Winter Projects
IN THE GARDEN
Are you excited to garden? Here’s some tips to get you ready …
January is the starting point for much of the gardening that we will do through the rest of the year. Let this be a time to dream and plan for the months ahead. General Care:
– Provide food and water for the birds. (Make sure birdbath is full and not frozen.
– Browse seed catalogs and start planning this year’s garden.
– Prune dormant trees and vines.
– Use American Brand Grass & Weed Stopper to prevent winter annuals such as hebit and chickweed.
– Continue to add compost wherever you see bare earth.
– Work on garden design.
– Take a gardening class.
– Build a compost bin
– Be careful with salting walkways and driveways. Use environment-friendly product or granular fertilizer to safely melt ice.
– Start cool season plants in greenhouse or warm southern window.
The birds will thank you for feeding them!
HOUSEPLANTS:
– Check plants for signs of insect infestation.
– This is a good time to give your houseplants a “Tune Up”
– Carefully examine the root system of your plant and decide if you need to move to a bigger pot. If you do, only move up one pot size and replace as much soil as you can with a good potting mix.
If your plant is okay in the current pot, do the following:
– Scrub any mineral salt build up off pot
– Put your plant in the sink and allow tepid water to run through and leach out any chemical build up.
– Add new potting soil as needed
– Trim any dead or damaged areas from plants
– Pinch back if plants are getting “leggy”
– Fertilize monthly
ORNAMENTALS:
– Transplant live Christmas trees. Make sure you water through the winter and mulch well.
– Check perennials for signs of “heaving” this is the plant coming out of the soil from the freeze/thaw of winter. If you find any heaving, either replant, or if soil is frozen, cover exposed portion of roots with potting soil and then mulch.
– Spread composted manure or Back to Nature Compost on peonies and around trees and shrubs.
– Put mixture of half blood meal and half bone meal on spring bulbs and iris if you didn’t get it done in the fall. Winter moisture will carry the nutrients down to the root system.
– Prune wisteria, crape myrtle, and sycamore, poplar, cottonwood, aspen, locust, willow and elm trees.
– Check stored bulbs and corms for signs of rotting or sprouting. Remove any that are damaged or show signs of fungus.
– Start pansies, violas and begonias from seed in indoor containers.
– Fertilize trees and shrubs if you haven’t done so yet. Use a granular fertilizer that is designed for trees and shrubs.January is the starting point for much of the gardening that we will do through the rest of the year. Let this be a time to dream and plan for the months ahead.
General Care:
– Provide food and water for the birds. (Make sure birdbath is full and not frozen.
– Browse seed catalogs and start planning this year’s garden.
– Prune dormant trees and vines.
– Use American Brand Grass & Weed Stopper to prevent winter annuals such as hebit and chickweed.
– Continue to add compost wherever you see bare earth.
– Work on garden design.
– Take a gardening class.
– Build a compost bin
– Be careful with salting walkways and driveways. Use environment-friendly product or granular fertilizer to safely melt ice.
– Start cool season plants in greenhouse or warm southern window.
