While everybody enjoys winter holidays, it is true that the cold season also comes with plenty of nuisances including snow shoveling, deicing, messy walkways, high maintenance and heating bills, discomfort and so on. However, if you are worried about snowfall and its damaging potential for your lawn, you don’t have to worry about anything. An average layer of snow is actually very beneficial for your lawn and garden. Today, our lawn care Chapel Hill, NC specialists are here to explain some of the major benefits of snow for your landscape.
1. Insulation
The soft carpet of snow covering the ground acts as a natural insulator, protecting the seedlings, the dormant roots and the soil surface from harsh frost or wind. In the lack of the snow cover, the soil woould freeze deeper, thus damaging the deep roots of plants, trees, shrubs and grasses.
The insulation properties of snow don’t end here. If the wind is dry, it may lead to the grasses’ transpiration effect (grasses lose moisture as they are blown dry by wind). Snow keeps the turf and other grasses safe from the damaging effect of blizzards or frost.
The bulbs, perennial plants and ground covers are also thankful to snow this time of year, as it conserves their moisture. Snow also keeps the vegetation safe during a freeze / thaw cycle. When the weather gets warmer, the sunrays reach the soil, warm it up and damage the roots or dry out the plant parts – snow being the natural barrier againts the negative impact of sunrays for the vegetation.
Our lawn care Chapel Hill, NC can tell you how much snow is too much snow on your lawn and recommend you some mulching techniques for your flower beds, as some types of mulches can be layered over a thin carpet of snow.
2. Fertilization
A thick layer of snow is not light, therefore it slowly pushes the nutrients into the soil. What few people know, on the other hand, is that snow is a natural and free fertilizer. Our lawn care Chapel Hill, NC explain this better: as the snow flakes fall from the sky, they collect nitrogen and trace amounts of amonia from the air and deposit them on the soil surface and on evergreens’ leaves. While the quantities are not enough to replace fertilization, your plants will be more than happy to absorb the nitrogen and trace amonia and stay nourished and protected.
3. Slow Hydration
A medium thick layer of snow acts as a constant natural irrigation system for all your plants, also acting as a warming blanket keeping roots watered and at a proper temperature. As snow gets deposited on the ground it slowly waters deep so you won’t have to worry about irrigation until early or mid spring. However, our lawn care Chapel Hill, NC experts recommend you keep an eye on the snow layer’s thickness, as it can lead to the development of snow mold.
In case you are not pleased with the evolution of winter and temperatures, ask your lawn care Chapel Hill, NC about installing ground covers or burlap to protect shurbs and trees during winter. Also keep an eye on small wildlife wanting to take advantage of the situation.