Before you can get on with springtime planting and weeding, you'll want to survey
your garden for damages and make any repairs.
So we spoke to four gardening and horticultural experts.
And I'm here to share the top six tips for dealing with garden damage after the winter
months.
You don't need to be in a hurry to clear away any of the
broken branches that may have collapsed during the winter unless they pose a real
danger. Ideally, you should wait until the spring to prune back all the broken branches
and twigs.
You can trim them back to about one quarter inch above the branch, collar or live bud.
The branch collar is the wide part of the base of a branch where it meets the tree.
Sort of like the trees shoulder and routine pruning helps reshape the plant and
stimulates new growth for the upcoming season.
If your tree has too many broken branches, though, pruning might not be enough.
You might even have to replace the whole plant.
And looking forward to next winter, you can remove partially dead or weak branches before
the onset of freezing weather.
This will make your trees and bushes less susceptible to that winter damage come next
year.
When the temperature fluctuates between freezing and
thawing, plants with shallow roots can often get pushed up out of the soil.
And so when this happens, their roots don't actually have enough contact with the soil
and the wind will end up drying the plant out.
So if you have any plants or shrubs that have exposed roots from the winter, the first step
is to critically assess the overall root structure of the plant.
This will help you to determine if the plant can be successfully replanted and if only a
small part of the plant's roots are showing, you can simply cover it with soil and contact
the root system gently back down.
And for future reference, you can help prevent future frost damage by adding more
soil and mulch around your plant.
This added layer will protect it from the freezing and thaw cycle that usually happens
during the winter.
Road salt is a major enemy to plant life. Dissolved salts damage plants and change soil
structure so that it becomes more compact.
The soil change makes access to the nutrients and water in the soil more difficult for
plants. So what do you do?
Well, once the snow has melted in the spring, you want to spray off any excess salt that
may be lingering on the plants foliage.
You can wash out any salt in the soil simply by soaking the soil heavily with water.
You can flush the affected areas with about five centimeters of water for two to three
hours. Repeat this treatment after a few days to ensure you've washed away as much salt as
possible.
Some varieties turn brown or bronze when
exposed to those harsh winter winds, and this is often confused with plant disease.
But don't worry, their normal color returns in the spring when new growth begins, except
when extremely harsh or long winter conditions prevail.
These kind of conditions often remove water from the needles faster than they can replace
it with the water from the soil.
Ultimately, the needles will dry out and fall off.
Broadleaf evergreens such as rhododendrons, have leaves rather than needles, and these
leaves will often develop a scorched appearance when they can't get enough water
quickly enough.
So the tips of the leaves will curl and turn brown.
So for any type of evergreen tree, adding mulch is an effective preventative measure as
it will reduce the water loss during those winter months.
Heavy rain and snow compacts the soil in your garden beds and pots, so to help with this,
you can use a garden fork or even a dedicated aerator tool to create little air pockets and
holes in the soil that will allow the air to flow and improve the drainage.
Compacted soil will ultimately make it harder for plants to draw the air, water and
nutrients they need through their root systems.
So aerating the soil will help the plants stay healthy.
The soft soil makes spring the perfect time for clearing of weeds as you're tidying up
the general debris.
Be sure to remove every weed you see.
It's much easier in the spring compared to the drier conditions in the summer.
Of course, you want to keep in mind you may have to wait a few weeks after the snowfall
for the weeds to start springing up, but there's nothing to worry about.
You'll be fine as long as you stay on top of it.
These tips will ensure your garden will thrive come spring and summer.
And make sure to check out some of our other videos down there.
Thank you for watching and I hope you found this helpful.