Morning Ag Clips logo
  • Subscribe ❯
  • PORTAL ❯
  • LOGIN ❯
  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe to our
    daily email
    ❯
  • Portal Registration❯
  • Login❯
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Morning Ag Clips

  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
Home » Snow and landscape plants
YARD AND GARDEN ... Comments

Snow and landscape plants

Is snow beneficial to landscape plants?

PUBLISHED ON November 14, 2019

Horticulture specialists with Iowa State University share information about how snow can either benefit or damage landscape plants. (Photo credit: onepony/stock.adobe.com)
Horticulture specialists with Iowa State University share information about how snow can either benefit or damage landscape plants. (Photo credit: onepony/stock.adobe.com)
Horticulture specialists with Iowa State University share information about how snow can either benefit or damage landscape plants. (Photo credit: onepony/stock.adobe.com)

AMES, Iowa — Horticulture specialists with Iowa State University share information about how snow can either benefit or damage landscape plants. To have additional questions answered, contact Hortline at hortline@iastate.edu or 515-294-3108.

Is snow beneficial to landscape plants?

A layer of snow is beneficial to many plants in the garden and landscape. A layer of snow protects plants from extreme cold and the drying effects from sun and wind. A layer of snow also prevents repeated freezing and thawing of the soil, which can heave perennials, such as garden mums (Chrysanthemum spp.), Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum spp.), painted daisies (Tanacetum spp.), and coral bells (Heuchera spp.), out of the ground, causing serious damage or death. Additionally, a layer of snow moderates soil temperatures. Without snow, the soil can get extremely cold, damaging the roots of trees, shrubs, and perennials.

On the negative side, the weight of heavy, wet snow can break the branches on trees and shrubs and destroy the shape of multi-stemmed arborvitae and junipers. A deep layer of snow also deprives rabbits and deer of food on the ground, forcing them to browse on trees and shrubs that stick above the snow. Heavily browsed trees and shrubs can be destroyed.

How can I prevent heavy, wet snow from damaging small trees and shrubs in the landscape?

The weight of heavy, wet snow can cause considerable damage to small trees and shrubs. When heavy, wet snow accumulates on small trees and shrubs, gently shake the snow from their branches or carefully brush off the snow with a broom. When clearing driveways and sidewalks, don’t throw or push heavy, wet snow onto small trees or shrubs. Also, avoid dumping snow onto small trees and shrubs when raking snow from rooftops.

To prevent the weight of heavy, wet snow from damaging arborvitae and other multi-stemmed evergreens, wrap the plants with twine or rope in fall.

Do I need to uncover small evergreens if they are buried in snow?

There is no need to uncover evergreens buried in snow. The snow will not suffocate the evergreens. Snow acts like an insulating blanket and protects the evergreens from desiccating winter winds.

— Richard Jauron and Laura Sternweis, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

For more news from Iowa, click here.

Spread the word

Browse More Clips

In response to high levels of both personal and financial farm stress, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering four “Farm Couple Getaways” aimed at farmers wanting to take advantage of activities to improve farm family communication, work on farm or family goal-setting, or work on farm transitioning, or who would just like a weekend away to discuss farm and family issues. (Photo credit: Mykyta/stock.adobe.com)

Farm couples can enjoy a weekend getaway

2020 Midwest Poultry Federation Convention

Primary Sidebar

MORE

IOWA CLIPS

Armstrong Research Farm to host Forage Field Day
July 1, 2022
“Best of” Four-State Dairy Conference
July 1, 2022
Dairy industry, hunger organizations discuss food insecurity
July 1, 2022
Angus breeders learn at Beef Leaders Institute
July 1, 2022
To Till or Not to Till? Building Soil Organically
June 30, 2022
  • Trending
  • Latest

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

Footer

MORNING AG CLIPS

  • Sponsors
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Customer & Technical Support

CONNECT WITH US

  • Like Us on Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

TRACK YOUR TRADE

  • Markets & Economy
  • Cattle Updates
  • Dairy News
  • Policy & Politics
  • Corn Alerts

QUICK LINKS

  • Account
  • Portal Membership
  • Invite Your Friends
  • Subscribe to RSS
  • WeatherTrends
  • Just Me, Kate

© 2022 Morning Ag Clips, LLC. All Rights Reserved.