Garden Centre

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Storms, snow, thaws, rain and plants

The bad news isn’t over yet. Lovely light fluffy snow is one thing. Heavy sledgeable snow is something else, but even that’s not a disaster. But heavy or light, snow that doesn’t melt and is followed by sleety rain and periods of below-freezing temperatures can really damage our plants, most notably our trees and shrubs because what happens to them is that snow builds up on the side of the plant that is protected from the prevailing wind and then it gets coated with water, and that water becomes ice.

Normally snow just acts as a pretty good insulator, protecting plants from zero and below temperatures, but once you add the weight of rain to the snow, it can cause the branches, and even trunks, to split.

The best way to deal with heavy snow/ice build-up on plants is to try knocking snow from the branches and limbs of plants before it becomes too deep. A plastic rake with a long handle can be ideal for this as it’s long enough to reach quite high but lightweight enough not to damage the plant.

You need to tap the branches gently from below, even if you are taller than the branch. This is because adding any downward force to the weight already on the plant, could be enough to break the limb you’re trying to clear from snow.

At the same time, use your rake to clear the snow cover away from prized perennial plants which may be prone frost heaving which is when dampness in the soil makes it expand around the roots of a plant, pushing them upwards. If you see any signs of roots lifting, press the plant down and cover the root area with lots of mulch – if you can’t manage anything else, sheets of newspaper will help protect the roots from winter damage.

Labels: garden in snow, perennial plants, winter garden tasks

The All Seasons Gardener at 8:52 AM

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