Heavy Snow Friend or Foe

Snow and ice generally do not harm plants.  Snow on the ground acts as a blanket of insulation to keep ground temperature from fluctuating.  Snow on a plant’s leaves or bark does not hurt either provided it is not more of a load than the plant’s structure can handle. 

Generally speaking the snow can stay in place until the sun melts it or the wind blows it away.  Snow is winter moisture for your plants and is actually a very good thing.  However very heavy snows and wet snows can damage plants by breaking them.  If your plant, shrub, or tree is bowed over or heavily laden down with snow, the snow should be removed. Again, plants do need moisture in the winter, so you do not need to remove every little bit of snow. You just need to remove most of the snow so that the weight does not bend or break the branches.

If the branches are severely bent from the weight of the snow and they remain that way for a long period of time, weeks or months, they can develop a memory for that position. A good example would be a hose that is wound up the same way all the time retains a memory. Multi trunked plant material such as arborvitae or birch trees would be good examples of the types of plants that can exhibit this problem.

You can use your hand or any long handled broom.  As long as the device you use is not sharp you should be OK.  Please be gentle, plants are more brittle in the cold than they are in the summer.  Think of plastic in the winter as opposed to plastic in the summer months. Ice is a little different, never try to break ice off a plant.  Breaking ice off a plant will most likely produce damage.  The sun will do its job at some point, be patient.  Ice on a plant can cause burning to the tissue but usually not.  It usually acts as protection against the wind, kind of like lip balm would protect your lips.

Of course, if you need help with your shrub care we are always here to be of service. For more information about our Tree Care and Shrub Care and Landscape Maintenance services, please see our pages or give us a call at 201-445-4646 to set up a free consultation.

5 Reason to Prune Trees and Shrubs in Late Winter or Early Spring

1. To remove dead wood

2. To remove broken or damage branches

3. To remove unwanted growth

4. To reduce or maintain the size of the landscape plants

5. To rejuvenate old plants (helping to produce better flowers, fruit, or foliage)

Now is the time for tree and shrub care. Late winter or early spring is one of the best times to prune trees and shrubs. OK, there certainly are some do’s and don’ts, all of which cannot be covered in this blog. However, here is some great information to guide you.

IMPORTANT LANDSCAPE TIP: You don’t necessarily want to prune every tree or shrub on your property on the same day, just because you have the time, or equipment out. It is best not to prune early flowering trees and shrubs now, common to our area, dogwood, pear, forsythia, for example. You will want to wait until the blooms have faded away, about a month or slightly longer. You don’t want to take away the buds before they bloom.

With new landscape plantings, there should be very little need for shrub care. However, do look for any broken or damaged branches. With new shrubs you will want the shrub to develop on its own so that the plant has a natural shape.

With overgrown shrubs or trees the opposite is true for proper tree and shrub care. You will need to reduce the size of the shrub with a more severe cutting back technique. This is called heading back. This pruning technique is the process of shortening branches or stems back to a much lower point.

IMPORTANT PRUNING TIP: Make sure to prune to just above an outward facing bud or branch. You will also need to be very careful not to cut the bud or branch collar. Make your pruning cut on a slight angle, about one quarter inch above the bud. Evergreen trees (trees with needles, pines, spruce, firs) should not be pruned as described above. I’ll try to cover that topic later in spring.

I saved the best for last, trimming or shearing. I personally am not a fan. If you want balls, squares, and triangles, please think about this. If you ask a child to draw a picture with trees, shrubs and plants, what you usually will get are balls, squares, and triangles. If you ask an artist to do the same task, well…. you get the picture. So throw away your electric trimmer and get a pair of pruners and a lopper.

Of course, if you need help with your shrub care we are always here to be of service. For more information about our Tree Care and Shrub Care and Landscape Maintenance services, please see our pages or give us a call at 201-445-4646 to set up a free consultation.

All About Mulch-Do I Need It?

First, what is mulch? Generally speaking, most would answer that question as a ground or shredded wood product. However, it could be a covering of crushed stone, pine bark nuggets, straw, or even shredded rubber. Some of these products will work well in certain situations such as crushed stone in a utilitarian area, like the area behind the garage or an area in the landscape where there is a lot of water movement. For most homeowners, when we talk about mulch we are using mulch in a planting bed in the residential landscape. For this purpose, the wood mulch would always be your best option.

Why do you need mulch? Here are the positive benefits of using much in you landscape.
1. Mulch will add beauty to any residential or commercial landscape.
2. Mulch will help retain water at the surface. So shrubs, trees, and flowers will benefit and you could save money by not needing to water as often.
3. Mulch will help to suppress weeds in your planting beds.
4. As the natural wood mulch breaks down, it adds nutrients to the soil.
5. Mulch will also provide benefits to your landscape in the colder winter months, acting as a insulator for the roots of the trees and shrubs.

How much mulch to buy? This is a great question because the answer is not always the same. What? Let’s start with what is the proper amount of mulch to use in planting beds. You should establish 2-3 inches spread uniformly over the surface. Some homeowners and even some landscape contractors spread mulch every year. I believe, for the most part, this is not necessary.

There is some loss of mulch in the leaf clean up season; however, if you start with 2-3 inches of mulch, you should only need to top dress or add a little on top of the existing mulch layer every other year. The goal is to maintain the 2-3 inch layer and only add when needed not just because.

IMPORTANT NOTE - This is critical to your success.
DO NOT pile mulch up against trees and shrubs. Taper the level of the mulch as you get close to the plants. Shrubs and trees do not want mulch piled up against their bark. Please don’t do it!

Lastly, I would like to say that the color of the mulch has nothing to do with how the mulch performs. Some mulch is dyed. This is usually the jet black and bright red muches. Personally, I am not a fan. Dyed mulch can stain surfaces such as concrete walks and foundations. In my opinion, it does not look as nice as natural mulch. At Keep It Green Landscaping, we use natural mulch. Hardwood mulch is a rich brown, cedar mulch is a golden brown, and hemlock mulch is a reddish brown. All natural all beautiful additions to your residential or commercial landscaping. Properly pruned trees and shrubs in correctly mulched planting beds, along with a healthy lawn, is what will set your landscape apart from others.

At Keep It Green Landscaping, we strive to do our best so that your property will look its best. There are a lot of folks out there from which to chose and it may seem like they are all the same. Landscape maintenance and lawn care are based in horticultural science and we at Keep It Green Landscaping understand this and put it into practice. We welcome the opportunity to help you with your residential or commercial landscape maintenance.

For more information about our Landscape Maintenance services please see our page or give us a call at 201-445-4646 to set up a free consultation.

It's Hot and I Am Thirsty

The heat is on! It is extremely important that you water your lawn and shrubs. Lack of proper watering leads to problems. In lawns, drought stress increases the possibility of diseases attacking the stressed grass plant and also die back of the root system.

In shrubs and other plant material, lack of water causes stress which causes plants to drop leaves vital to survival. Weakened plants also attract more insects and in a weakened state, insect feeding places even more stress on your shrubs and plants and possible death can occur.

Remember, you don’t have to have an irrigation system to have a nice lawn. THE
GOAL IS TO SUPPLY WATER. If you have limited time, make sure that at least the sunny areas receive water. Please remember to always remove the hose from the lawn as the sun will heat the water in the hose to a high temperature and cause the lawn under the hose to die.

I recommend EARLY MORNING watering only, Do Not water in the afternoon or evening. This has the potential to create problems and increase the possibility of disease organisms attacking your lawn and shrubs. Hydrated lawns and shrubs are the best way for you to help keep your property looking nice and healthy.

For more information about our Landscape Maintenance   and Tree Care and Shrub Care services please see our pages or give us a call at 201-445-4646 to set up a free consultation.