Hort Tips

November - Edible

Clean, sharpen and repair garden tools before storing for the winter. Factsheet available.

Sign up for Master Gardener training. Call 773-233-0476 for more information.

Mulch strawberries when temperatures have dropped to 20 degrees.

Still time to have your soil tested. Booklet available.

Clean up plant debris in the garden. This will reduce insect problems next year.

Enjoy the "fruits of your labor" for Thanksgiving dinner.

November - Ornamental

Transplant deciduous trees and shrubs when they are dormant. Factsheet available.

Water evergreens and newly planted trees and shrubs until ground is frozen if necessary.

Winterize roses after the ground freezes. Factsheet available.

Plant spring flowering bulbs before the ground freezes. Factsheet available.

Winterize your mower at the end of the mowing season to insure it will start next spring. Factsheet available.

Apply fall fertilizer to lawn. Factsheet available.

Feed the birds. Factsheet available.

Cut back perennials killed by frost.

Provide a 2-4 inch layer of mulch around newly planted trees and shrubs.

Take a tape measure to the Christmas tree farm to make sure tree will fit in your house.

Buy a fresh green Christmas tree at a local farm. List of local farms available by calling or at our web site, Christmas Trees & More at http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/trees

November - Indoors

Plant amaryllis bulbs for Christmas blooms. Factsheet available.

Insert piece of garlic clove, pointed end up in a pot of sandy soil. Barely cover and water. Garlic will sprout in seven to ten days. Snip tips of leaves for seasoning salads or meats.

Turn houseplants regularly for even growth.

Pot paperwhite narcissus for forcing indoors. Factsheet available.

Watch for fruit flies indoors. Factsheet available.

December - Edible

Watch for new seed catalogs. Free listing available.

Do not allow liquid fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides to freeze in your garage.

Drain garden hoses before storing away.

December - Ornamental

Mulch bulb and perennial beds when the soil begins to freeze.

Avoid walking on the lawn once the ground has frozen.

Try Norfolk Island Pine as a small table top tree. Keep in a sunny window and allow the soil to dry between thorough waterings.

Prune dead and diseased limbs of dormant, mature trees. Factsheet available.

December - Indoors

Reduce or eliminate houseplant fertilizing during short winter days.

Roll curtains, shades or blinds over cold windows to protect houseplant injury.

Inspect the undersides of houseplant leaves for fine webbing and pinprick yellow discoloration that signals spider mite infestation. Spider mites thrive in dry indoor conditions.

Remember as a general rule: Plants with thick leaves can take lower light levels than those with thin leaves.

Explore bonsai - the ancient art of dwarfing and shaping container grown trees. Factsheet available.

January - Edible

Order vegetable seeds - listing of seed companies available.

Try 2001 new All-America Selection vegetables. Factsheet available.

Save mesh bags apples and oranges come in. Bags are great for drying herbs and gourds.

Start an indoor terrarium - Factsheet available.

January - Ornamental

Check out areas of early melting snow in your yard as spots where tender plants have the best chance of survival.

Check to see that winter mulch is still in place.

Looking for a good source of plant information? Try Steve Still's Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants.

Brush snow off of shrubs as it falls and before it freezes. Heavy snow can bend or break branches.

Planning to purchase new shrubs? Be sure to consider the mature size. Factsheet available.

Large, established trees can be pruned. Tree structure is easy to see now. Hire an arborist. Factsheet available.

Sweep snow off frozen areas or home pond to allow sunlight to get in.

Check out an annual or perennial vine for your yard. Factsheet available.

Try Lilac (low input lawn care) a lawn care program designed to reduce the use of lawn care products, watering, time and labor. Factsheet available.

January - Interior

Try mini-roses as a houseplant. Factsheet available.

Ferns will do best in the kitchen or the bathroom with their higher humidities.

Cut the dying, flower stalk off of Christmas amaryllis. Put plant in bright spot to allow leaves to develop. Factsheet available.

February - Edible

Save orange juice cans for placing around new transplants to control grubworms and plastic milk jugs for hot caps.

Plant seeds or tops of fruits and vegetables. Fun project for kids. Factsheet available.

Make a seed tape. Factsheet available.

Start seeds indoors for cool season vegetables. Factsheet available.

Sow onion seeds indoors in late February for large, firm, keeper onions. After sprouting, place seedlings in sunny, south facing window. Transplant outdoors when garden soil can be worked.

Bag your apples to prevent apple maggot and disease infestations? Check out experiment by Minnesota Extension. Factsheet available.

February - Ornamental

Apply dormant oil sprays for control of scales. Apply when temperatures will stay above freezing for twenty-four hours.

Force branches of forsythia, pussy willow, viburnums and redbud indoors. Factsheet available.

Spread grass seed over bare areas of lawn. Freezing and thawing will work the seed into the ground. Factsheet available.

Plan a perennial garden. Factsheet available.

Make sure rose cones have holes near top to vent heat on warm, sunny days.

Rejuvenate overgrown spirea and privet hedges by cutting back to the ground. They will grow back with leaves from top to bottom. Factsheet available.

Pruning of most shade trees and all fruit trees except peaches can be done around Valentine's Day. Factsheet available.

Prune birches, maples and dogwoods in early summer to avoid heavy sap flow now, although bleeding will not harm trees.

February - Interior

As houseplants show signs of new growth apply a soluble fertilizer at 1/4 to 1/2 the normal rate.

Clean the leaves of the rubber plant, philodendron and schefflera with a moist, soapy cloth. Rinse with a wet cloth to get rid of the soap.

Water houseplants with warm water.

Learn how to grow plants for your aquarium. Factsheet available.

Grow houseplants without pesticides. Factsheet available

 

 

Winter 2000
Christmas Tree Selection Time Again | Gifts for Gardeners | Holiday Season Pet Hazards | Prepare Your Garden For Winter | All America Vegetable Selections 2001 | Lawn Care Calendar | Bug Bites: Unwanted Visitors That Are Lurking In Your Firewood | Cybergarden Sites | Hort Tips | Hort Shorts | Garlic's Benefits Attract Researchers | Cranberries | Let the Buyer Beware | Roasting Chestnuts | Health and Household Tips | Did You Know?

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