Christmas Trees
Follow these suggestions to keep your tree at its freshest and reduce the risk of a fire hazard in the home:
*Keep the tree in a bucket of water, in a shady location outdoors or in an unheated room until you are ready to place it inside.
*Re-cut the butt of the tree making a new avenue for water entry immediately prior to placing in your tree stand and bringing it indoors
*While indoors, keep the tree watered at all times. *Never let the base completely dry out.
*The tree needs only fresh water; additives are of little or no value.
*Keep the tree away from heat vents as they will prematurely dry the tree out.
Poinsettias & Holiday Plants
When selecting poinsettias, look for plants with yellow flowers (in the centers of the colored leaves--"bracts") that are not quite open. Tight flower buds are a good indication that the plant is fresh and healthy. Once you bring your poinsettia home, keep it in an area that receives bright light and has a constant temperature of about 65-70°F. Keep poinsettias away from doorways or other areas that are drafty such as heat vents. Keep them well-watered but not over-watered. Mistletoe should be kept away from children and pets in your home. The berries of mistletoe are toxic.
Winter Damage to Plants
Winter is a stressful time for plants due to low humidity and cold winds. Take the time to mulch them well and protect those tender plants with row covers. Do not fertilize plants with a nitrogen fertilizer in the winter and hold off pruning plants until the coldest part of winter is over. This will allow you more options when trying to recover a plant that has been severely cold or ice damaged. Be sure to keep evergreen plants moist during dry periods. Plants in pots are prone to death when the pot freezes. Be sure to move those potted plants into a protected area if a deep freeze is expected and keep them well watered. There is a temptation to prune your plants at this time but it is much better to wait until late February to do your major pruning.
Bird Feeders
Bird feeders should be cleaned monthly with hot sudsy water to prevent the spread of wild bird diseases.
Spring Bulbs
If you have not planted those spring flowering bulbs, better get at it and always plant quality bulbs. Larger bulbs produce larger flowers. Pansy plants set among bulbs will give the ground a great winter and spring cover and will still allow the bulbs to come right through in the spring.
Winter Weeding
Many people take a break in the winter, but now is the time to be spraying and pulling all the winter weeds such as chickweed and henbit. These will produce millions of seeds if they aren't destroyed before they flower! Ordinary weed killers will work well in the winter on days that reach above 50 degrees. You may just have to wait a little longer for a good kill due to the reduced activity of the plants.
It's Not Too Late for Lawn Care
If your fall over-seeding didn’t fill in the lawn as fully as you had expected, you can still apply a little extra seed to those thin spots. The seed will come up slowly over the winter and should be filled in fully by spring. A late fall lawn fertilization is important. This is typically done in late November, but if you forgot about it you can do it now.
Cold-Season Vegetable Gardening
In the vegetable garden, harvest those last heads of cabbage and broccoli soon because they can be damaged by temperatures below 26 degrees. Root crops can remain in the ground all winter if a good layer of mulch is applied. If you haven't planted a cover crop by this time, definitely do that now. Annual rye grass will germinate quickly and grow well in the cool environment. You may also want to prepare a few beds now for spring planting, just in case we have a very wet winter and you can't work the soil early in the season.
