Well – at least we had a White Christmas! Unfortunately, not much moisture came with it. The mountains also continue to suffer from below average snowfall. Let us hope for more moisture for our landscapes this coming month. If not, you know how strongly we stress that you water your trees and shrubs. Let us know if we can help.

This month, our teams are busy putting the final touches to your Personalized Plant Health Care Proposal for 2013. As you may have noticed, we have a new system to help us better serve you, so your proposal will look a little different this year. You will soon receive it in the mail so please let us know if you have any questions or concerns once you have it.

As we start this New Year, we are always grateful for our continued partnership with you, our valued customer. Thank you for helping us grow our business. Green in 2013!

Thank you,


Ralph Bronk and the MHT Team

		Salt Damaged Lawn

As the freezing and thawing of snow over sidewalks occurs, please keep in mind ice melt can damage lawns and other sensitive plants. To prevent long term injury, sidewalks and driveways should be cleared and snow tossed back far enough so when it melts, it does not melt over the top of the concrete and then freeze again the next night. This will prevent reapplication of salt to the same areas over and over and put less salt filled runoff into the yard right off the concrete surfaces.

Keep in mind salt is toxic to plants when it dissolves in water because sodium ions replace the needed phosphorous and potassium in the soil, robbing them from your plants and shrubs. Rock salt absorbs the water that would normally be used by roots. Roots dehydrate and plants are stressed. Salt reduces the cold hardiness of plants, making them even more susceptible to frost damage. See tips here....

Here are a few tips to keep your plants safe and your sidewalks and driveways clear:

• Don’t over-salt! Follow label directions precisely.
  
• Avoid using rock salt in extreme cold. Salt is most effective at temperatures just below the freezing point.
  
• De-icing agents with calcium-chloride, or calcium magnesium acetate, are salt-free and should be used in extreme cold.
  
• Also, in extreme cold, sprinkle water lightly over the surface before you apply the ice melt for better results.
  
• Erect barriers with plastic fencing, burlap or snow fencing to protect sensitive plants.
  
• For plants that do get sprayed by salt, use a broom and lightly brush salt off of the plants. You may not see the damage to plants and trees by salt or ice melt until spring.
  
• Shovel ice and snow as soon as possible, and try to keep sidewalks and paths clear to avoid re-applying.

		Frank Podrasky

Meet Frank Podrasky

It is our pleasure to introduce you to Frank Podrasky. Frank has been with MHT since October of 1999, serving as a member of our maintenance team. As you can see from his photo, Frank really gets into his work! When he isn’t on the job, Frank likes to spend time with his family: his wife Danielle and his children Christina and Kyle. Frank enjoys a variety of activities like going to the park to hunt frogs with Kyle. His current favorite “me” time activity is rebuilding a 1975 Camaro; Kyle sometimes joins his Dad. We are certainly looking forward to seeing the two of them “cruising" the streets of Lakewood in the finished product. Stay tuned for those photos!

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www.mountainhightree.com

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