Winter is the time of year that can be detrimental to your yard and landscaping. Cool temperatures and freezing rain can make it hard for certain plants to survive throughout the season. To help preserve your landscaping investment, it’s important to take certain precautions. Here P.O.P.S Landscaping discusses proactive steps to take to help your plants and yard survive throughout the entire cold winter season.
Helpful Winter Landscaping Survival Tips
Mulch
Mulch is a great defender against winter weather. It prevents the repeated freezing and thawing of soil that helps plants to produce. Start by applying three to four inches of mulch after the ground begins to freeze. Avoid laying mulch too close to trunks or stems of plants. Mulching is an important control for erosion and loss of water as well. A layer of mulch will reduce water loss and help maintain uniform soil temperature around the roots.
Remove Non-Winter Plants
Winter weather is not so nice for all plants. Some plants can withstand the temperatures and some will die off from the harsh conditions. If you have certain plants you want to use the following season, it’s recommended to dig them up. By digging them up, you can store them in a winterized shed or indoors to live throughout the winter. A few examples of plants that don’t fend well during winter are dahlias, cannas, elephant ears and more.
Don’t Forget Water
In the winter months, certain landscaping can really suffer. If they’re not adequately watered, the stored nutrients within the plants may be depleted. This makes them more susceptible to winter burn and death once the ground freezes and their roots can no longer soak up water. Before the ground freezes, it’s important to make sure all your plants are getting adequate amounts of water. This can help with life expectancy and keep your landscaping alive all year long. Water is life.
Protect New Landscaping
Did you recently plant a new tree or shrub in your yard? Brand new plants are like newborns and need as much attention as possible. Thin-barked trees like linden and maple are more susceptible to frost cracking and sun-scald. If left unprotected, these new plants have a higher risk of dying during the winter. Additionally, wildlife has been known to feed off bark and roots as a source of food. To avoid this from happening, wrap up your investments during the cold winter. Use a corrugated tube or wrap the tree from the bottom up with a thick tree wrap or burlap. This acts as a barrier from the harsh conditions.
Avoid Salt
Salt-based de-icers are a quick way to kill your grass and landscaping plants. Salt drains moisture from the plant cells and causes the tissues to dry out. A different and effective alternative is sand. If you are not a fan of sand, consider a de-icer that’s either calcium or potassium-based, and use it sparingly. Get rid of extra salt by flushing out the soil with plenty of water.
Clean Up Your Yard
It is important to consistently remove leaves and debris from your property throughout the winter season. If landscaping debris is left on your property the grass under them will not be able to receive the proper sunlight it needs to remain healthy. Simple rake your yard or use a leaf blower if you have one. This is a simple and easy way to keep your yard alive and healthy throughout the winter.
Pruning
Most plants go dormant during the winter. This is the time of year when they’ve halted active growth and have hunkered down for the cold weather. Because of this dormancy, late winter and early spring are typically the best times to prune trees and shrubs. You want to prune hard at the end of winter or very early spring before any new growth starts. This allows the plant to put its energy towards producing new, healthy growth when the warmer temperatures of spring roll around.
Call P.O.P.S Landscaping Today
P.O.P.S. Landscaping offers a full range of landscape maintenance services, tailored to meet your residential or commercial needs. The more homes in one neighborhood we service, the more competitively priced we can be on each property! P.O.P.S. also offers a full-service lawn maintenance program on an annual contract, weekly or biweekly service agreement. This program is a ‘highly manicured’ type that is all-inclusive. Our fee ranges from $250 to $750 per month for most residential or commercial properties. Ask about our referral programs. Give us a call today!
