Here in North Texas, we scarcely see ore than a day or two at a time of freezing weather. Brief cold snaps with a fleeting sheet of frost pose very little risk of damage to your lawn, garden, shrubs, and trees.
But what about every so often, such as this past winter of 2021, when we are met with several consecutive days of below-freezing temperatures?
The thing is, North Texas winters are generally so mild that your outdoor plants may not go completely dormant. Not all plants and trees lose all their leaves, or even all their green. This can make live foliage more succeptible to frost damage.
Fortunately the experienced team at Frisco Lawn Pros can help you get things back into shape after facing the fallout of a cold spell. Visit out Landscaping service page to learn more.
You may be surprised to hear that the two most effective things you can do for your landscape after a freeze are incredibly simple. Aside from instances of severe damage, helping your lawn recover is often as simple as a bit of well-timed pruning and watering.
Let’s take a moment to discuss why these two tasks can aid your lawn and garden in a quick recovery after a winter storm.
Pruning
Well-timed pruning is a priority for plants, shrubs, and trees no matter the weather. Removing dead, diseased, or otherwise unhealthy part of the organism allow vital resources to be focused on healthy growth.
One thing to bear in mind after a hard frost is that not all discolored foliage is necessarily damaged. Leaves that have some slight discoloration at the edges may bounce back robustly, so the main focus in pruning should be placed on severely damaged or obviously dead portions of your plants.
How to Recover Your Trees and Shrubs From Recent Winter Freeze offers more detailed and in-depth information about extra steps you can take to help your lawn bounce back.
Be on the lookout for larger, thicker stems and branches that may be broken due to the weight of holding ice for multiple days. Much better to avoid an injury or a liability by chopping them back to a safe length!
As for grass, the general rule of thumb remains: best not to mow while there is still moisture present on the blades and ground surface. Mowing wet grass risks tearing the blades or even uprooting entire patches.
Watering
One thing that may seem counterintuitive is that lengthy freezes can leave your grass and plants dehydrated. This is because they push stored water to the outer edges of the foliage in an attempt to stave off frostbite.
The process can cause minor damage at the outer edges, as mentioned before, but it helps protect the plant’s overall health. Once the air and ground temperatures are well above freezing and all remaining frost has melted off, give your lawn and trees a good drink of water to help replenesh any moisture they may have lost during the freeze.
One thing to keep in mind with this is that you don’t want to do any irrigating if another bout of below-freezing weather is on its way. Best to check your weather forecast to be sure the next several days will sustain a moderate temperature.