A
new year means a new garden season.
Weather you are growing houseplants indoors, feeding the birds, ordering
seeds or shoveling snow, there is plenty of garden activities even in January.
Keep the
spirit of Christmas growing during the gray months of winter by watering the
yuletide plants. Amaryllis and
Poinsettia need to be watered when the surface is dry to the touch. Water the soil until it runs freely out of
the drainage hole in the containers. If
a saucer is used, discard any water that collects in it. Do not leave the plants standing in
water. Overly wet soils lack sufficient
air, which results in root injury.
PROVIDE
WATER FOR BIRDS
Keep
food in the bird feeder for over-wintering fine-feathered friends. Also, keep the birdbath free of ice. Speaking of ice, toss a few rubber balls into
the water garden to prevent it from icing over.
You could also buy a water heater to prevent basin from freezing.
SNOW CAN
BE GOOD FOR PLANTS
Though
your aching back may not agree, recent heavy snows actually will be good for
your garden and landscape. Snow provides
moisture as well as protection from cold and wind.
Snow
brings welcome moisture to many landscape plants, which will in turn help
prevent desiccation injury. Even dormant
plants continue to lose moisture from twigs (as water vapor) in the process
known as transpiration. Evergreen
plants, which keep their leaves through the winter, are at even greater risk of
injury.
Some
evergreens will suffer from too much snow load.
The weight of snow and ice can bend or even break branches, particularly
on multi-stemmed shrubs, such as arborvitae.
Snow should be gently removed by brushing away with a broom. Do not try to remove ice, since it is more
than likely that you will break the stems.
Tom’s
Timely Tips
• When using
salt to melt ice on walks and driveways, spread it carefully to avoid damage to
nearby shrubs. Consider using sand or
sawdust instead.
• Mulch
flowerbeds – Overlap old Christmas tree boughs and evergreen prunings on top of
beds to protect newly planted and tender perennials and bulbs. Hay, straw, and pine needles also work.
• Prune trees
and shrubs - Winter is the ideal time to prune.
You can easily see the branch structure of leafless deciduous trees and
shrubs. Cut out dead, diseased, crossed,
and closely parallel branches. Don’t
prune lilacs and other early-bloomers because you could be cutting off this
year’s flowers. Hire a tree service to
prune big shade trees.
• Watch for
frost-heaved plants – When soil freezes and thaws in recurrent cycles, it can
heave fall-planted perennials and small shrubs out of the ground. If this happens, add soil around the base of
the plant to cover any exposed roots.
• Avoid heavy
traffic on the dormant lawn. Dry grass is easily broken and the crown of the
plant may be severely damaged or killed.
• Review
your vegetable garden plans. Perhaps a smaller garden with fewer weeks and
insects will give you more produce.
• Turn and
prune houseplants regularly to keep them shapely. Pinch back new growth to promote bushy
plants.
• During the
winter most houses are too dry for house plants. Humidity may be increased by placing plants
on trays lined with pebbles and filled with water to within one half inch of
the base of the pot. If you heat with
wood, keep a pot of water on the stove.
The added moisture will be healthier for you as well as your plants.
•
Houseplants with large leaves and smooth foliage, such as philodendrons,
dracaena and rubber plant, benefit if their leaves are washed at intervals to
remove dust and grime, helping keep the leaf pores open.
Tom McNutt is
a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University. and retired NBC4-TV resident
green thumb
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