Putting the Garden to Bed for the Winter

Gardening in the City:

Putting the Garden to Bed for the Winter

As our seasons change, so the needs for the garden change. This month we will discuss how to put the garden to bed for a nice winter's sleep.

It's our responsibility to prepare the garden for cold winter temperatures and feed it so the plants can survive and thrive once spring returns.

There are a few basic requirements that we will touch upon. To begin, it's very important to feed the garden. By this I mean to fertilize the garden. We want to use a fertilizer with a low nitrogen and high phosphate and potassium analysis. Therefore, we want the first number to be 10 or less, the second number to be 5 or above, and the last number to be 15 or above. This type of fertilizer will feed the roots and structure of the plants without stimulating a lot of leaf growth, which would be susceptible to freeze or frost damage.

The next necessary project is to mulch the root balls of all shrubbery and flowers. At least 3 inches of mulch depth is needed to protect root balls from frost or freeze damage. You can mulch with pine bark mulch, hard wood mulch, or cedar mulch to repel over-wintering insects. If nothing else is available, mulch with 4 to 6 inches of fallen leaves.

Now let's address frost or freeze protection during cold snaps. One of the best frost protections is leaf spraying of Liquid Seaweed. This will strengthen cell walls, harden leaf surfaces, and produce more alcohol in the liquid portion of the plant. To spray 48-72 hours before an expected frost can be very helpful.

The utilization of plastic cover over plant material can help prevent freeze damage, but if extended cold weather is experienced; the cold can transmit through the plastic and burn leaf structure. Another excellent product is a Frost Protection Blanket. These are made from a spun manmade fabric, which also allows up to 50% light transmittal but without transmittal of frost or cold through the blanket to burn leaf structure. They have the ability to totally protect plants down to 24 degrees with residual protection even in colder temperatures. This would be an excellent investment to protect your landscape.

Finally, this is the time of the year to remineralize your soil as all the plants and trees fall into dormancy. This is when your landscape is resting from growing, but many unseen events are occurring internally in your trees and shrubs. New roots are growing, and the uptake of minerals is busily at work. Now is the time the plants use to grow stems, roots, and vascular systems, while leaf growth is very slow or not at all present.

Incorporating a mineral packet at this time such as Eco-Min can be of major improvement for next year's landscape. The turf grass, trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers all can benefit from Eco-Min. At this time, plants need every available mineral, and if they are not present during this period, the effects will be seen in the spring.

All of the above-mentioned steps will protect and beautify your landscape through the cold blustery winter months, and any and all expense will be totally repaid come springtime.

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