What to Watch Out For in Winter
It is no secret that the majority of winter maintenance happens outdoors. Everyone loves cozying up indoors but frozen temperatures and heavy snow falls have to be dealt with properly and quickly. Shovelling snow off of a walkway is a no-brainer but have you given much thought to what is going on under sitting snow?
Amateur snow removal and salting techniques create an unsafe environment for foot traffic but improper care can damage lawns and gardens as well. Instead of taking a risk on your green space, Eenie Meenie Miny Mow! experts are offering up some helpful tips and tricks to protect your property!
From Salt to Snow Piles
Salt Damage: Salt stains might mark up streets, sidewalks, walls and even vehicles, but what about grass? Many of the de-icers used to care for sidewalks and driveways have some level of salt in them. Throwing these products down can mean spilling them onto nearby grass. This contamination leads to physiological drought, which blocks nutrient absorption, creating bald spots.
A few small changes and a careful touch can make de-icing a breeze. Opting for icing products that use calcium chloride instead of sodium chloride can prevent burns and droughts. De-icing is not the only way that this salt finds its way to green spaces. Scraping snow from sidewalks clears a path but depositing the snow onto grassy areas means taking salt with it.
Combatting Compaction: Soil compaction occurs underneath surfaces. When soil is pressed too tightly, it limits the amount of necessary resources like oxygen or water. What might start as a simple shovelling can create major problems. When snow is piled on top of grass, its added weight leads to compaction, which leads to dead patches and bald spots.
It isn’t always possible to dump snow in a non-grassy area, so if this is the case, spread it out instead of piling it high. Avoiding prolonged pressure can help to keep grass healthy and this goes for more than just snow. Parking cars on grassy areas or leaving heavy equipment to sit, all leave their tolls on green spaces.
Call in the Cavalry
The best way to protect your property is to have a professional take a look at it! There are tons of ways that nature can take a toll on your space, some of which might seem obvious but others are more subtle. Calling in an Eenie Meenie Miny Mow! expert helps to pin-point problem areas and prevent damage before it happens.
