What a challenging winter it has been so far with multiple cold snaps with record low temperatures, significant snow, and freezing rain. As the show melts this week, it has uncovered significant damage to many landscapes which will require clean-up, corrective pruning, and even plant replacement. Hopefully the severe winter weather is over so we can begin to assess and move toward the needed corrective action.
PRIORITIES THIS WEEK:
OUR FIRST PRIORITY
once the snow melted has been to assess tree and shrub damage. Every property has some sort of plant damage from the weight of snow and ice. We have been touring properties this week to assess and begin the clean-up of storm related damage. As we assess these issues, we will let you know of the needed additional service if needed.
Down Trees and Broken Branches
Many sites have trees with broken branches or have fallen over due the weight of the show and ice. We are cleaning up the smaller branches but need our chainsaw and chipper to clear larger ones. Some trees just need cleaned up while other need to be removed.
Cold Damaged Shrubs
The temperatures last weekend dropped into the single digits and set an all-time low in Hillsboro. Most plants are hardy but single digits will either burn some back or possibly kill a few. We will monitor your plants and let you know of any specific losses. Many plants burn back to ground but grow back from the base. Our primary recommendation will be to cut them back hard and see if they come back before replacing. Large plantings of burned plants may require addition charges to cover dump fees or removed material.
Cold Damaged Pansies
Pansies are actually very cold tolerant. They wilt back when frozen but rebound when warmed up. We are confident most will recover but those in most exposed spots or in spots may be damaged beyond repair. We are treating all with fertilizer and fungicide next week to help them bounce back.
Damage to Concrete Sidewalks
We have seen a few properties with some pitting of concrete once the snow has melted off. This is relatively uncommon in our area but more common in the east where it freezes more often and severely. Our weather this past month has been abnormal and some sidewalks have not fared well. Some may think that is is due to the deicer applied. This is not the case and when choosing a deicing product, we have chosen the one with the least environmental impact as well as least likely to damage concrete.
Concrete deicers don't harm the concrete, it's what the deicers do to the snow and ice that potentially harms the concrete. Improperly poured, cured, and sealed concrete is susceptible to freeze and thaw damage. When you put deicers on concrete to melt snow and ice, the deicing salts change the snow and ice from a solid to a salty liquid (brine solution) that melts more snow and ice, eventually breaking the bond between the ice and the concrete. Concrete is very porous, it will absorb some of the melted snow and ice if it isn't properly sealed. When the temperature falls below freezing again, the liquid re-freezes in the concrete and expands. This can cause pitting.
We hope this hasn't happened to your sidewalks but if it has, you now know why. Again, we have researched and use the safest product.
OUR SECOND PRIORITY
will be to get back to work with our normal landscapes winter clean-up. We are very busy during the winter pruning, cleaning and preparing landscapes for spring. We have lost almost a month of work days due to the weather so we are behind schedule. We will be working overtime to catch up and hiring additional staff as well. Let's just hope it doesn't snow or Ice again. But it could...
