Landscape Damage Caused by a lack of Snow

Landscape Damage Caused by a lack of Snow

Snow is composed of air and ice and has high thermal conductivity relative to soil and pure ice.

Besides protecting the soil from low and fluctuating air temperatures, it acts as a natural insulator.

The fact that we haven’t had to clear sidewalks or drive through snowstorms has been nice, but when it gets really cold, snow is better.

Further, it prevents extreme cold from entering. Even though most perennials are capable of surviving without snow cover, those that are growing at the limits of their cold tolerance benefit from protection.

In spite of negative air temperatures, soil under snow usually remains just below freezing (32° Fahrenheit) throughout winter. Snow acts as an insulator, which drives the frost layer deeper into the soil.

Unprotected soil can easily be damaged by freezing and thawing. Frost-thaw cycles are minimized by snow because it moderates soil temperatures.

Additionally, snow prevents soil and moisture expansion and contraction, which can damage the crown of the plant.

No matter how frozen the soil is, it can still dry out if it’s not covered. Bare soil is more susceptible to the effects of sunlight, wind, and sublimation (solid ice converting to water vapor).

Colder temperatures and harder freezes affect perennial plants with dry roots. Particularly vulnerable are plants that spend the winter in containers.

Even during the winter, evergreen species still require moisture for photosynthetic activity to occur. Whenever soils are deprived of snow cover, they lose moisture and evergreens suffer stress.

How do you deal with Mother Nature’s refusal to cooperate? She is at our mercy on a large scale.

A 3-4 inch layer of wood mulch, straw, or leaves above the roots of your cold-sensitive plants or newly planted perennials may help them.

You can add tomato cages, wrapped in burlap, and filled with straw or leaves to protect the surface of the plants.

Spring is the time to remove them. Better insulation with loose materials.

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