When the air gets that certain chill
outside, don’t think there’ no more gardening to do. As a matter of fact, now you can work up a
sweat both indoors and out.
Keep Watering
When irrigation water is turned off and systems blown
out in the fall, your landscape plants still need water. Foggy mornings, heavy frost, and cloudy skies
often give a false impression that plants have adequate soil moisture. Relatively dry air and low or no measurable
precipitation lead to dry soils. This
means that even in the fall and winter trees, shrubs, and lawn grasses need
water to avoid drought stress. This is
particularly true during the fall and early winter when there is little or no
snow cover, or when there is an extended warm fall.
Remember that established large trees
have a root spread equal to or greater than the height of the tree. So apply water to the most critical part of
the root zone within the drip line.
Check Those Houseplants
Have any of your houseplants experienced sudden leaf
drop? This isn’t usually caused by
insects or disease but is more commonly caused by environmental problems.
Abrupt changes in their environment
commonly cause plants to suddenly lose leaves. Extreme fluctuations in
temperature, for example, or a dramatic change in the light level or watering
schedule can damage a plant.
Over watering and under watering are
two of the most frequent causes of poor plant health. Over watering leaves the
roots susceptible to root rot. Weakened roots cannot carry nutrients and
moisture to the other plant parts and this may also result in leaf drop. If plants aren’t watered enough, the same
thing will ultimately happen in that roots cannot carry moisture and nutrients.
Proper drainage and knowing a
particular plant’s moisture needs are vital.
It pays to learn about the plants you’re growing.
And Speaking of House Plants…..
With apologies to David Letterman, I offer you my own
Top Ten List:
10) Browning or scorching of leaf (over
fertilization, low humidity).
9) Webbing on
leaves (Spider mite activity).
8) Foliage spots
(usually fungus or bacteria, with black or dark brown centers).
7) Sudden leaf
drop (sudden change in environment).
6) Yellowing
(lack of iron).
5) Crisp, dry
foliage (lack of water).
4) Spindly new
growth (lack of light).
3) Brown tips on
healthy leaf (cold damage).
2) Sun scorch
(bleached spots from too much sunlight).
1) Wilting
(usually under watering, but could be root rot from over watering).
Wintertime Tips:
• Empty garden hoses and bring indoors
during winter.
• Turn off outside water faucets.
• Store your garden tools and furniture.
• If you are planning to
have a live tree this Christmas, dig the transplant hole while soil is not
frozen. Move the backfill into your garage or basement and fill the hole with a
mulch to keep surrounding soil unfrozen.
• Don’t cut off tops of
perennials until they have dried
(usually late winter).
• Water trees and shrubs
thoroughly before the ground freezes.
• Put up Christmas outdoor
lighting before the blast of storms and freezing cold conditions.
• Try not to shovel salted
snow onto your plants.
Tom McNutt is
a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University. and retired NBC4-TV resident
green thumb
