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Winter has one last chance to
settle down and be normal, whatever that is. We would like steady temperatures
below freezing and after the ground has frozen about a 2 inch deep layer of snow
would be nice. Unfortunately, the weather is never made to order.
We’ve rounded the corner into the new year and we anxiously plan for a good one
both personally and for our gardens. After the distraction of the holidays,
focus now on reviewing the successes and failures of the garden past so as to
better plan for the garden of the future.
Maybe the time is right for you to participate in some advanced education
through your local University of Wisconsin - Extension. The Master Gardener
Volunteer program trains volunteers to assist individuals and groups with
gardening and plant-related information and projects. The Web address to find
sites, dates, days and directions to programs in Wisconsin is
http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/ . Locally, training for new MGs
begins on January 8th in Milwaukee County and the 9th in Waukesha County. To
find out more and to download a registration brochure, go to the Southeast
Wisconsin Master Gardener (SEWMG) website at
http://milwaukee.uwex.edu/mg/.
Other UW-Extension resources for gardeners include our Horticulture Team
website, University Publications and InfoSource. The Hort Team website with
printable factsheets and articles by UW-Extension specialists is at
http://wihort.uwex.edu. University
publications can be downloaded and printed or ordered from
http://learningstore.uwex.edu.
InfoSource is an on-line library of over 600 messages to access via your
computer. Text versions may be printed from the website
http://infosource.uwex.edu. Keywords to search for InfoSource messages
related to specific garden calendar entries are in italics in this month’s
calendar. Some are live links directly to the InfoSource message.
First Week
Reuse
your
Christmas tree in your own yard to provide protective cover for our
feathered friends. Place it near an existing feeder or make the tree itself a
naturalistic feeding station.
Another option is to cut off the limbs and use them to cover planting beds where
perennial flowers, strawberries, parsley, carrots, etc. are trying to survive
the winter.
They also give added protection to screen sun and wind from broadleaf evergreens
like boxwood, hollies, and rhododendrons.
Next spring when these limbs have lost their needles, they can be used to stake
peas and vining vegetables or perennials that need a little extra support like
delphiniums and peonies.
The Christmas tree trunk striped of its limbs can be used as a naturalistic bed
edging or lay it at the back of a mulched perimeter planting bed allowing it to
decompose naturally.
Bulbs in cold storage for forcing can be brought out now if they have had
their proper chilling period. Small bulbs like crocus and hyacinth need 8 weeks
and larger ones like tulip and daffodil need 12 - 14. If potted before storing,
simply move them into a warmer and lighter area and begin watering. If stored
cold but unpotted, plant them in a well-drained medium that will also hold
plenty of moisture.
Care of poinsettia, amaryllis and Christmas cactus after flowering calls for
bright light, cooler temperatures and reduced watering. Start fertilizing now
with a dilute, balanced fertilizer.
Trees and shrubs may need winter protection from damage by rodents, rabbits, and
deer. Install small mesh hardware cloth, chicken wire or plastic trunk guards.
Apply repellents to susceptible plants like young fruit trees and burning bush.
Be certain to reapply repellents often since they wear off over time.
Second Week
Brush
off ice and snow from tree and shrub limbs. Use an upward sweeping motion to
prevent breakage. Tie together tall, multiple stemmed evergreens like arborvitae
with wire covered with hose segments or old pantyhose. Sometimes bent branches
can have hairline cracks that are invisible once the branch has snapped back
into place. Then in June when the branch inexplicably wilts, the correlation to
this winter damage is seldom made.
Use tree wrap on trunks of newly planted trees as well as those species with
thin bark like linden, ash, mountain ash, and maple. This helps prevent frost
cracking of the sun warmed bark (generally on the southwest side of the tree)
when it freezes again rapidly after the sun sets on a winter day. Always wrap
from the ground up so the overlap sheds water rather than collects it. Remove
wrapping in spring.
Third Week
Indoor
foliage plants really benefit from an occasional cleaning. Dust settles on
leaves and clogs "pores", hindering light penetration as well as gas and
moisture exchange. Give them a shower to wash the leaves. Water allowed to run
through the soil helps leach out minerals and salts.
Wait until really vigorous growth begins again in the spring to transplant
potbound houseplants. Fertilize sparingly now and also water so that the water
runs through the soil and out of the drainage holes. Do not allow plants to
reabsorb this water since it contains salts and minerals that can be toxic when
they are concentrated in the soil.
Fourth Week
Now is a great time to start garden carpentry projects. Plans for cold frames, trellises, benches, etc. can be found in the many gardening books available at your public library. Build a lighting rig for starting vegetable seeds indoors. Use one cool white and one warm white fluorescent bulb in a fixture which can be kept 4 - 6" above the plants, adjusting it as they grow.
Start to grow seedlings inside now for varieties that are slow to germinate and require long growth periods to be ready for the garden in late May. These include impatiens, petunia, and begonia. Be forewarned, however, that supplemental lighting is almost an absolute to successfully grow these seedlings indoors for such a long time. Use specially designed heat mats to provide bottom heat to produce really strong seedlings.
If you are getting antsy inside, do a tool inventory and cleaning. Hoes, shovels, and spades all need to be sharp to perform at their peak. Soak and scrub to remove dirt. Then coat with light oil to protect metal surfaces. Sand handles and apply boiled linseed oil. Use a splotch of brightly colored enamel spray paint to personalize them and make them easier to locate when left lying among the foliage. Padded grips can be added to cushion your hands.
