Spring Is Here!

Okay, so maybe the idea that spring is here is a little premature. But with the upper 40’s we have been having lately along with the lack of snow, one might be convinced that winter will skip us this year.

As I sat down this weekend trying to figure out what to write about for this week’s blog post I had a small episode of “writer’s block”. I did not want to add to the plethora of “Brown Christmas” headlines that seem to be clogging up the local blogs. I did however want to make sure that we at Green Stuff Outdoor Services were still providing information that is relevant and useful to our readers. Then the idea hit me, ICE!

Many times during mild winters like the one we are having, people seem to assume that lack of snow coincides with lack of ice. I would strongly caution against that belief. Though we have not had much snow this season in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area, we have still had the temperatures and opportunities for ice buildup in some areas. One reason for that is though we seem to be “warm” in the afternoons and evenings, during the nights our temps are dropping far enough to create a decent environment for ice to build up.

One area that we seem to forget about is low traffic intersections. Depending on the traffic control measures, these areas can be an area that a accumulation of “Black Ice” could accumulate. Specifically, stoplights seem to be the areas of most concerns. In the early mornings our exhaust from our vehicles is rich in condensation. That condensation will fall in the form of water from the tail pipes of our vehicles and fall to the low temperature asphalt of concrete road below us. Almost immediately upon contacting the road’s surface that condensation freezes and creates a small patch of what some refer to as “Black Ice”.

The same principles apply to your driveways. If you are one of many metro area residents who let your vehicle run before you leave the house in the morning, that condensation from you vehicle is falling to your driveway below and creating a small patch of ice. That ice can pose a possible danger for slip and fall hazards especially to small children and the elderly. Make sure that even though you might not see any snow, that you are still aware of the possibilities of ice on the surfaces under your feet.

And lastly, many of us will be having family and friends over to our homes in the coming days to celebrate the holiday season. We at Green Stuff Outdoor Services would like to caution you against driving or parking any vehicles on your turf and landscaping. Though the ground might be frozen, there is no snow pack acting as a protective barrier to your grass. Driving a vehicle on it, even one as light as a SmartCar or the new Fiats, can cause permanent and severe damage as the tires will no doubt tear and mangle the above ground surfaces to the blades and your thatch.

The entire staff here at Green Stuff Outdoor Services is grateful for your business this past year and we send wishes to you and yours for a very Merry Christmas. May your new year be filled with Joy, Health and Prosperity!

Warming Periods Can Hurt Turf and Ornamentals

Here in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area we have been experiencing a warming trend for the past 5 day. Though it may be enjoyable to be outside in the middle of December without the usual 14 protective layers, it can lead to some major issues to your turf and ornamentals.

Although most winter injury does not appear until early spring, in some cases and if conditions are favorable, plant damage can happen mid winter.  Conditions that may lead to winter injury include extreme cold, drying winds, bright sunlight, a sudden rise and drop in temperature, and more importantly, loss of snow pack. With the current weather our area has been having, we can check a majority of those off the list.

Two major issues we need to be aware of due to the current weather patterns are winter desiccation and sun scald. I have pulled a excerpt from an industry website to help explain them both:

Winter desiccation is a common type of winter injury that occurs when the amount of water lost by a plant exceeds the amount picked up by the roots. Warm, sunny days increase the amount of water loss. If the soil is frozen or is low in moisture due to a previous drought, roots are unable to pick up enough water to meet the demand of the plant.  On deciduous plants the tips of branches are dry and brittle and I the spring no leaf emerging occurs.  On evergreens browning of needles occurs. 

Sunscald commonly occurs in the late winter to early spring. The warm afternoon sun warms the bark up enough to de-harden the cells that were hardened off for the winter months. The rapid drop in the evening temperature kills these cells that are now susceptible to problems because they have been de-hardened. Long dead strips of bark peel off and expose sapwood.*

I would also like to point out that your turf is highly susceptible to damage right now. In our region, our turf grasses are genetically conditioned to withstand our harsh Minnesota winters by being “insulated” by the snow pack. With out that snow, damage to your turf is very possible. I would suggest to be cautious when walking on it, try not to drive any vehicles on it, and be sure to give it a good fertilizer in spring to help it recover from any damage it might have incurred this winter.

* excerpt from greencastonline.com

Residential Snow Costs By The Numbers

This past weekend the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area witnessed the first “plowable” snow event of the season. I was out doing some “polishing” on my sidewalks and end of my driveway after the city plows had come through and noticed my neighbor was out shoveling his driveway by hand. Being the good neighbor that I am I went over and offered my assistance. As we were shoveling, my neighbor complained about how much he hates shoveling and wishes there was an easier way to clear his snow. I asked him first about why he did not own a snow blower, and he said the price was too high in comparison to what he spend on shoveling. It was at that point I got to thinking, “What do we spend each year on snow removal from our properties each year. So I visited some local big box stores and a couple independently owned hardware stores and what I found out amazed me.

The following is a list of “staples” for snow removal on your property. I formulated these numbers off of a “standard” residential driveway with city sidewalks. I broke down the numbers for both shoveling and for snow blowing. The annual costs are as follows:

In any given year, the Twin Cities area averages around 14 snow events that would be considered “plowable”. With that number in mind, the individual who shovels all year is looking at a “per event price” of $31.29 and the individual that uses a snow blower is looking at around $57.86 per event. I would also like to point out that these numbers do not account for the time and energy you spend removing the snow from your property, you can do the math on your own and determine your own hourly wage.

As I cannot speak for other snow removal contractors in the Minneapolis St. Paul area, I can only tell you how Green Stuff Outdoor Services prices our snow removal. For a “standard residential property”, as described in the prior paragraph, Our snow removal prices start at around $35.00 for the 2011-2012 snow season. The financial savings of using Green Stuff Outdoor Services as opposed to snow blowing are obvious. But, if you are a homeowner who wants to save some money and keep shoveling each time it snows, just think about how much your time is worth to you. Is it worth $3.71 for you to not have shovel on a Sunday morning before you leave for church? Is it worth $3.71 for you to wake up an hour and a half early on a weekday to clear your driveway before you go to work? $3.71 per snowfall is a small price to pay for a little comfort. Call Green Stuff Outdoor Services today and for the first time in a long time, enjoy the falling snow, because when your property looks good, we both look good.

Where is all of the snow?

 

Many people have asked us this year where all of the snow we are supposed to receive is? If you look at the cover of this year’s Farmer’s Almanac, the Minneapolis and St. Paul Metro area is supposed to be colder with a lot more snow than last year’s winter season.Yet, here we are, looking at the possibility of low 40s in the forecast with not a flake in site.

If you look at the precipitation amounts for the 2010-2011 snow season, the metro area had an almost record breaking 86.5 inches of snow through out the year. And we started that with over 3.5 feet by January first. What none of us seem to remember is that the first snowfalls last year in the month of November dropped less than 10 inches of the white fluffy stuff. That was followed in December with over 3 feet, and January and February only averaged around a foot and a half each month.

So yes, we are currently around 9 inches below our snow level from last year, but let us not forget what visited us the night of December 11, 2010… it could very well be in our futures.

 

Welcome to the Green Stuff Outdoor Services Blog

Thank you for visiting our blog. We hope to keep all of our clients and followers up do date on the events and practices of Green Stuff Outdoor Services along with providing helpful articles related to the outdoor maintenance of your home and property.

Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question if you feel so inclined, we love to interact with out clients and followers, for it is for you that we do this for.