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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. |
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Winter Wisdom
Realists among us will not forget that the last frost date in this area doesn’t come until mid-April, April 13 according to the reckoning of the K-State Weather Data Librarian, Mary Knapp. Assuming that the first freeze occurs around the 26th of October, Johnson County, Kansas enjoys 196 frost-free days. Now, don’t you feel warmer already? After all, you could be living in Syracuse, Kansas that has only 155 frost-free days each year!
As soon as it is comfortable, this is a good time to check the general condition of your plantings, and to think about renewing the protective layer of mulch that has helped them survive temperature extremes. As more freezing temperatures are a virtual certainty, don’t remove protective mulch yet, but replace that which has been lost.
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
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Winter
Wisdom
It’s
amazing how the first foray into the 50’s after a long and hard period of
snow and freezing weather affects us. It’s only natural that we should
want to get outdoors and get at the gardening tasks that await us. If our
weather runs true to its normal pattern, we should not settle into spring
mode quite yet!
Warmer
temperatures mean gradual melting of the snow cover that we have enjoyed
in recent weeks. Dormant lawns and perennial plants, trees and shrubs all
will benefit from the deep watering that melting snow provides.
There
is still time to prune bushes and trees, especially those that are not
early spring bloomers like Lilac, Forsythia and others whose buds are
already formed and ready. These should be pruned as soon after blooming as
possible to avoid losing flowers. The advantage of pruning before the
leaves appear is primarily that the structure of the plant is easier to
see and your pruning may be more effective if shape or size control is of
the utmost importance.
The
time for dormant spraying is also fast approaching.. Although most sprays
warn the user to spray when the temperature is above 40
Although
the best time for dormant seeding of grass is about over, there is still
time to seed bare spots. It will not begin to sprout until the warmer days
of spring arrive, but as the snow continues to melt and our chances of
rain improve, the seeds will tend to make beneficial contact with the
soil. If you are going to do any dormant seeding, remember that you must
be very careful to avoid the use of preemergent chemical. It is suggested
that new grass be mowed at least twice before any weed management program
is initiated.