It’s the dead of winter and as the temperature drops and the snow accumulates, you might be worried about your garden and landscape. Winter weather can cause lasting damage to the plantings you so carefully tend to during the warmer months. Let’s take a look at steps you can take to prevent broken branches, damaged soil, and water loss:

• Heavy snow and ice – While snow-kissed branches may be a common sight in a winter wonderland, too much of it can damage your trees. To protect against the weight of snow and ice, tie weak branches together carefully. Brush – don’t shake – snow off of tree limbs and branches. If you have an inkling that branches are going to break under the weight of snow, remove them, as damaged trees are more susceptible to disease.

• Corrosive salt – While salt may be a great way to melt ice effectively, it is so harmful to plants due to the simple fact that it erodes soil and can create a soil crust when the area dries. Choose a less harmful alternative to beat the ice; before it snows, use materials like gravel, straw, or wood chips to provide traction. If Old Man Winter beat you to the punch, however, use sawdust, kitty litter, or even bird seed on top of ice for traction. Sand is another alternative to consider, just be sure to clean it up afterward so it doesn’t clog storm drains or get into your garden.

• Preventing water loss – You may be surprised to learn that plants, specifically their leaves, “sweat”, called transpiration. Use an anti-transpirant to aid against water loss. Another method is to wrap your evergreens in burlap to protect against salt and the howling winter winds.

How have your garden and landscape fared thus far this winter season? With spring only a couple months away, your garden will soon blossom after it’s deep sleep. For all your landscape needs and more, contact Arrowhead Landscaping at 978-744-4487, or visit our website.

Salt is an amazing little thing, isn’t it? Roman soldiers were paid in salt, which is where we get the term salary. Salt adds flavor to virtually any dish and even some cocktails, like margaritas. But salt can also be bad for you. And during the winter, rock salt can be a downright hazard to you, your loved ones (pets included) and, yes, even your concrete and pavement. So, now that winter has reared its ugly yet majestic head, how can you clear the ice and snow without resorting to the use of toxic aids like rock salt? Let’s take a look at cleaner, more environmentally-friendly ways to rid the ice this winter:

• One of those other -ium chlorides – Alternative deicers to keep in mind are potassium chloride and magnesium chloride. Potassium chloride will not harm vegetation and it is okay if it comes into contact with skin. The lowest temperature at which it will work as a deicer is 15° F. Magnesium chloride is another great choice for the environmentally conscious. It will still prove to be an effective deicer, even when the temperatures creep down to -13° F.

• Soak up the sun – I apologize for the tacky Sheryl Crow reference, but hey, it’s winter time. I’m thinking warm thoughts. Anyway, another method to remove ice and snow effectively is to make use of our most abundant resource: the sun. It’s best to wake up early and get right to shoveling, so by the time you’re done, the sun will be able to melt the ice a little more quickly as the temperatures creep up throughout the day.
• Hot water should do the trick – For those particularly vexing ice patches, a good method of treatment might be to boil a pot of water and pour it right on the ice. Follow through with a few good whacks with an ice pick or shovel and it should start to break apart. Remember to brush away or soak up the hot water with a cloth, or else you’ll just create more ice, thus prolonging your deicing project.

This winter, beat the ice with these techniques and others. Remember to stay up-to-date with news and weather forecast, so you know when snow will hit and how much of it. Don’t let ice get you down. Avoid damage to your pavement and concrete walkways with harmful and hazardous rock salt. Use an alternative deicer like potassium chloride or magnesium chloride. Or you could take advantage of waking up early to tackle your driveway and let the sun do the rest throughout the day. Or, even still, you can just pour some hot water on problem spots and tackle it further from there. Remember, Arrowhead Landscaping is here for you and your landscape and hardscape. Give us a call at 978-744-4487, or visit our website. 

In last month’s blog post, we discussed the various vegetables you can harvest in the autumn. As fall draws to a close, however, how do you “put away” the garden in preparation for next year? Once spring arrives and all the snow has melted away, your green thumb will surely grow back through ‘til the end of fall. Here are our best practices to close down your garden for winter, ultimately leading to an easier spring cleanup:

• Remove and Compost old Plantings – The first step toward winterizing your garden is to remove any old plant matter from the garden bed and put it in the compost bin. Otherwise, plant diseases will have an open invitation to wreak havoc throughout your garden. Keep your compost in a bin until springtime to protect it during winter.
• Test your Soil – Another step to prepare for spring is to test your soil’s pH level. If the pH is too low, consider adding lime. If such is the case, you should add lime early as the effects don’t present themselves for quite some time. You can buy a basic soil testing kit at any garden center or, if you prefer to go about testing without one, there are alternative, more natural ways to do so.
• Protecting the Topsoil – Winter’s wrath is brutal and can severely damage your garden and soil if they’re not properly winterized. The next step in the winterization process is to cover the top layer of your garden, the soil. There are two ways to do this: for larger gardens, you can plant what is called a cover crop. For smaller beds, however, mulching is a better and more efficient approach.

You should prepare your garden for every season of the year so it can continue to flourish for years to come. Winterizing is especially important because the severity of the winter season, at least in New England, is like no other. Winter brings a period of dormancy to most plantings, so they can “rest up” so-to-speak in preparation for their spring awakening. Call Arrowhead Landscaping at 978-774-4487 for all your landscaping needs, concerns, and questions. From all of us at Arrowhead, stay warm and we wish you a Happy New Year.