WVU Update
Published as a Special Insert for Farm Bureau News
Spring 2014
Lingering effects of winter: winter injury of plants
S
ome plants may endure lingering ill effects from West Virginia’s
harsh winter.
Winter injury of landscape and
fruit trees or shrubs is a result
of extreme weather conditions,
including fluctuating temperatures
and scorching winds. Excessive
applications of fertilizer, particularly
nitrogen, during late fall can make
plants more susceptible to winter
injury.
Branches or buds that have winter
injury can also be detected by scraping
lightly on the stem. Live tissue will be
green, and winter-injured tissue will
have a necrotic, brown color. Dead
leaves or branches can be pruned off
Spotting winter injury
Injury symptoms range from brown
or dead branches or limbs to complete
death of the plant or fruit buds.
Evergreen plants, such as azaleas or
boxwoods, are particularly vulnerable
to winter injury and will show leaf
scorch or burn symptoms as a result
of drying winter winds. Older leaves
will often fall off of azaleas during
cold winters, but new leaves will
emerge in the spring.
Perennial fruits, such as grapevines,
can have damage to fruit buds when
temperatures are at or below 0 degrees
F. Fruit buds on the upper section
of the branches or canes are most
susceptible to winter injury.
Prune off dead leaves or branches
in early spring.
the plant in early spring and discarded;
however, it is best to wait until buds
emerge to get an accurate assessment
of the damage before pruning. In most
cases, the plants will fill in the injured
area with new leaves or branches.
Preventing winter injury
To reduce the effects of winter
injury, plant species according to
the recommended USDA hardiness
zones. While it is tempting to plant
southern adapted plants in West
Virginia, extremely low temperatures
can damage them during the winter.
Planting on a sheltered area away
from wind also reduces winter
injury. If plants are in containers,
the containers should be placed in
a sheltered area during the winter.
Containers can also be buried in the
ground or wrapped with row cover
or burlap. Mulch can be placed
around the roots or crowns of
plants for fur ѡ