 |
Winter Wisdom Brought to you in cooperation with the Kansas State University Johnson County Research and Extension Master Gardeners. Each week we feature interesting topics for winter reading. |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Get Our Free Newsletter
Home Videos new!
Bookstore
Rose
Tips
Books
We Love
Unsubscribe
|
Week of 2/3/03 A few days in the forties and many gardeners are breaking dormancy - just like those crocus that couldn’t wait and started to appear before the last sudden return of winter cold! Even some over-eager tulips and daffodils started to stir. Of course, some of the winter’s coldest days followed within hours, or so it seemed. Several callers wanted to know if the audacious bulbs would be permanently damaged, or if they might recover to try a more timely return later. Happily, this premature appearance is not a rarity, and most will return to bloom at a more appropriate time. There is little one can do to slow their emergence. Adding mulch may be a natural reaction, but it only makes matters worse by warming the soil even more. In very few cases is lasting damage done. Spring bulbs are quite resilient as a rule, and if planted at recommended depths, they should respond to the less fickle warmth of spring when it does finally arrive. There is continued and wide spread concern over the lack of appreciable moisture in the form of rain as we approach more than 70 days without it. About the only advice that can be offered is to take advantage of the occasional warm days to get out the hose and water, giving priority to recently planted nursery stock and evergreens, especially broad-leafed evergreens, that are stressed by moisture deprivation. Give the lawn one to two inches of water every 10 to 14 days to keep the crowns and roots of grasses alive through their dormancy. Although normal precipitation may occur, keep in mind that the effects of prolonged drought cannot be reversed overnight. Adjust the amount and frequency of the water you add, but continue whenever the temperature permits. Exercise caution and restraint with lawn fertilization. Turf experts are suggesting that postponing or skipping an early-spring application of fertilizer altogether, may be the best that can be done for an already-stressed lawn. This is particularly true if a late fall or “winterizer” application was made this past season. Concentrate on preparations for the growing season ahead. Not only will this benefit your general mental health, but it will give you a practical head start on spring! It’s a good idea to check your tools and lawn and garden equipment to be sure all are in working order and ready to go. There is still time to prune some ornamental shrubs and trees, other than those that bloom in early spring and have already formed spring flower buds. If you grow any fruit trees, prepare to begin application of dormant spray before bud break. As long as the soil can be worked, this is a good time to plant hardy shrubs, trees and perennials to give their root development an early start. Once these details are taken care of, it’s time to take in some of the area’s outstanding flower and garden shows that will be opening in the next 30 to 60 days. Make it a point to attend some of the many lectures and seminars held by area garden clubs, horticultural services, arboreta and collections like Powell Gardens, the Kauffman Gardens and the Overland Park Arboretum. Contact your County Extension or Outreach service for information on any of these worthwhile activities. Articles submitted by Bill Latimer, Johnson County Extension
Horticulture Assistant and Dennis Patton, Johnson County Extension Horticulture Agent. * Winter Wisdom is an information service of the Kansas State Johnson County Research and Extension Master Gardeners. Research-based responses are provided by Extension Master Gardener volunteers weekdays from March 1 through October 31, from 9:00 am to 4:30pm . To telephone, call (913) 764-6306 or visit the Extension Office at 13480 South Arapaho Drive, Olathe, Kansas. Visit their website at www.oznet.ksu.edu/Johnson
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
© 1999 - 2008 Savvygardener.com, Inc. All rights reserved. If you wish to copy, transmit, or otherwise duplicate any of the material from our website please ask us first. Thank you. |
||||||||||||||||||||