Wiring below freezing?

[sfhellwig]

It is suggested to wire in the winter for many reasons. Bare branches let you see them better, lessened damage due to dormancy, I'm sure there are others. But does the freezing point play into this? Not that I want to be working outside in too cold of weather but it is what it is. I was going to work on an Eastern White Pine (I know, poor species) by removing the leader and wiring a branch up to it's stump. Of course I would be working above freezing because I'm not that ambitious and it's probably damaging to bend a frozen branch. But then we are supposed to have a few days in the teens. When the books say prune and wire in the winter do they mean warmer periods when hard freezing would be avoided? Or should I wait for the next day above freezing and do the work?

I would not wire any more tightly than necessary but if it digs in will I automatically kill a branch due to damage during such cold? Will the damage be done but not show until Spring when the tree goes more active?

 

[Bill S]

It's expected that you would bring the tree in and do the work, with a little warming it will be ok.

Trees go into shows for a few days at a time with no real consequences, so a wiring session indoors will be fine.

Unless you have discovered cold fusion somehow, putting wire on and back outside should be alright as well, the wire won't make it any colder. The only thought I would have is that some cambium damage occurs with bending, keep the back and forth to minimum to none. A slightly more protected place( not so cold) would keep you out of trouble.

 

[digger714]

Good point Bill. We were working on wiring in our january class last week, and i asked about that same question, and i was told to keep in an unheated garage the rest of the winter, after wiring and major bending of branches. I think this is fine for decidious trees, but what about conifers, when the temps start getting above 35 - 40 for a week or more. Dont they need light when above freezing?