Q: If the leaves on trees came out, and there were an unusually hard freeze for an extended time causing the leaves to drop, would they regrow or would the trees remain without leaves for the season? How does a tree regulate that if they do regrow?
-- Martha Hunt, Hoschton
A: A healthy tree has the ability to produce as many leaves as it needs to remain healthy, Robert L. Brannen, Gwinnett County Cooperative Extension coordinator in Lawrenceville, told Q&A on the News. “If we prune off a limb or insects defoliate an area, the tree responds by producing more leaves to make up for what it lost,” he wrote in an e-mail. “The same is true if a late freeze killed some of the early leaves. The tree is smart enough to know how many leaves that it needs and should recover without any problem.” Timothy Daly, agricultural and natural resources agent, also with the Gwinnett County Cooperative Extension Service, which operates as part of the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Family and Consumer Sciences, said the trees will survive a late-season frost. “The new leaves may have been damaged, but the tree has enough stored energy that it will put out more leaves as the season warms up,” he wrote in an e-mail. “It most likely will recover if the tree is healthy.”
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
About the Author
