11December 22, 2016
Today is the first day of winter. The good news is that the early sunsets will get later and later as we creep towards spring again.
We have had some snow and ice conditions. This is the reason that I emphasize protecting your shrubs from the winter conditions. The cold and very dry air can damage the leaves of your evergreens. The dry wind can also dry out your rosebushes and your hydrangeas. The forecast for this week is for the weather to warm up a bit. If you haven’t protected your shrubs with burlap or any of the pre-formed plant covers, now would be the time to finish up on protecting your plants.
If you have a Christmas tree set up in your home, remember to keep that tree stand full of water. Your tree will continue to take up water each day. If the water level drops below the bottom of the trunk, the only way you are going to get the tree to take up water again is to take the tree out of the stand and cut an inch off the bottom of the trunk. Imagine how much fun that can be with a fully decorated tree!
The houseplants that you brought in from outside have been indoors for quite a while now. Insects may have hitched a ride into the house on the plants. Even if you have treated the plants before you brought the plants back inside, a few may have survived the treatment. Warm and dry air in your home is perfect breeding conditions for spider mites and other houseplant pests. Take some time to check your houseplants to make sure that there are no problems beginning on your plants. You have the best chance at controlling an outbreak of insects if you catch the problem in the early stages. You should continue to check your plants at least once a month to make sure that there are no problems with insects on your plants.
With the arrival of winter, you know that snow and ice can be a problem. If you have pets, you will find that many of the ice melting products can harm their feet. There are pet safe ice melting products that are available. We have carried this type of product for years and have found that it is safe for our husky’s feet. The only problem is, manufacturers make only a certain amount each year. I have learned that if you want the pet safe products, you need to buy this ice melter sooner rather than later. If you are looking for pet safe ice melt, we have it now and my advice is to buy it now while it is still available.
Well, that is all for this week. The holiday seasons coincide this year so Happy Holidays to all.
I’ll talk to you again next week.