Winter Gardening Tips
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Winter Gardening Tips
Winter can be a bleak hard time of the year for the grower of
nursery stock. The days are short and the nights are long. Yet
growing plants is a year round activity that does require the
grower to be performings tasks.
Watering plants can be be on your list. The ground may not be
frozen and plants still use water. If the ground is not frozen
you can still water if the ground will accept the water. Most
plants are dormant so the amount of watering is not as high as
in the hotter seasons. Evergreens lose water through their
needles in the winter. So if one keeps watering as long as
possible into the winter, seedlings and plants will suffer less
stress. Winter drying of evergreens is a major stress factor in
growing seedlings and potted stock.
Snow and ice on your seedlings and liners can be problematic.
Starting with a more developed plant is the best solution to
this problem. Tall thin seedlings that have not been root pruned
and transplanted are not as sturdy a plant. They tend to bend
under snow loads and may require staking later to train them
strait. If your seedlings have a light amount of snow covering
them you may ease the snow burden by lightly sweeping the snow
with a broom. Don't shake them, they are like babies ... they
get shaken baby syndrome. If snow or ice is frozen to the
branches, allow it to melt rather than attempting to correct. If
any branches are broken, you probably don't need to do anything
unless
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there is a split in the trunk. If the breakage of the
plant is sever, the seedling or liner shoud be discarded. The
labor to correct is not worth the value of the plant. Also a
poor quality seedling will probably be a poor quality mature
plant. There is a market for such plants however, we have had
many customers who want, " Charly Brown Trees" or stunted trees
for unusual customer needs.
Warm spells in the winter occur. Suddenly, there can be days of
warmer temperatures. This should not be a problem. If you have
covering on or over the plants, you may need to ventilate. We
normally open the doors to our greenhoses and this is usually
all that is necessary. Cold frame temps may rise so ventilation
will be helpful. Close up as nightfall arrives as the
temperature will fall. Note that when sunlight intensity is
high, plant tissues become active. Water loss at this time can't
be replaced if the root balls are frozen. This is called plant
desiccation. Also if there many freeze-thaw cycles, the crown of
the plant will be heaved up exposing the roots. Root systems
have a lower tolerance to temperature extremes and can killed by
freezing low temperatures.A common way to prevent desiccation is
to screen plants in exposed areas with Burlap .
Varmit control is important in the winter. Mice and rabbits feed
constantly . Their teeth grow constantly and they love to chew
on tender plants. We spread rat and mice bait about every two to
threes weeks as long as we see
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TODAY'S NEWS:
Four Seasons Gardening, a 12-session program presented by University of Illinois Extension, will cover a wide array of gardening and landscaping topics.
Linebaugh Public Library System is offering a new set of free classes devoted to nature, gardening and "do-it-yourself" nature activities.
(ARA) - Americans craving authenticity and fretting over a bleak economy have reinvigorated the trend to grow-it-yourself (GIY). From blueberries to houseplants, GIY is the new mantra as folks turn "back to the future" to simplify their lives while gardening for the greener good.
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it being consumed. Try and place
the baits in a place where its easy to moniter, dry, and
accessable only to the varmits. When the snow gets deep mice
will feed up higher on the plants. They don't like to dig in the
snow for food. They take the easy to reach food first. Thus
tracks in the snow are an important sign to watch for. Mouse
damage is usually not correctable. You may not see root feeding
damage to stock till spring, so over baiting is the best
solution. Care should be taken that the baits are only available
to the target varmit.
Ordering seedlings early in the winter is your best way to
assure a supply. We can ship many of our seedlings durring the
winter but we recommend that you have them shipped after the
winter weather is over. This will vary according to your
location. If you get the seedlings and you can't plant them upon
arrival, keep them in a cool place in your house or barn. Your
basement may be an ideal place. Keep the roots from freezing. It
will be hard to get your order filled in April because growers
do sell out. What we dont sell, we line out for our nursery,
Highland Hill Farm. We sell all sizes of plants from seedlings
to large caliper trees. We also have our free use planters for
you to use when you buy seedlings and liners from us. You can
see more articles by Bill Hirst at http://www.seedlingsrus.com
About the author:
Long time plant grower gives winter gardening tips
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