| Early Winter: WATERING - It is especially important to check the plants under tall evergreens and under the eaves of the house to see that they have sufficient moisture. In many cases the plants in these locations are just about bone dry, And, the lack of moisture and cold winter weather can be fatal to many of these plants, The plants in most other parts of garden now have received enough moisture from fall rains to survive quite well, so every effort should be made to conserve water. DORMANT SPRAYING - November, December, January and early February are the months to apply dormant spray to help control over-wintering insects and diseases on deciduous trees and shrubs. Liquid lime-sulfur and oil spray combinations are usually used for this seasonal spraying. Specialists usually recommend that dormant sprays be applied three times during the winter, with the first application being made in November, the second in December and the third in late January or early February about the time the new growth buds begin to break-open. There is no need to spray any of these types of plants if there has been no insect or disease problems this past season. WINTER PLANT PROTECTION - Should the weather turn really cold all of a sudden like it has in the past, it would be a good idea to provide some special protection to tender or early flowering plants like rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and daphne. One of the best ways to provide this protection is to simply cover the plants with some type of cloth material. First place three of four stakes around the plant then drape the burlap, old blanket or other cloth type material over the stakes so it does not come into direct contact with the leaves of the plant, This covering is only left in place during the cold spell, as soon as the weather moderates, remove the covering completely. BULBS - There still is time to plant bulbs of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and the other spring flowering bulbs. Prepare the soil by mixing the correct amount of bulb fertilizer; soil dust and organic humus with your existing soil. Plant the bulbs approximately three times deeper than the greatest diameter of the bulb. For example, a crocus bulb with an average one inch diameter should be planted three inches deep. Next |
Winter Tips
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Urban Gardeners