If what started off as a relatively benign winter takes an eventful turn, your lifestyle and surroundings will have to adjust. Once the storms pass, you will resume your regular routine, but the trees and shrubs around your home may still be reeling under the effects of the weather. Any sudden, rapid drop in temperatures, sustained low temperatures, or bursts of snow and ice can cause stress, injury or damage to the shrubbery and ornamental trees in your yard. The experts at GREENSKEEPER offer some suggestions on how to care for your snow-damaged plants, shrubs and trees…
Help Your Plants Recover After A Snowstorm
Snowstorms can have a devastating effect on the shrubs, trees and plants in your yard. While a proper pre-winter pruning may potentially prevent damage from a heavy snowfall, storms are accompanied by not just a blanket of snow, but also heavy gusts of wind, freezing rain and hail or ice pellets. Here are some of the steps you can take after the storm is over.
- Check for Hazards: Before you approach the trees or shrubs, make sure that the surroundings are safe. Storms can damage your utility or power lines, roofs, fences and other parts of the property.
- Brush It Off Gently: Ideally, just wait for the snow to melt on its own. But if additional help is needed, be careful when you knock the snow or ice off the branches, as this may cause the branch to snap.
- Bent But Not Broken: If the tree or shrub looks bent or its small limbs are slightly damaged, it will recover without any specific care, once the snow or ice is removed.
- Save Those Roots: If any young, recently planted trees have toppled over, you can save them by protecting their exposed roots from drying or freezing. However, if over a third of the roots seem exposed, you will probably need to have the tree removed.
- Prune with Care: While pruning may be necessary to salvage some of your trees and shrubs, most trees will soon regenerate new foliage that will easily hide the bare patches. However, be careful not to removing more limbs than necessary – it may reduce the tree’s self-nurturing ability.
- Fertilize for Recovery: During early spring, apply a slow release fertilizer injected directing into the soil at the roots to speed up recovery of the trees and shrubs damaged by the storm.
- Clear & Replace: If any of your mature trees with trunks over 12 inches in diameter have fallen, such trees will need to be cleared and removed from your property. Replace them with a stronger wooded species that are more resistant to snow and ice storms.
Ensure Knowledgeable Shrub & Tree Care Services
While you can carry out minor clean ups after a snowstorm on your own, any major damage may need to be handled by the professionals. Instead of taking a DIY approach, hire the services of our experts who will conduct a thorough assessment and help you speed up the recovery of your trees and plants following a snowstorm. With our quality craftsmanship and attention to detail, GREENSKEEPER’s team of professionals has been serving residents in and around Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery County for over 50 years.
GREENSKEEPER Professional Lawn Care offers a variety of Service Programs for your residential and commercial property and we can tailor a program that meets your preferences and your budget. In addition to Lawn Care, this includes Tree & Shrub Care as well as Spotted Lanternfly Treatment. For a more beautiful lawn this season, click to contact GREENSKEEPER online or call 215-938-8440 and we will be in touch with you soon to schedule a no-obligation cost estimate!
