February '23 Tips

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Dear Gardening Friends,   After a mild January looks like February could be more wintery. For those of you longing for spring there are some great gardening events coming up. Details are at the end of this newsletter.   Garden Tips: If you are having ice build-up in driveways and sidewalks, be cautious of what you use to melt the ice. Salt can be very damaging to the soil, plants, and the environment in general. It would be wise to shovel the black nasty salt laden “gunk” in the driveway somewhere other than garden beds. My back garden abuts the driveway, so this is always an issue for me. I used to wonder why the plants along the drive never did well! It’s a little more effort, but worth it. If you still have some trees or shrubs bent or frozen to the ground, just keep being patient an let them melt out naturally. I still have a shrub in front near the street, that the snow mound never totally melted. At this rate it may be there till spring! If you didn’t clean and sharpen your tools last fall now is a perfect time. They will be ready to go when you need them in the spring. Most places that sell garden supplies have sharpeners.   Pruning: This is a good time to prune. Any day that’s nice enough to work outside is fine. It’s not too early. First check for wind/storm damaged branches. It’s best to remove torn or broken branches. A nice clean pruning cut is much easier for the tree/shrub to heal in the spring. The ideal time to prune non spring blooming trees & shrubs is while they are still dormant, and their buds have not begun opening. Anything that blooms in the spring should be pruned AFTER they bloom. Usually, spring pruning can be done well into March. Once the buds start to open it’s past the ideal time. Some years that was May! It all depends on the weather. That being said, if you don’t get to it before the buds open you won’t hurt the plant. The basic pruning rule is don’t leave stubs. Make clean cuts close to a bud, branch divide or outside the branch collar on the trunk. Sharpen and clean those pruners and loppers before starting. It really makes a difference. For details on pruning specific plants check online at an “.edu” site or contact me for a pruning consultation.   Houseplants: Now is a good time to spend some time with your houseplants. A mid- winter “shower” in the sink or bathtub will wash off the accumulated dust and make for a healthier plant. If a plant is too large to move, you can use a damp cloth or soft sponge to wipe down the leaves. Now that the days are getting longer you can resume a light plant food application. If you use fertilizer look for a natural rather than chemical formula. Just read the ingredients and follow the directions. I tend to use half strength. You can also start spring repotting houseplants that have become pot bound. If the water drains right through when you water it or if the roots are pushing the plant out of the pot, those are good signs that the plant is pot bound. Another sign to indicate repotting is crusty salt build up on the top of the soil. This residue may be on the outside of terra cotta pots as well. The pots can be scrubbed off before repotting. If the soil crust isn’t severe the top few inches of crusted soil and be removed and replaced with fresh potting soil. Also check for aphids, mealybugs and other houseplant pests. Feeling a sticky residue around a plant is a good sign there is an insect problem. A good soapy water bath is a solution to many problems. Annual Tree and Shrub Seedling Sale:   The Soil & Water Conservation annual seedling sale is available for ordering now. This is a great way to get inexpensive tree and shrub seedings. The sale runs through mid May with pickup mid April-May. Order early as some things sell out. Go to their website (below) for order forms and compete information on what’s available and how to plant seedlings.   https://www.ecswcd.org/html/treeshrub.html   Educational Opportunities: There are lots of events coming up that will help you learn and get into the mood for spring.     Communities in Bloom Classes (February 2023)   We’re offering a day of 2 great gardening topics on 2 days at two locations. BOTH DAYS WILL BE THE SAME PROGRAMS, just the location changes. The first will be held on February 11 at The Parkside Lodge in Buffalo near the Zoo & the second offering on February 25 at Cornell Cooperative Extension in E Aurora. Both days are the same schedule:   9:00 am – 10:30 am - Resources for Home Composting & Soil Testing, discover a variety of methods for composting, how easy and important it is to improve your soil and the role of soil testing in successful gardening. 10:45 am – 12:15 pm - Getting Ready for Spring, covering what to do with plants you’ve overwintered, and easy at home methods for making more plants from what you have.   Advanced registration for the program is required. The cost for these events is $30 for MGs and $35 for the public. The day begins with registration from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. To register contact Cornell Cooperative Extension 652-5400, ext:176 or online at: [email protected].     Master Gardener Education Day:   The annual MGED is Saturday March 11, 2023 at Classics V Banquet Center. Those of you who have attended in the past know what a fun and educational day this is. We have 3 outstanding presenters:   Paul Zammit – Back by popular demand, one of the top garden speakers in the country will present on Container Gardening Tim Boebel – Author of the definitive book on hydrangeas will speak on Growing Hydrangeas and Flowering Shrubs  Dr. Allison Chatrychyan – from Cornell University will talk about Climate Smart Solutions for the Home Gardener  Registration is now open. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this amazing and fun day. Just thinking of spring and seeing beautiful plant photos is uplifting for winter blahs.   To register contact Cornell Cooperative Extension 652-5400, ext:176 or online at: [email protected].   Garden Consult: It’s not too early to start planning for spring gardening, changes and improvements. Just contact me for an appointment to get ahead start on the season.   Happy Gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 [email protected] 652-2432 Copyright © 2014 Lessons From Nature, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*