If we wire our trees, we might wonder this.
We notice that there are times of the year that wire bites in. And there are times that it doesn’t.
When should we be most alert? Here are a few pointers:
- Every year, trees grow two annual rings.
- If you were to cut a trunk, you’d see these two rings (the image below).
- We tend to notice only the dark one, but there’s a light one too.
- This lighter ring is put on in the spring and early summer. This wood tends to be less dense, and when exposed, rots faster.
- The second ring is formed later in the year, in late summer and early fall. This is narrower and darker, as the tree isn’t growing as hard. This late season wood is denser and harder than the spring wood.
- It’s best to look for tight wire in late spring and late summer.
- If we skip one of these, then our wire can really get bitten in.
- In the winter (in temperate climates) we can relax. No wood is growing.
