- Author: Tami Reece
- Editor: Noni Todd
By Tami Reece Master Gardener
Garden in January? Absolutely! Even though the wind may be brisk outside, doing a few January chores will ensure a healthy and vibrant garden in the spring. Now is the time to plant bare root trees such as apples, peaches, pears and plums. If you have established deciduous fruit trees, prune before leaf buds form. To control peach leaf curl on deciduous trees, spray with copper or lime sulfur mixed with horticultural oil (following label instructions), but do not spray apricot trees with lime sulfur. Plant bare root roses or lilacs for a fragrant and colorful spring and prune established roses. Remove dead or damaged branches and clean all debris away from the base of the plant. As oranges, limes and lemons continue to produce, harvest fruit as it ripens. Even though you cleaned your gutters at the start of winter, you may need to clean again due to fallen leaves, now that most of the trees are bare. Also make sure to rake fallen leaves as they will smother grass if left in place. Replenish mulch to keep soil from compacting and to keep newly sprouted weeds at bay. Protect succulents when hard frosts are in the forecast, moving tender succulents under cover. Or if the pots are too heavy to move, cover in place. If the weather is too intolerable, you can always clean your gardening tools. Remove visible rust, wash and dry tools well. After drying, oil metal and wood parts of a tool to prevent further rust and cracking of wooden handles. As the holiday season ends, rather than placing your Christmas tree in your green waste, check to see if there is a drop off location for chipping and mulching of trees in your area. Finally spend those cold winter nights pouring over seed and summer bulb catalogs. You will need to order soon to have all your seeds and plants ready for your spring garden. Make sure to order at least one new variety of your favorite vegetable to try something new. Happy Gardening!
- Author: Terri Sonleitner Law
- Editor: Noni Todd
Now is the best time to select bare root fruit and nut trees.
by Terri Sonleitner Law Master Gardener
As we transition to a new year, you may be busy making resolutions. A great resolution is to visit your favorite garden or home center. Now through March is the bare root season, and your favorite local nursery or home center has their largest and freshest selection of dormant bare root fruit and nut trees available now.
Deciduous, or dormant, fruit trees available bare root include apple, apricot, cherry, fig, nectarine, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, pomegranate and prune, along with nut trees such as almond and walnut. In addition to those trees, you will find an abundant supply of bare root berries, grapes and other vines, too.
In selecting your bare root trees, look for varieties that have the right chill requirements for your location. Chill requirements equate to the number of hours below 45 degrees F, so select low-chill varieties for our coastal areas. Look for trees with well-hydrated bark, and buds should appear alive, but should not yet be actively growing.
In handling bare root trees, never allow unplanted trees to dry out. Keep roots in moist organic matter, or dig a shallow trench and bury them temporarily before planting, and resolve to plant within a short time.
For information on growing your own deciduous fruit and nut trees, we recommend consulting the University of California, California Backyard Orchard website. It has detailed information on selection, chill requirements, planting, first year care, fertilization and pruning of deciduous fruit and nut trees: http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/The_Big_Picture/
Information on “Suggested Fruit and Nut Varieties for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties’ Backyard Orchardists” is available: http://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/files/61216.pdf
If all this seems daunting, our local Master Gardener “Advice to Grow By” January workshop will feature discussion and demonstrations of fruit trees and vines, including choosing the right fruit tree for your region, as well as winter care of dormant fruit trees. The workshop will be held on January 19th from 10AM to Noon in the demonstration garden at 2156 Sierra Way in San Luis Obispo. See you there!
- Author: Ann Dozier
- Editor: Noni Todd
By Ann Dozier Master Gardener
I see bare-root roses in nurseries. Do you have suggestions of what to buy and planting instructions? Joanne F., Arroyo Grande
This is a good time of year to buy dormant roses, sold as ‘bare root.’ Nurseries should have a wide selection at good prices. Before buying, however, consider your landscape plan, your microclimate and time available for care.
Beautiful large-blossomed hybrid tea roses or grandifloras are not always the best choice unless you are willing to invest time maintaining regular feedings, pruning and pest control routines. (Some modern varieties are advertised as disease resistant and may be less susceptible to fungal problems.)
Modern “landscape” roses, floribundas and polyanthas, (also called shrub roses) are easy to maintain, usually disease resistant and require little or no pruning. They can make good hedges and background plants. In choosing roses, it’s a good idea to check with neighbors who share your microclimate to find varieties that are happy in your growing conditions.
Bare root plants are sold by grades: 1, 1.5, and 2. Try to buy ‘1’, the best quality. Plants should have been kept cool with roots in damp material. Choose those with at least 3 plump, green canes. Buds on canes should be plump, too, but not ready to burst. Once home, unwrap the rose, shake off storage material, and prune broken roots and canes. If you cannot plant immediately, store in a cool spot in damp sawdust or light sand. At planting time, soak the roots in water for several hours.
To plant, dig a hole about two feet wide and one foot deep in a sunny area of well-drained soil. Make a cone about ten inches high in the middle of the hole and spread the rose roots over it, making sure the knobby graft union is above soil level. Fill the hole with soil, amended with up to 1/3 organic material (compost or aged manure.) Press down gently. Water in the planting, rocking the rose back and forth until it is firmly settled. Level soil and form a little barrier about ten inches around the plant to make an irrigation basin. Your rose should bloom within 8 to 12 weeks.
- Author: Tami Reece
- Editor: Noni Todd
Plant Now for Easy Spring Color
by Tami Reece Master Gardener
I love seasons! I look forward to the spectacular fall colors and the crisp winter mornings with frost blanketing our landscape. But I will be the first to admit I need to see the kaleidoscope of colors my spring bulbs bring each year! After months of rain, I want to see the bright green leaves poking through the soil. It is still not too late to plant for spring color but you will want to plant now as they will need a certain amount of chill hours to bloom in the spring. Most bulbs need 12-14 weeks of chilling temperatures, below 45 degrees, to break dormancy to bloom. If you live on the coast, you may even need to place your bulbs in your refrigerator drawer, separate from fruit, to obtain the required chill hours. The important thing is to get your bulbs in the soil as soon as possible. Storing bulbs out of the soil all winter will cause them to wither and die. You can even plant bulbs in containers with potting soil, just make sure to plant away from the edge of the pots, where they will freeze. When you buy your bulbs, there will be planting instructions on the packaging. However, a basic rule of thumb is to dig a hole 2 to 3 times the bulbs width and a depth of about 4 to 6 inches for hyacinths and tulips; about 6 to 8 inches for daffodils. Set the bulb root end down and fill in with soil. If you have a problem with gophers, you may consider planting in gopher cages or in containers above grounds. If you do plant in containers, make sure you water occasionally so the bulbs do not dry out. There are no deer proof flowers or rodent proof bulbs. Although daffodils have been known to be deer resistant, if a deer is hungry enough, all your hard work will become their lunch. So take a few moments this holiday season to relax and enjoy your garden. Your efforts will be rewarded with beautiful spring color.
- Author: Andrea Peck
- Editor: Noni Todd
What should I do in the garden during December?
Alana G., Los Osos
By Andrea Peck Master Gardener
Ah, December. Where has the time gone? It goes where it’s always gone, of course, but the garden, timeless, waits with a throng of edifying chores to be done. Time’s trajectory is best contemplated while working anyway.
Bundle up and take a garden walk. The framework of your garden reveals itself during this time of year. Consider the entire outdoors when preparing for winter. Clean gutters, downspouts and swales. Replenish mulch where needed and adjust watering systems to cut down on unnecessary water use. Move sensitive container plants to a protected location or indoors when frost threatens. Drape a sheet or burlap over a frame to protect in-ground plants.
Prepare vegetable beds for spring by layering on a thick sheet of mulch and fertilizer. Clear out annuals past their prime and tidy thoroughly before weeds latch on and pests find a home in the fallows.
Prune deciduous fruit and non-fruit trees now. Leave strong, healthy branches and trim off weak, diseased or dead branches. Branches that cross or appear crowded obstruct growth; don’t hesitate to create a strong shape. Branches that may be hazardous in high winds should be lopped. Trimming and shaping grapes after leaves fall increases growth and production.
Early selections of bare root roses are now available for planting. Coastal gardeners can plant cool season flowers such as ageratum, calendula, larkspur, lavatera, phlox and spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips, hyacinth and crocus. Make sure bulbs have been chilled in the refrigerator for at least 6 weeks, however.
This is the time to plant artichokes, rhubarb and other bare root vegetables. Ample mulching, 8”-12” discourages weeds and frost damage.
Still harvesting? Remove brussel sprouts from the bottom first. Cut broccoli heads and allow further growth from side shoots.
Your tools will appreciate a solid cleaning and oiling and you’ll be pleased later if you organize garden paraphernalia. Finally, breathe in that fresh winter air and enjoy the holidays!
