Protect Your Young Eastern Redbud from Wind

The eastern redbud tree is an attractive spring flowering tree which produces bright purple/pink flowers that are popular with gardeners and landscapers alike. Despite this, they are not a very strong tree, with a tendency to be easily damaged in wind. They are also not very tolerant of cold, and may even die over a severe winter.

Eastern redbud needs to be protected from wind during its early years. However, in later years it will grow to about 25 feet, and can preserve itself from anything but the harshest of winds. Young redbuds, however, risk desiccation in severe winds.

Keens gardeners eager to plant a young eastern redbud tree, but anxious about winds damaging the young tree can take a number of measures to prevent or limit the risks of damage to the young tree, either by careful consideration when planting, or by taking measures when the tree is growing to prevent wind damage in young eastern redbud trees.

Planting a Tree in a Windy Area

Plants such as the Eastern Redbud are susceptible to conditions such as winterburn, and it is a good idea to place these trees in northeastern or easterly sides of the home, where the trees can get some protection from winds.

Planting the eastern redbud among other trees will also increase the protection available to the trunk, keeping it from being harmed—if there are other windbreaks nearby, such as hills and hedges, these can also provide a good protection against the severity of south-westerly winds, if not preventing wind from reaching the tree entirely, they can slow the wind down enough to stop it damaging the tree.

Growing a Tree of the Eastern Redbud Variety in Winds

If you are hoping to grow an eastern redbud in a windy sport, a good protection against the wind is the planting of stronger evergreen plants around it, to act as a windbreak.

Burlap can also be used as a protective, along with other barrier materials—these can provide useful protection for the Eastern redbud in its early years—barriers around the trunk can ensure that winds do not affect the trunk too severely.

As one of the major problems with winds on the eastern redbud is that of desiccation, or drying of the trunk, it is a good idea to keep the plant moist, even when there is frost upon the ground.

Some gardeners are tempted to use tree wrap to protect the eastern redbud, but this can sometimes cause more problems than leaving the tree exposed: tree wrap can inhibit the proper aeration of the trunk, which can prevent photosynthesis directly under the bark, increasing the likelihood of cankers, and vulnerability to insects. Plastic guards that spiral around the eastern redbud can result in twisting of the trunk as it expands in the early spring, resulting in a spiralled trunk. It is a better idea to use drain tile, or PVC piping around the tree—so long as it does not constrict the tree.