Sauk County Gardener: Enjoy the snow without the slip
“There’s one good thing about snow, it makes you lawn look as nice as your neighbor’s.” – Clyde Moore
This past weekend we received a nice snowfall and I’m pleased to say it covered all of my unfinished gardening projects. I love snow as I like to think its nature’s way of telling me to take a break from my gardening tasks and dream a little about next year’s gardens. I do hope the snow sticks around as Christmas is just not the same for me without snow. However, as I looked out my living room window, I noticed that branches on one of my Mugo pines were bent way over, nearly touching the ground. It was a good reminder that as we get more snowfalls, it’s important to brush the snow off your pine and other evergreen trees and shrubs to prevent breakage. A broom works wonderfully for this task. If you do end up with branches on your evergreens breaking from heavy snow, cut the branches off and use them as extra protection on your perennials. While you are out in the snow, take a walk around your small fruit and ornamental trees to pack the snow down around them to help protect from rodents. Packed snow is a little harder for tunneling rodents to dig through. If you still have any spring-blooming bulbs, it’s too late to plant them now that the ground is snow covered and frozen. Don’t despair though; you have a couple options. (1) Plant them in a pot and store them in your cool basement or unheated garage and bring them out next spring to bloom. (2) Store the bulbs in your spare refrigerator or unheated garage and then plant them next spring after the ground thaws. You might not get blooms this coming spring, but you should the year after.
This snowfall was also a reminder to think about what deicer to purchase as it can seriously affect nearby plant health. I have garden beds along my short sidewalk and the grass next to the driveway that can be affected by my use of deicer products. There are a variety of deicers that are great to keep your sidewalk and driveway from getting slippery, but they are no friend to your outdoor plants. If you can, try to simply shovel before snow and ice accumulate to avoid using deicer products altogether. If you have to use a deicer product, avoid shoveling the salt-laden snow into your garden beds or lawns. Also, make sure to use no more deicer than necessary as overuse causes plant health problems and pollution from snow melt runoff. Here are some deicer products to consider before using:
--Sodium chloride (rock salt) is probably the most common deicer product that people are familiar with. It’s readily available and works in temps down to 15-25° F. However, it can seriously injure or kill plants near your sidewalks or driveway if applied too heavily.
--Potassium chloride, the fertilizer, works in temps down to only about 25°F, but can be expensive and deadly to plants if overused.
--Calcium chloride is an option to consider if you need a deicer that that works in particularly cold conditions. This product works in temp down to -20°F; however, it is expensive, and overuse can harm or kill nearby plants.
--Magnesium chloride works effectively to 0°F, releases 40 percent less chloride than either sodium chloride (rock salt) or calcium chloride, but it still causes damage to plants and it readily leaches into groundwater.
--Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) is another deicer product offers the benefits of being a low corrosion, environmental alternative to road salt. It is effective down to about 5°F. If you have plants that are particularly sensitive, consider trying to locate this product for use.
--Sand or kitty litter are not deicers but they can provide added traction in places where deicers cannot be used.
If you decide to apply deicer products, use it only in high traffic areas and then try to apply it before any precipitation falls for better effectiveness. Always keep in mind how much you use to limit its impact on your plants and the potential runoff effects. If you would like to learn more about preventing salt damage and (more) salt-tolerant plants, read Winter Salt Injury and Salt Tolerant Landscape Plants at http://learningstore.extension.wisc.edu/Assets/pdfs/A3877.pdf.
Remember to contact the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension Sauk County staff if you have any gardening questions. Please send an email to haley.weisert@saukcountywi.gov or call the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension Sauk County office at 608-355-3250.
Jeannie Manis is president of the Sauk County Master Gardeners Association (SCMGA).
