 | Water -- It
is important for planting beds to freeze wet, especially check planting beds
that are under overhanging eaves |
| Wind --
Wind on improperly placed plants can dry out the foliage and 'burn" the plant.
Spraying anti-desiccants like
No- Wilt or WiltPruf
which will leave a protective polymer barrier on the foliage. Burlap screens
are another option. Stretching burlap to block the predominant south-west wind
will be better than wrapping the plants |
| Mulching -
keeping moisture in, preventing frost heaving, and insulating are the most
important tasks of Mulch. Leaves are a poor choice as they harbor disease
spores. |
| Pruning -
Most small plants, perennials, mums, hydrangeas are best left with some
branching that helps collect snow. Winter is the best time to shape and thin
out your existing trees. Roses are shaped up but leave enough branching so
when we get a freeze back you have something left to prune |
| Bugs - lots
of pest problems can be eliminated by pruning or picking off the egg masses in
October. Our current problem with
viburnum bark beetle can
be eliminated by egg removal. If you have had a problem with mites or scale a
October application of Horticultural oil and repeating in April is a great way
to eliminate the pest and avoid toxic sprays. Newly available in New York
State is Season long insect control products with the active ingredient
imidacloprid. A late in the year application will protect plants the
entire next year from scales, mites, beetles and more! |
| Mice & Moles
-- Often confused with moles the field mice (vole) is a problem that can be
reduced by baiting in fall, keeping the lawn short in the winter. Moles can
driven away by first eliminating their favorite food the white grub by
applying a grub control, then spraying a Mole repellant like Repellex Tree
Saver which will have Mr. Mole running to the neighbors overnight.
Mechanical traps
are also very effective. |
| Rabbits -
Winter rabbit damage is growing annually. There are several sprays that last
over winter including Ropel,
Repellex
Deer & Rabbit, and Liquid Fence Repellant. |
| Wire
fencing buried into the soil is effective. Live catch
Havahart Rabbit traps are often the final resort. |
| Deer - In
Erie County where the overpopulation of white tailed deer is huge issue
product selection has to done with caution. In North Amherst where we are
there are only a handful of good options. The first is Deer Block, which can
be draped over plants like a package and is very effective if installed
correctly. The most effective sprays are
Repellex
Deer Repellant , Messina Deer Stop and Liquid fence. All other
products we test in the Amherst high deer count "Casey road Corridor" have failed especially thiram
based products like chewnott we still see heavily promoted. We ship Deer
Repellants nationwide. |
| Roses -- most roses need special
care to keep from freezing this winter. The bud union needs to protected from
rapid temperature drops by building up soil using a rose collar or a
protective rose pyramid. Don't trim roses all the way down as they may freeze
back further. |
| Lawn -- fertilization in fall is
very important, how good the lawn looks in spring is dependent on it's
nutrients in winter. If you only fertilize once year a fall choice is the one.
A slow release winterizer formula (high potash)is the best choice. The lawn
should be mowed short (1.5") for the last cut. If bare spots are problem we
can usually seed up to early October and see results. Dormant seeding is a
easy way to upgrade the quality of your lawn without the usual power slicing
or top dressing. Wait until November and you can spread seed over existing
turf. Over the winter it works it's way down into the soil crevasses and as
soon as soil temperatures return to 60 degrees in spring the grass will
sprout. |
| See our
Seminar page for dates of our classes that cover this topic! |
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