Use upward motion with broom to remove heavy, wet snow.
Ready for snow this winter? Hurricane Schwartz predicts that the snow fall for 2017 in the Philadelphia region will be between 30 – 35 inches. Snow may be fun for kids and beautiful to adults as it falls, but a small amount of snow combined with a layer of ice can weigh down limbs and branches, ultimately causing broken and damaged branches. Conifers and broadleaves evergreens are particularly vulnerable because they have a tendency to hold the snow and when you add a layer of ice on top of the snow, the weight can cause branches to crack and break.
Take a Preventative Approach
Pruning is a great pre-winter task that has a twofold purpose. If your shrubs and trees are overgrown, eliminate the weak areas and prune them out. Pruning will help improve their appearance and health while giving the snow less places to land on.
While It’s Snowing
Wait for ice to melt naturally.
Snow should only be removed from branches if it is light and fluffy. Avoid shaking branches that are coated with snow and ice. The ice coverage makes limbs brittle and they can easily snap which can damage the circulatory system. Wait for ice and frozen snow to melt naturally.
Using a broom, gently brush off the excess snow from plant that might have the potential for breaking. Use upward motions rather than downward force as this can create more damage. If you have branches that are weighted down to the ground, get underneath the branches to remove the snow. The purpose is to loosen the snow and allow it to fall away by itself.
When you’re shoveling your walkway or driveway, try not to pile up the excess snow on your plants. This heavy snow, which can contain snow melting salt-based products, can additionally damage your plants.
Whitehouse Landscaping is your local landscaping company to handle your snow removal or shrub pruning. Contact us or call 484-300-4290 for simple, preventative, and quality outdoor seasonal maintenance.