Winter plant health care does not have to be complicated. It is easy to do yourself, or contact us and let us do it for you. In case you want to do all or some of it yourself, let’s talk about it.
Fall is a good time to clean out the dead leaves, the dead annual plants, and any vegetables you planted that have stopped bearing. Cleaning these out gives the rest of the plants a chance to get the nutrients they need and keeps dead plants from harboring diseases that might hurt other plants.
If you have perennials, now is the time to cut them back. Cut to about an inch off the ground. Don’t just leave what you cut off – dispose of it so it doesn’t create problems in the spring.
After you have cleaned out your flower and vegetable beds, it’s a good time to add a mixture of soil and compost. Adding it now gives the plants an extra boost of nutrients. The beneficial soil insects and worms will incorporate this into the soil so you have rich soil beds for spring growth. This mixture of soil and compost is also great for lightly spreading on your lawn. The rain will move it into the ground to add nutrients for spring growth.
This is also a good time to plant flower bulbs. The bulbs will grow roots and be ready to bloom in spring.
Now the final step. Add a thick layer of winter mulch to protect against frost. You don’t want mulches that are heavy and suffocate the roots. Instead, find a lightweight mulch at your local garden shop.
See, it’s not complicated and we know you can do this. However, if you would like to help, we are more than happy to help.