanger-type
rubber-coated wire to "tie together " the top branches that are
hanging out
so they "look regular". She's worried that if they're left
untied, and the
branches start sagging out like that after a rain, that they
might not "go
back together" when they dry, and could split the tree, and kill
the tree,
if all sagging branches aren't immediately tied up with wire
after every
rain.

Questions:
1. Is there any basis to the idea that not "wiring up" sagging
Spartan
Juniper branches after rains can cause the trees to split and
die? (It
hasn't happened yet and we've had these 5 years)

2. Is there any treatment needed for the condition of the trees
sagging and
appearing to "split" at the tops after a heavy rain?

3. If this behavior is normal for this kind of tree, how would I
explain to
someone that I Don't need to run out and tie these trees up
every time they
look like that?

thanks,
- Bobby



It's normal for the weight of the water to pull the branches out a
bit. Tying the tree would be the worst thing you could do in my
opinion. As the water dries, the branches will go back to their
normal position without assistance. If one were to continually tie
the branches together, the branches would never strengthen
properly and your tree would be in very real danger of splitting
at a later time under the weight of snow or ice or the force of
winds.
The joints where branches meet are strengthened at the cellular
level by the compaction that occurs when branches bend under
weight or wind. Tying the branches prevents the movement and
therefore the strengthening.
As an additional note of encouragement, if the branches were to
develop a gap, it would be filled in by the acceleration of new
growth in the area newly exposed to sunlight. The Spartan juniper
has a pyramidal shape quite naturally. No worries I say. Hope this
helps,
--
elizabeth, Baton Rouge, LA
http://community.webshots.com/user/elott63