Heavy Snow Friend or Foe

Snow and ice generally do not harm plants.  Snow on the ground acts as a blanket of insulation to keep ground temperature from fluctuating.  Snow on a plant’s leaves or bark does not hurt either provided it is not more of a load than the plant’s structure can handle. 

Generally speaking the snow can stay in place until the sun melts it or the wind blows it away.  Snow is winter moisture for your plants and is actually a very good thing.  However very heavy snows and wet snows can damage plants by breaking them.  If your plant, shrub, or tree is bowed over or heavily laden down with snow, the snow should be removed. Again, plants do need moisture in the winter, so you do not need to remove every little bit of snow. You just need to remove most of the snow so that the weight does not bend or break the branches.

If the branches are severely bent from the weight of the snow and they remain that way for a long period of time, weeks or months, they can develop a memory for that position. A good example would be a hose that is wound up the same way all the time retains a memory. Multi trunked plant material such as arborvitae or birch trees would be good examples of the types of plants that can exhibit this problem.

You can use your hand or any long handled broom.  As long as the device you use is not sharp you should be OK.  Please be gentle, plants are more brittle in the cold than they are in the summer.  Think of plastic in the winter as opposed to plastic in the summer months. Ice is a little different, never try to break ice off a plant.  Breaking ice off a plant will most likely produce damage.  The sun will do its job at some point, be patient.  Ice on a plant can cause burning to the tissue but usually not.  It usually acts as protection against the wind, kind of like lip balm would protect your lips.

Of course, if you need help with your shrub care we are always here to be of service. For more information about our Tree Care and Shrub Care and Landscape Maintenance services, please see our pages or give us a call at 201-445-4646 to set up a free consultation.

5 Reason to Prune Trees and Shrubs in Late Winter or Early Spring

1. To remove dead wood

2. To remove broken or damage branches

3. To remove unwanted growth

4. To reduce or maintain the size of the landscape plants

5. To rejuvenate old plants (helping to produce better flowers, fruit, or foliage)

Now is the time for tree and shrub care. Late winter or early spring is one of the best times to prune trees and shrubs. OK, there certainly are some do’s and don’ts, all of which cannot be covered in this blog. However, here is some great information to guide you.

IMPORTANT LANDSCAPE TIP: You don’t necessarily want to prune every tree or shrub on your property on the same day, just because you have the time, or equipment out. It is best not to prune early flowering trees and shrubs now, common to our area, dogwood, pear, forsythia, for example. You will want to wait until the blooms have faded away, about a month or slightly longer. You don’t want to take away the buds before they bloom.

With new landscape plantings, there should be very little need for shrub care. However, do look for any broken or damaged branches. With new shrubs you will want the shrub to develop on its own so that the plant has a natural shape.

With overgrown shrubs or trees the opposite is true for proper tree and shrub care. You will need to reduce the size of the shrub with a more severe cutting back technique. This is called heading back. This pruning technique is the process of shortening branches or stems back to a much lower point.

IMPORTANT PRUNING TIP: Make sure to prune to just above an outward facing bud or branch. You will also need to be very careful not to cut the bud or branch collar. Make your pruning cut on a slight angle, about one quarter inch above the bud. Evergreen trees (trees with needles, pines, spruce, firs) should not be pruned as described above. I’ll try to cover that topic later in spring.

I saved the best for last, trimming or shearing. I personally am not a fan. If you want balls, squares, and triangles, please think about this. If you ask a child to draw a picture with trees, shrubs and plants, what you usually will get are balls, squares, and triangles. If you ask an artist to do the same task, well…. you get the picture. So throw away your electric trimmer and get a pair of pruners and a lopper.

Of course, if you need help with your shrub care we are always here to be of service. For more information about our Tree Care and Shrub Care and Landscape Maintenance services, please see our pages or give us a call at 201-445-4646 to set up a free consultation.