January
2007 Garden Tips
Happy New Year!
The flowers of holiday plants such as paperwhites, amaryllis,
poinsettia, cyclamen and Christmas cactus will last longer if
indoor temperatures are on the cooler side.
To help protect roots of tender perennials and to assist in the
prevention of frost heaving, mulch perennial beds when the ground
is frozen. An inexpensive method is to use leftover Christmas
greens.
Prop up your used Christmas tree near your bird feeders to create
a protected feeding area for small birds.
Pruning neglected or overgrown trees and shrubs is an excellent
garden chore to do on a sunny winter day. Do not, however, prune
spring blooming plants like forsythia, azalea or rhododendron
as they have already set their flower buds for next season. Primex
carries everything necessary for winter pruning: pruning shears
(anvil and bypass), pruning saws, loppers, telescoping pruning
poles from the best manufacturers like: Felco, Fiskars,
Bacho, Barnel, ARS, Gilmour and The Rumford Gardener.
Heavy snow and ice can damage evergreen and birch trees. Gently
brush off shrubs, tie arborvitae and prop up birch branches to
avoid breaking and splitting this winter.
Winter is a great time to plan your summer vegetable, herb, and
flower garden. Primex offers all of your favorite annuals, perennials,
vegetables and herbs seeds including unusual and hard to find
selections. Seeds that should be sown in February include pansies,
petunias, geraniums, begonias, leeks, cabbage and broccoli. Most
other plants that are started from seed can wait until March or
later. At Primex we carry Burpee, Ferry Morse, Renee,
Botanical Interest, Seeds of Change, Cooks Garden, and Seeds of
Italy.
Spray houseplants with Safer Insect Killing Soap
with Seaweed Extract to control over wintering
insects. If spider mites or mealy bugs are present, add Bonide
Systemic Houseplant Insect Control to the plant's soil
and spray with Bonide All Season Spray Oil to
suffocate these hard to kill insects.
If you haven't yet pruned your hardwood fruit trees, apples and
pears, you should complete this task by the end of the month.
Spray Liquid Fence, Deer Stopper, or Deer Off
to prevent deer from destroying your trees and shrubs.
Inventory pots and flats used for seedlings and discard any unusable
items. Make a list of materials need for this year's seed starting.
We recommend Hoffman Seed Starter or
Premier Pro-Mix as excellent growing medium. Use a Hydrofarm
Hot House with Mat to encourage quicker germination and
stronger seedlings. Fertilize newly germinated plants with Neptune's
Harvest Organic Fertilizer.
Be certain that your houseplants are receiving sufficient light
this winter. Remember that winter light is not as strong as at
other times of the year. This winter, supplement natural sunlight
with full spectrum artificial lighting. Primex carries a great
selection fixtures and bulbs from companies such as Growers
Supply, Hydro Farm, Verilux and Sylvania.
Pull out those seed catalogs on a wintry day and dream about spring
to come.
This winter, be sure to keep your houseplants away from heat sources
and vents. Protect plants from drafts and keep foliage off of
cold windows. Maintain healthy houseplants by using a humidity
tray. Check often to replenish evaporated water.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Make friends with the birds! At Primex, we carry an extensive
selection of bird feeders, bird baths, bird bath heaters and other
accessories for your feathered friends. Fill your feeders with
Lyric birdseed and suet holders with C&S
suet cakes.
When shoveling snow this winter, be careful not to throw it atop
of brittle shrubs that will easily snap under the additional weight.
Prevent your birds from becoming sick by keeping your feeders
clean; empty feeders and dispose of any moldy seed. Disinfect
feeders with a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Dry
feeders thoroughly, refill and hang.
Rotate houseplants periodically so that they receive adequate
light on all sides. This will help prevent plants from growing
lopsided as they reach for the light.
Protect the bark of young trees from gnawing critters and sun-scald
by wrapping the bark with Clark’s Treekote Vinyl
Tree Guard or paper Tree Wrap.
Routinely check your stored, tender, summer- flowering tubers
for signs of rotting or desiccation. Lightly spritz with water
tubers that are slightly shriveled. Remove and dispose of any
tubers that are mushy, moldy, or powdery.
Increase your gardening knowledge this winter. Pick up a good
gardening book at your local book store and check out our web
site for gardening articles and care sheets. Another great way
to acquire gardening information is to join a local gardening
club or to attend classes offered by organizations such as the
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Morris Arboretum.
Beat the winter blahs! Stop by our greenhouse and treat yourself
to a cheerful flowering plant like an orchid, African violet,
cyclamen, Rieger begonia or kalanchoe.
Exercise this winter to keep those gardening muscles in shape
and prevent injuries when spring finally arrives.
Have you noticed tiny, black, flying insects around your houseplants?
It’s a good chance that these are fungus gnats. The larvae
of this insect feed on the organic matter in moist soil which
includes plant roots. Control this insect by allowing soil to
dry slightly between watering, empty saucers under plant pots
and use sticky traps to catch the flying insects.
If you are over-wintering geraniums they are probably leggy by
this time of year. Now is a good time to take 4 inch cutting from
these geraniums to create new plants. First, strip off the bottom
leaves, dip cut end into rooting hormone and place cutting in
a seed starter mix. If you keep the soil consistently moist, the
cuttings should root in a couple of weeks.
Believe it or not, the days are getting longer and houseplants
are beginning to resume growth. Fertilize houseplants once a month,
with the appropriate fertilizer, or one quarter strength every
time you fertilize.
Spider mites love the dry, warm conditions created when heating
our homes. To combat this persistent pest, increase humidity around
houseplants and spray with Bonide Mite X.
If there are areas of your yard where the pH needs to be raised,
wood ash from your fire place works well and quickly. At Primex
we test your pH for free. For a pH reading, bring us a dry soil
sample taken from the depth of 4 inches below the surface.
Make sure that you have plenty of ice melter on hand when that
winter storm hits. At Primex we can advise you on which product
is best for you or see our web article: Dissolving the Ice-Melt
Dilemma.
Relax!
