Storm and a gift

14 years ago

Sat in my "favorite" spot and watched the Castor beans

get ready to snap under the 50-60mph wind gusts...

just like the Thai giant did last year around this time.

They didn't snap but something else did -with a little help!

I have climbed this tree every spring(but this one)to try and remove a limb that blocks 5 hrs of sunlight.

Just to big a limb,to small a ladder or to small a chainsaw-take your pic-not to mention it possibly falling on the pine tree near it!

Storm took care of all of it-

I don't think the wind or lightning by thenselves

would have done it-the lightning hit it as the winds were gusting and it went down quitely....

unless you are a pine tree.

Smashed pine tree

Pine was snapped above the ground and still has a few surviving branches-

You can see the burnt tip of the branch-I was about 60' away-watching on the porch(shocked)

I was just thiking that I really do need to get to that branch this year-as I added up the max sunlight for any spot in the front yard....

6 hrs was it-this will add 4-5 hrs....looking east...

The east bed with the T.ferns will get double the light as half the canopy is gone.

You can see the sun already hitting the Y.Gloriosa before 8am-it used to be almost noon!

Heres what the Castors etc looked like after the winds backed off-this was a non linear event with the winds gusting repeatedly over 50/60mph

instead of at the lead edge like/of a bow segment.

This is what they looked like AFTER the wind!

I spent about an hour last night bracing and bending them back into shape...they will more than live to fight another day!.....looks like Wens(dead)

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Comments (5)

tropicalzone7
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
The lightning must have sounded very loud being so close to your house! Glad that everything is okay, the castor beans perked back up really well! At least now your plants are getting more light!
-Alex
statenislandpalm7a
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
To bad the tree fell, but on the bright side you will have more sun.
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islandbreeze
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
And more planting space :)

Poor pine tree. We had storms move through here today too, and brought some much needed rain. I'm sure we're running some type of a drought right now. It has been bone dry. Too bad we can't have wet summers and dry winters, instead of the other way around.
chadec
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
That extra light should make a big difference in the garden. Some of the plants that are use to the shade may start sulking for a while. Any plans for the rest of the tree?
jimhardy
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Thanks y'all

"On the bright" side-hehe

No sulking-all the plants that like sun are in sun and
the T.fern bed will be twice as bright-good news all around!

I would like to cut the braches(I cut one/or two and lightning did the other)even with the the trunk but I don't have that big a chainsaw.

I think the rest of the tree will be fine.

The funny thing is-there wasn't really any pop to the lightning-I was thinking(as I do any time it storms)that now
would be a good time to take the branch off as the wind was blowing away from the yard......

right after that,there was a quick pop( I assume) I looked
out in the yard and the tree had just fell 0:

I really think had it been just wind or lightning the branch
would have survived it....for a while,the lightning smacked it in a weak spot and snapped it perfectly...

I do feel blessed but the plants are the real winners.....
unless your that Maple or Pine tree.....YIKES!

I think it will have an effect their growth,some of them were already leaning to the southwest-this will help.

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