Snow and Ice in Your Garden
By Judson Reid
CCE Yates

I love snow. This winter has been a delight to me. The words of an old song come to mind: "If you plant ice you're going to harvest wind." With so much ice in the ground are you ready harvest wind?

Snow Loads

The most common landscape problem associated with a snowy winter is limb injury to trees. Heavy snow or ice can snap them! Pines are more likely to crack under the pressure, but even deciduous trees and shrubs can break down in tough winters.

Many people knock snow off of heavily laden plants. Sometimes this is appropriate; other times not. The best approach is to create a shelter such as a bucket or wooden triangle for the smaller plants.

Big plants can be vertically pruned to reduce the amount of snow and ice they hold. Remove weak limbs likely to break to reduce stress on the entire tree. Branches with a wide angle to the trunk are generally stronger than those with a tight angle. Just remember that native plants evolved under wintry conditions and can handle a regular snow load.

The Danger of Low Temperatures

The Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab at Cornell notes that low temperature injuries can often be attributed not to low temperatures, but rather, to plants located north of their appropriate hardiness zone. These species cannot harden to withstand common winter temperatures in the northern areas. Do you know your hardiness zone?

Sometimes even hardy plants are injured when temperatures drop suddenly. Rapid changes in temperature cause problems such as sunscald, or southwest disease, and frost cracks. Wrapping trunks with protective "tree wrap" is an effective prevention for sunscald. Frost cracks on trees often develop from wounds. Give those trees some space when mowing and playing lawn darts. Frost cracks often become infection points for disease organisms.

Outside plants in containers are particularly vulnerable to freezing damage as their entire root zone is subject to above ground temperatures. To keep these plants alive and healthy, place them in protected areas, sunk into the ground if possible, or heavily mulched.

A Salty Snow Cone

In a cold winter, homeowners use more salt, typically sodium chloride, on driveways, decks, and sidewalks. This can be deleterious to plants; particularly pines and turf. Salt damage is often compounded by compaction from foot traffic and heavy snow banks. Sodium chloride may outright kill turf grass or make it susceptible to diseases and weed competition during the summer. Where salt is injuring turf, the soil is often covered with a white or yellow crust. Kentucky bluegrass is very sensitive to salt damage. Perennial ryegrass is more tolerant.

To prevent salt damage, apply only enough salt to do the job after you remove the snow. The Department of Horticulture at Cornell notes calcium chloride-based salts cause less damage than sodium chloride. Urea or other fertilizers should not be used to de-ice. They can run off and pollute our beautiful lakes.

What to do with the areas that did get too much salt? In well-drained soils, Spring rains may leach the problem away. If the soil is poorly drained, organic matter can be incorporated into the top six inches. Re-seeding directly into a salt contaminated soil won't work. Seedlings are quite susceptible to its toxicity.

The Benefits of Snow

Snow can be beneficial to our gardens and landscapes because it insulates plants; particularly small ones. The white blanket is cold, but moderates temperature fluctuations. Snow is sometimes called a "poor mans' fertilizer", but I hear this phrase more often in May than January. Remember that snow is an important part of the hydrologic cycle. We live in a part of the world blessed with fresh water and should grateful for every drop (or flake). To quote the lovely song 'Snowblind', "This is where I feel I belong."