Is it too late to wire a juniper in Georgia?

[WHB123]

I have a Juniperus chinensis, I originally planned to wire it in the fall and here we are in January. I live in middle Georgia, USA. Is it too late to wire it, I have learned you don’t want to wire in the growing season, and with our warmer winter I’m wondering if it is too late. I have a previous post about styling this tree if it adds any more context. Also any tips about what type of wire would be appreciated.

 

[Dav4]

I think wiring now is fine but I’d protect from deep freezes until spring

 

[WHB123]

I think wiring now is fine but I’d protect from deep freezes until spring

Ok thank you, don’t see any major cold weather coming in but you never know. When is it recommended that I remove the wire ?

 

[Shibui]

Wire and bend any time other than strong growth seasons - Spring and maybe early Summer.
We do not experience real cold here so I have never had problems with wired trees and cold. Not sure if wire and real cold causing problems is real or imagined.

Remove wire when it begins to mark the trunk or branches. Sometimes that's a couple of months, sometimes a couple of years. Depends how much the tree is growing, how tight the wires started out, species, etc, etc. Bends are usually set in a couple of months with many species. Thicker and older wood might need longer.

 

[Dav4]

I was taught that using wire and bending branches damages the cambium and subsequently reduces cold hardiness, and the heavier the bending, the more damage incurred and so on. Anyway, I only mention it because it is still only early January and, historically, we get our coldest weather in N. America for the next 6 weeks. I grew up ice skating on ponds from Christmas until St. Patrick's Day in March. We USED to have consistently cold winters but not so much now, but I still offer best practice advice.

 

[BrightsideB]

I was taught that using wire and bending branches damages the cambium and subsequently reduces cold hardiness, and the heavier the bending, the more damage incurred and so on. Anyway, I only mention it because it is still only early January and, historically, we get our coldest weather in N. America for the next 6 weeks. I grew up ice skating on ponds from Christmas until St. Patrick's Day in March. We USED to have consistently cold winters but not so much now, but I still offer best practice advice.

We’ve only had a couple days below freezing so far north metro Atlanta. Next week hardly a dip below freezing at the lows on some days. It’s wild. I did a lot of wiring the other day. It’s hard not to when I can do it in January with a tank top and shorts on.

 

[bwaynef]

Dav4's giving good advice. Its a great time to do the work, but don't be lulled into a sense of confidence that there won't be cold that can damage recently-wired trees based on how warm its been. Do the work, but have plans for when the cold comes over the next few weeks.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

If it's not summer, it's a good time to wire.
I haven't seen a branch die on me ever due to frost. It's always been me, snapping it or breaking it in one direction and overcorrecting it in the other direction that breaks the other side.

If y'all don't mind: The sap is almost completely still during winter, especially during frosts. That means it's either viscous from a lack of water, or more runny due to an increase in glycerols and sugars and such. Cell damage from frost is most of the times related to ice crystals forming. If the plant would have problematic ice crystals forming in the sap stream, it would not survive winter at all. So the sap must contain some kind of anti-crystal component.
From a basic chemistry view, those components can only lose their function if they are diluted. If they are concentrated, they will increase their anti-crystal-forming capacity. Like beer, beer can freeze at -20C but whiskey can't. That's due to the alcohol.
If you mix whiskey with ice, let it sit for an hour, and then put it in the freezer, it will freeze.
The point I'm making is: Cells filled with anti-freeze juice don't magically get destroyed, unless the juice is diluted. Water has to get in there and produce ice, that doesn't happen during frosts but during thaws and successive frosts.
If you cover any wounds with adequate material, it's very unlikely that you'll lose a branch.

 

[WHB123]

Wire and bend any time other than strong growth seasons - Spring and maybe early Summer.
We do not experience real cold here so I have never had problems with wired trees and cold. Not sure if wire and real cold causing problems is real or imagined.

Remove wire when it begins to mark the trunk or branches. Sometimes that's a couple of months, sometimes a couple of years. Depends how much the tree is growing, how tight the wires started out, species, etc, etc. Bends are usually set in a couple of months with many species. Thicker and older wood might need longer.

Thanks you’re always a great help