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- Add a little compost and a thick layer of mulch to protect the tender
new growth. This is an excellent use for the branches of your discarded
Christmas tree.
- In the event of snow, be sure to shake or brush off the white stuff
from the branches of your evergreens and shrubs. The light fluffy
snow poses no real threat, but if it should become wet and frozen,
the weight dramatically increases. Branches are more brittle when
the plants are dormant, and the weight of the snow may snap them off.
- Dormant spraying of fruit trees, Cotoneaster, Dogwoods, etc. should
be done this month.
- It's a good time to prune most of your deciduous trees and shrubs.
- Forsythia, Jasmine and Quince sprays can be cut and brought into
the house now for forcing. The warmth in the home will bring some
early bloom to your room.
- Fireplace ashes should be saved to use a fertilizer for your Iris
and other alkaline soil plants.
- If the ground is workable at all (not frozen and not too wet), now
is an excellent time to turn the soil. Not only will this expose insect
eggs to the effects of winter and hungry birds, the freezing will
help to break apart heavy clods of dirt.
- Houseplants-dust on the foliage can clog the leaf’s pores;
so clean them up a little with a damp cloth, or a quick shower under
the tap. Actively growing plants will benefit from a shot of liquid
plant food. On very cold nights, it is a good time to close the curtains
or blinds between the window and your houseplants. Make certain that
Pansies your plants have sufficient humidity, by setting them on a
tray filled with clean pebbles, and a little water, or by simply setting
a cup of water nearby.
- You can force Hyacinth, Paper white Narcissus, and Lily of the valley
bulbs into bloom indoors, in a shallow bowl of water, or in pots this
month. If you can't have spring yet.... fake it!
- Keep a close eye open for insects on your houseplants. If you are
lucky enough to have a greenhouse, be sure to check those plants carefully
too.
- Extra time this month might well be spent getting the garden tools
ready for spring. Sharpen and oil tools such as shovels, shears, mowers
and the like. Power tools such as weed eaters and power mowers may
benefit from a good tune-up. Could the wheelbarrow use a fresh coat
of paint?
- It's not too early to begin to think of a strategy for new spring
plantings. You might want to create a small map of your garden, and
use it as a guide for ordering plants and seeds from the catalogs
that will be arriving in the mail soon.
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