Sunscald is the word used when referring to a condition in which over exposure to sunlight has damaged some part of a tree. Usually, the tree’s bark demonstrates the greatest level of damage.
How a typical homeowner can spot signs of sunscald
As the tree’s bark gets damaged, it becomes weaker and weaker. Eventually, it breaks apart, leading to creation of a fissure. Consequently, the presence of a fissure, one that has bark on both sides of it serves as the tell-tale sign of sunscald’s effect on a bark-covered tree trunk.
The nature of that same sign underscores the evil nature of the condition that has led to its creation. A fissure is an opening. An opening in a tree’s trunk operates like an invitation to any possible intruder. What sort of intrusive creature might take advantage of that invitation? One group of creatures includes large numbers of six-legged insects. Another group takes in the microscopic organisms that are known as bacteria. The third group does not really include anything that readers of this article might view as a creature. The third group incorporates members of the family of fungi. Fungi are plants.
How to prevent formation of sunscald?
Tree Service in San Jose knows that younger trees need a seasonal protection. Their bark is especially sensitive to harsh sunlight. The shading provided by a tree wrap serves as a useful protection. Tree care professionals normally use burlap, when surrounding a tree’s bark with some type of protective shading.
The sun’s intensity changes from season to season. That is why a wrap gets listed as a seasonal protection. A homeowner with young trees should make note of the fact that wraps can also protect saplings from the effects of a cold snap.
Avoiding the temptation to carry out an extensive pruning of any tree in the home’s yard can also work to protect against sunscald. Nature has provided each tree’s bark with a natural form of shading. The removal of that natural shade increases the chances for the scalding that a bark might experience, after being hit by the sun’s rays for many hours. Furthermore, excessive pruning affects the pruned tree in a second way. It reduces the number of leaves on the tree’s branches. That seems obvious. Why, then, has that effect been mentioned in an article about sunscald?
Each leaf functions as a place where photosynthesis can take place. Photosynthesis is the food-producing process that helps to keep plants of all sizes alive. As living things, plants require a source of nutrition. In the absence of a food source, a plant has no source of nutrition. Anything that reduces the size of its food source also keeps the affected plant from obtaining its nutritional needs.