MSU Extension:

Everyone in Michigan is anxiously awaiting spring and warmer temperatures to arrive. Few of us are as patient as the woody plants around us. They have been patiently waiting since mid-January for warm weather. Last fall, as the days got shorter and temperatures fell, perennial plants got ready for winter. Sugars were stored as starch in the shoots and roots. Proteins in the leaves were broken down and reassembled as storage proteins in the shoots and roots. These materials were stored for the explosive growth we often see in spring as trees and shrubs leaf out rapidly under warm conditions.

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