Winter plant maintenance is essential to healthy plant life. Avoid walking on your grass when it snows, as it is subject to fungal infections under a blanket of snow.
If you live in Maryland, you have likely stocked your home with groceries, water and flashlights in preparation for Winter Storm Jonas – the blizzard that is heading our way! The storm is expected to produce heavy amounts of snow and strong wind. Do you know how to prevent snow damage to your plants through winter plant maintenance?
Tips to Prevent Damage
-
Tie Plants Up: If it’s not too late, use plant netting to tie up the branches of your trees and shrubs – they won’t be as susceptible to breakage or shape damage this way. If you tie them into a cone shape, snow should be able to fall off the sides.
-
Relocate Containers: Move your planters and containers to an area with shelter (perhaps under a shed or porch, or inside if the weather is severe) to keep freezing water from expanding and cracking the containers.
-
Stay Off Your Grass: When grass is covered in snow, it is extremely fragile and can be easily uprooted. It is susceptible to fungal diseases when blanketed with snow. The less you walk on the snow, the easier it will melt and your grass will stay rooted.
-
Don’t Use Salt and De-Icer!: Rock salt and common de-icing products can harm vegetation and pollute nearby water sources. If your plant comes in contact with salt, water and rinse it as soon as temperatures rise above freezing. Alternative: kitty litter or sand.
-
Prune Damaged Limbs: Do not handle your plants when there is ice on them, since you are likely to cause damage and break a branch. Once the snow and ice melts, visit your plants outdoors to assess branch damage. If you notice you have a cracked branch, tie it back into place securely and there’s a chance it may heal. Be sure prune away any broken branches as soon as possible, to prevent injury, disease and infection.
-
Survey Damage in the Spring: When Spring rolls around, survey the extent of the winter weather damage. Things you weren’t able to reshape or understand will become clearer in warmer weather.
Lehnhoff’s Landscaping can Help With Your Winter Maintenance Needs
If your winter maintenance needs are too large and the strain too much, or if you don’t have the time, Lehnhoff’s Landscaping is here to help. We provide professional snow removal and landscaping services for all of Maryland. Our teams of snow removal experts manage everything from plowing, to shoveling, to ice scraping. We have years and years of experience in removing snow from patios, parking lots, roads and sidewalks – as well as salting and ice melting.
Our snow removal plans and planting services will ensure that no matter what time of year it is, your property will be stunning and safe. If you have any more questions about snow removal in Baltimore, contact Lehnhoff’s Landscaping by Calling 443.921.5789 or visit LehnoffsLandscaping.com today!
Help us grow! Follow Lehnhoff’s Landscaping on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+