Much of the frustration and disappointment from plants damaged over the winter can be avoided by following some simple winter care guidelines for your landscape this fall:
6 Winter Care Steps for Your Landscape
1. When planting, select healthy plants using ones that are native to your area or known to be winter hardy.
2. Do not plant under the eaves of your house. This will avoid snow or ice settling on plants.
3. Prune properly to remove weak branches. However, avoid late summer pruning, which stimulates new growth in the plant thereby reducing nutrient reserves that are needed over the winter.
4. Water properly. This can be a critical factor in providing winter care for the trees and shrubs of your landscape. If autumn rains have been insufficient, give your plants a deep soaking before the ground freezes. This is especially important for broadleaf and needle-leaf evergreens.
5. Mulching reduces weeds, helps control erosion, and reduces loss of water. A two to three inch layer of a mulch material such as pine or fir bark, pine needles, or wood chips reduces water loss and helps maintain uniform soil moisture around the roots.
6. Mulching also reduces the alternate freezing and thawing of the soil, which damages some shallow-rooted plants. Mulching buffers the soil temperature, which keeps the soil warmer for a longer period of time during the winter, thus permitting extra winter root growth. Leave a space of several inches between the trunk of the tree and the mulch to discourage mice from feeding on the bark.
By following these simple winter landscape care steps, you’ll be providing added protection for your plants which will be a strong advantage against the damage that can be caused by the harsh conditions of the coming winter season.
This article was provided by NaturaLawn of America. In addition to being an environmentally friendly lawn care service, NaturaLawn of America offers an exclusive retail line of safer yard and garden products through their website. Visit them online at: www.nl-amer.com or call #800-989-5444.
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