February 2024 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends,  Hopefully you didn’t have much damage from our weeklong snow storm. Some tips on storm damage are below. For those of you longing for spring there are some great gardening events coming up. Details are at the end of this Garden Tips.   Garden Tips: As the snow melts lots of downed branches and debris shows up. Be very careful of walking on the soft ground to pick up branches. They can wait till the ground firms up. Anything you can reach from walkways, driveway etc. are fine to tackle. If you still have some trees or shrubs bent or frozen to the ground, just keep being patient and let them melt out naturally. I still have a shrub in front near the street, that the snow mound hasn’t melted yet. Broken branches should be pruned off just outside of where the branch meets the tree. This is called the branch collar and is a raised section of the bark. If a branch has been pulled down but didn’t break off it also needs to be removed. If left the next snow may cause it to rip down further. If you have 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 didn’t clean and sharpen your tools last fall now is the 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.     Spring Bloom Classes:   Once again, the Master Gardeners will be presenting Spring Bloom Classes. The classes will be on 2 Saturdays, each day having 2 different topics. The day runs from 9:00 AM to 11:45.   February 10th – Orchard Park Community Center Cut This Not That, Lessons in Pruning (I will be presenting this topic) Want to Start Your Own Seeds? This class will cover a variety of easy methods Including Winter Sowing  February 24th – Roswell Park (907) Michigan Ave             - Gardening Tool of the Future: Your Smart Phone             - PRISM I-Map for Mapping Invasive Species   Fees: 1 day/2 classes $20 (MG) $25 (public) 2 days/4 classes $35 (MG) $45 (public)   To register go to: erie.cce.cornell.edu/events   MG Education Day:   MGED is Saturday March 9, 2024 at Classics V Banquet Center, 9-2:30. Those of you who have attended in the past know what a fun and educational day this is. We have 2 outstanding presenters:   Heather Holm, noted garden writer and presenter will talk about: Attracting Bees and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants: Creating and Managing Landscapes for Native Bees Tom Mitchell. Hort professor at NCCC will present: Dumb Things Not To Do In Your Landscaping   Save the date. Registration opened January 1st .Trust me, you won’t want to miss this amazing and fun day and we’re already close to half way sold out! To register go to: erie.cce.cornell.edu/events   Plantasia will run from March 14-17th at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. More info on this will be in the March Garden Tips.   Garden Consult: It’s not too early to start planning for spring gardening, changes and improvements. Just contact me for an appointment to get a head start on the season. Happy gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 [email protected] 716- 652-2432   Copyright © 2023 Lessons From Nature, All rights reserved. You're receiving this message because you requested to receive Lessons from Nature newsletters. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences