Those who enjoy gardening or maintaining the outdoor spaces of their property love to spend time in the open and beautiful surroundings. However, the cold winters can take their toll on your landscape affecting the appearance and conditions of your plantings.  Your pleasant green lawns start turning brown and flowering plants shed their blooms. The concern at this point is the steps to take to protect your landscape from the tough winter.

It is nature’s law that trees will shed their leaves during winter. But there are ways to save your landscape from looking bare and dry. You can significantly prevent the damage to your plants caused by the falling winter temperatures, snow, wind etc. by following these tips from the experts at DNS Landscaping.

Get Your Lawn Ready For Winter Hibernation

• Before the winter sets in, you can start preparing the lawn from being ruined. Remove all the debris, use the rake to move the leaves and prepare the ground for healthy new grass to grow.
• Lawn mowing is important during grass growing season. The grass at this stage should measure 3 to 3.5 inches, while at final stage it should be 2 to 2.5 inches. It serves to promote new growth and contains pests from invading the lawn.
• Two important activities before the first freeze starts are to aerate and fertilize the lawn. The new grass absorbs the ready nutrients when the warm weather melts the snow.

Trees And Shrubs Need Protection

Mulching helps.

During winter, all the vegetation such as trees, shrubs, and plants need to be protected from soil erosion and water loss. A mulch layer of about 2 inches can effectively retain moisture and preserve soil temperature, especially around the root areas.

Prune The Plants.

Pruning plants in winter is essential and the best season for it is late winter. The fresh cuts of the plants will be exposed for a shorter period before the new spring growth begins.

Avoid Water Loss.

All plants suffer water loss during wintertime and the moisture levels recede. Certain plants like evergreens face the danger of salt spray and severe winter wind. The use of antidesiccant spray and burlap wrap help to keep the leaves green and slows the process of water loss.

Protect Plants From Snow And Ice.

Snow and ice can wreck havoc on your plantings. As the snow load increases, the branches of plants are likely to break. If these branches are tied together, they can withstand the weight of the snow better. The lower branches that cannot be tied can be brushed to remove the snow. Delicate branches that are prone to breaking can be cut off. It is important not to leave them damaged by snow as that just exposes them to infestations and disease.

Reduce salt damage.

The salt and melting agents used in snow management damage the roots of plants and trees. Use a lot of water to flush out this salt from the soil around your plants.

For any more information, feel free to call DNS Landscaping at (210) 765-8667. You can also use this Contact Us form to send us an email.