Winter garden cleaning
Winter garden cleaning
It seems that the arrival of winter means a well-deserved vacation for gardeners. While there's some truth to this, it shouldn't be a time of complete laziness. A moment of carelessness or neglect can undo our year-round efforts in gardening. Contrary to popular belief, there's no shortage of winter activities around our homes!
When snow covers the lawn we've so diligently cared for all year, we can take our lawnmowers to a service center with a clear conscience or clean them ourselves and prepare them for the next season. Grass under snow is safe as long as no one walks or drives on it. Compacted, icy tracks can cause rotting of the turf and contribute to the development of snow mold. This disease is facilitated by a thick layer of frozen snow, which remains on the lawn for a long time, even in early spring and rising temperatures. As soon as the snow melts, we should immediately begin raking out the diseased blades of grass and, if possible, aerating and scarifying, which can be achieved with dedicated tools (tillers, aerators).
Snow weighing down trees and shrubs can also contribute to damage. Tying them with string is a good solution, which prevents the weakest branches from breaking. Those caught unawares by heavy snowfall can save themselves by hand-dropping the white shroud to the ground.
Interestingly, snow isn't necessarily a nuisance – it can also prove useful due to its insulating properties, serving to protect and preserve other plants in our garden. Fresh snow can be used, for example, to cover hydrangeas and plants overwintering in the ground. It can also be sprinkled around the trunks of fruit trees, preventing their roots from freezing. Owners of greenhouses and tunnels can spread snow inside, where it will slowly melt, thus hydrating the soil.
If winter is late, or a window of above-freezing temperatures has appeared during it, you can still try to protect your most sensitive plants from frost and wind. One of the most popular materials for this purpose is white agrotextile (black can become too hot), which allows sunlight and air to pass through while blocking direct exposure to low temperatures. Its significant advantages include its low weight, low price, and malleability, making it easy to protect plants. Young trees and shrubs should be covered with straw, and the trunks of fruit trees should be whitewashed to prevent cracking of the bark exposed to the hot rays of the sun. If any blemishes appear, intervene immediately by applying a horticultural ointment.
January is a good time to tidy up the overgrown branches and limbs of fruit trees – but it's important to tackle them before both frost (as pleasant work can turn into a nightmare with thawing fingers) and rapid warming (as the stimulated plants begin to exude sap). Using specialized branches, such as cordless pruners, it's worth taking advantage of the trees' winter dormancy and pruning them so that instead of climbing upwards, they grow horizontally, which will make harvesting easier in a few months. After pruning, treat any fresh wounds with protective ointment and toss the removed branches in the compost pile. The turn of January and February (especially during a warm winter) is also a recommended time to trim grapes.
