By Mrs. Daffodil Watercress

Autumn has come, and the winter cold is looming before you. Time for fall cleanup and preparing for winter.

     One very good way to protect your tender plants from the cold is by spreading the leaft litter around their base, which will insulate them.

     Young trees with smooth bark can develop something called sunsclad, which appears as ragged craks in the trunk. To avoid sunscald, wrap young trees in at least 2 feet of tree wrap. Make sure to only wrap when the temperatures are getting around freezing. If you do it too early, you may impede the tree's photosynthysis.

    Don't forget to water your evergreens in the winter, either. The leaves can dry out quicky due to sun and wind, even in winter. The best way to do this is to water the tree evenly all fall, and to have the soil as wet as possible before the first freeze. But whatever you do, don't have standing water around the tree! And, if  you live in an area where there isn't a lot of rainfall and/or melting snow , water during the short periods when the soil thaws.

     Here are a couple more quick tips:

1. Don't take off accumulated ice from your plants. They can do it best themselves.
2. Do whatever you can to keep extra snow off the branches of your trees. A little snow can insulate the tree, but too much can break branches.
3. If you live in an area where the winters are extra windy and cold, screen your evergreens with burlap. To do this, drive metal stakes into the ground around the tree, then wrap burlap around the stakes. Attach the burlap with wire or a heavy staple gun.

I hope these tips will help keep your plants safe and happy through the winter!

 

Next Month: Harvest Time Recipies