Winter signals work to do in the garden
Some people think gardening season starts around April when
spring kicks in. In truth, gardening season in our region starts in
January during the worst of the rainy season.
The things you do in January determines the outline and health
of your garden for the rest of the year. This is the time to prune,
plant, dig and renew. Just be sure to wear a raincoat.
Winter signals work to do in the garden
Some people think gardening season starts around April when spring kicks in. In truth, gardening season in our region starts in January during the worst of the rainy season.
The things you do in January determines the outline and health of your garden for the rest of the year. This is the time to prune, plant, dig and renew. Just be sure to wear a raincoat.
Prune: Get out the pole pruners, loppers and hand shears. Roses and fruit and nut trees are at their height of dormancy, and need to be pruned and shaped this month.
Roses need to be pruned to renew wood and bring on the spring flowers. Pick off all the leaves still left on the rose bushes, then prune heavily to remove dead wood and crossed branches. Open up the inside of the bush so that sun and air can reach the center area. Clean up around the base of the bush, taking care to pick up every fallen leaf. Much lightly. Hold off applying rose fertilizer until at least mid-February when the bush starts to bud out again.
Prune deciduous fruit and nut trees. But where to make the pruning cuts? The basic guideline for dormant pruning: remove crossed or crowded branches, open the center for good light exposure and air flow, repair structureal weaknesses, and remove those vertical-growing branches known as watersprouts. Take care not to over-prune in one year.
Also prune grape vines, berry bushes and deciduous shrubs. But this is not the time to prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines such as lilacs or wisteria. Prune these plants after they are done flowering.
Plant: You only have to step into a nursery or garden center to realize this is bare-root planting time. There is a huge selection availablel of bareroot fruit and nut trees, roses, berries and grape vines. Also plant the bare roots of artichokes, asparagus, strawberries and horseradish.
If you are tired of seeing red poinsettias and wish for some color in your own yard, plant winter annuals from six-packs and four-inch pots. Among the easiest are pansies, stock, snapdragons, violas and primroses. Sow seeds for sweet peas, California poppies and Shirley poppies.
Spray: This is a personal choice and many people simply forego dormant spraying. If aphids, whiteflies and spider mites bothered your garden last year, you may choose to spray as a protection against these overwintering pests. Look for a label that says Dormant Spray and follow the directions exactly as stated. Cover the branches thoroughly, and also spray the soil underneath the tree.
Peach leaf curl is a common problem here. Use a fungicide and apply it later in the month.
Spray on a clear day. If it rains within two days of applying a spray, you’ll need to do it again. So, watch the weather reports.
Nitty-gritty care: Clean up the garden, especially after a rainfall when blowing leaves pile up. Pull weeds when they are small and easier to yank out of damp soil. Avoid unnecessary digging, however, which compacts and damages wet soil. Keep off a wet, soggy lawn.
If you still have spring-flowering bulbs that have not been planted, do it now. They will bloom a little later, but they will definitely bloom. Don’t forget to sow your wildflower seeds, which enjoy wet, rainy days.
A Reader Wants to Know: I have a lot of white mushrooms coming up in one section of my lawn. Are they dangerous or poisonous? My dog paws at them.
Joan Says: The mushrooms in your lawn are harmless. They are caused by fungi in the soil. These mushrooms usually appear during wet weather and then disappear when the weather turns warmer. There is nothing that can be applied to the soil to prevent them. The easiest way to get rid of them is to simply run the lawnmower over them, or to drag a rake over them.
