As we begin to approach the sunnier, warmer months it’s important to make sure your landscape is protected!
What does sunburn look like?
Bark, foliage, and fruit on trees can be sunburnt. Trees with thinner bark are especially susceptible as they do not have as much protection as thicker barked trees.
Sunburnt bark:
Sunburnt foliage and fruit:
What can be done?
Once a plant is already sunburnt there is not much you can do, sunburnt bark will eventually heal while sunburnt foliage will drop. Sunburnt fruit can still be consumed, you can just remove the damaged portions. However, there are preventative measures you can take!
The first thing to do is to ensure you do not prune back your branches too far, doing so will expose more of the bark to the sun and potentially lead to sunburn. If your tree is already over pruned or does not have many branches/foliage on one side the next step is to wrap the exposed trunk of the tree with either tree wrap or burlap. You can find this at most home improvement stores or even on Amazon. This wrap will act as a physical barrier from the sun (like hats and clothes protect our skin). You’ll want to keep the wrap on from May through October, when the sun is most intense. It can be removed in the darker winter months.
If you find the wrap unsightly you can also paint the trunks of your trees, just be sure it is water based paint and dilute it 50% with water before applying it. You may need multiple coats of paint to be effective.
It is most important to encourage branch growth on the sun facing side(s) so that the plant can grow its own sun protection in the future!
You can read more information about sunburn here!