Cleaning up your yard following a storm could be dangerous. While you can clean the yard yourself, there are other tasks that are better attended by professionals. With this said, make sure to only do the stuff that you are capable of.
You can also get help from several pieces of outdoor equipment. If you have little to no help from people, then it’s strongly recommended that you have the right tools and equipment. Great examples are a chain saw, wood chipper, and a lawnmower. These tools may be expensive, but they do the job very well. So, make sure to choose tools and equipment that are worth your money.
For example, if you are going to handle large woods, then a log splitter is your best bet. In order to help you find a reliable log splitter manufacturer, you can click here.
With these considered, let’s go ahead with the tips when cleaning your yard after a storm.
Safety Should be Priority
Before you start with your cleaning project, you must ensure your safety first. Apart from having the right outdoor tools and equipment, you must have enough knowledge of how to operate them.
Another thing, while there are times you prefer to work alone, cleaning up after a storm is better done with at least one assistant. Before starting, you and your partner must survey or inspect the site. Determine the dangers and check where accidents or injuries have higher chances of happening. You must identify a way on how to communicate with each other, particularly signals if you are too away from each other.
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If you are working around a damaged tree, you must make a safe zone for working by setting up a limitation that is more than twice the tree’s height you will be working on. Label the limitations with tapes that have bright colors to keep other people away from the working zone. If it’s a really huge tree and may obstruct roads, you must have someone who will act as a flagger. If you can’t find someone, warning signs and barricades are recommended.
Lastly, you must have a first aid kit ready in case of accidents and injuries. To help prevent injuries, you should not lift objects that exceed fifty pounds. Also, don’t forget to lift things with your legs and not your back.
#1 Check Your Trees
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After a storm, a tree can get damaged and might be hazardous for people. Check for warning signs, such as a split trunk and huge fallen branches.
#2 Trim Small Branches
If you check your trees and you only see small branches that are damaged, you can clean this by yourself. However, you must make sure that there are no significant damages to the tree. Otherwise, it’s most likely you will need professional help.
You can trim small branches that have diameters less than two inches and should be accessible from the ground. If you cannot reach it, then make sure to use a ladder and have someone to help you should an accident happen.
#3 Clean Up Leaves, Small Twigs, and Other Debris
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Fallen leaves and small twigs are useful for other purposes. They could be used for making firewood and mulch. Mulch is healthy for your soil and your plants. Also, check for other debris that might cause accidents when cleaning up the rest of your yard.
#4 Get Rid of Plants With Damaged Stems
If the stems are broken or damaged, then it’s close to impossible for the plants to recover. The best thing you can do about this is to get rid of them and replace them.
#5 Trim Plants With Damaged Leaves
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You can simply remove damaged leaves if the stems of your vegetable plants, annuals, or perennials are still in one piece. Even if the shrub or flowers were uprooted, replanting and pruning are still possible. By doing this, the plants will have ample leaves to recover what they’ve lost.
#6 Fix Puddles on Your Lawn
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If you have noticed a certain area in your yard that creates a small pool after a rain or storm, then it’s most likely that there is a water run-off problem. The most practical way to address this is to plant trees or shrubs nearby that love water. This way, they can help absorb the water faster.
#7 Clean Your Gutters
There’s a chance that you need to clean up the gutters following a storm. This will depend on how far your home is from nearby trees. Strong storms could damage tree branches and knock them off. Leaves, twigs, and other debris could also fall into the gutters.
This could cause your gutters to clog. So make sure you check it after a strong rain or storm to see if they require cleaning.
#8 Rake the Lawn
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A great way to remove small twigs and leaves after cleaning branches of trees is to rake the lawn. This makes it faster to clean the lawn from leaves, twigs, and other debris. In case you didn’t know, debris could block sunlight, trapping moisture. If the lawn does not get proper sunlight, the grass might get weak and die eventually.
#9 Help Your Trees With Recovery
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You can help your trees with recovery in a lot of ways. Some great examples are adequate watering, mulching, and fertilizing. Make sure to be consistent with helping them all year-round. This is to ensure that they recover and stay healthy.
