Winter usually sparks mixed emotions in people. On one hand, the first snow is truly special and we all feel like kids again. Pair this emotion with the winter holidays and you might be truly excited about the cold season creating amazing landscapes. Next, unfortunately, comes the frustration: snow shoveling, de-icing your pathways and driveway, house maintenance, frost, dirt, extra bills on heating, the worse. While there is little to do about it, our lawn care Mason, OH specialists are here to cheer you up: while you may not enjoy the heavy snow and the harsh winter, your lawn and garden do. Let’s see today some of the major benefits of snow for your landscape.

1. Snow Acts as a Natural Insulator

Now that the ground is covered in snow you should understand that it protects the soil, seedlings and dormant roots from harsh winds and freeze. Without a good thick layer of snow the soil can freeze deeper and deeper to the direct damage of shrubs’, trees’ and plants’ roots.

Another major benefit of snow is that it is truly protective to your lawn. Dry winds and storms may lead to the grass transpiration effect (meaning that the grasses’ natural moisture is blown dry by the wind), but snow keeps the grasses safe from further damage caused by frost and blizzards.

Snow is a perfect cover for bulbs, perennials and ground covers as they conserve their moisture over winter. A layer of snow also stops the warmer sunnier days of winter to negatively impact the vegetation. Without snow, sunrays directly reach the soil, warm it up and damage the roots by breaking them or, worse, by drying out plant parts.

You may want to talk to your local lawn care Mason, OH team about mulching flower beds while there is snow present on the ground because some types of mulch can be applied over a thin layer of snow.

2. Snow is a Good Fertilizer

Being quite heavy, especially if the layer is thick, snow pushes down nutrients into the soil. But, besides that, snow acts as a free fertilization technique you may not know about. Our lawn care Mason, OH specialists favor snow as the snowflakes fall from the sky, they capture nitrogen from the air, depositing it on the ground and on the leaves of evergreens. Once nitrogen comes in contact with your soil and leaves it gets absorbed, naturally nourishing your plants. Snowfall can also enhance your soil with trace amounts of ammonia. The quantities aren’t significant, but given the harsh season they have to face, your plants will be more than happy, as every little bit is helpful for their thriving next year.

3. Snow Saves You Money and Effort

It goes without saying, but a good layer of snow allows for proper soil hydration, which means no watering bills and no further extra lawn care. However, this doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep an eye on the fallen snow quantities, as snow mold is a serious problem you will have to tackle with next spring.

Ask your local lawn care Mason, OH specialists about the drawbacks of heavy snowfall on your property as well. You might need to take some measures for the trees’ and shrubs’ protection against ice and keep an eye on voles which are more than eager to lurk around your property.