by Stephen Gent, Owner
McDade’s Nursery
Stephen has 14+ years of experience in horticulture as Publisher and Marketing Director for Nursery Management and Production, Greenhouse Management and Production and Garden Center magazine.
An avid gardener with a lifelong passion for plants, he enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with customers.
If your New Year’s resolution includes having a better looking home and garden, here are some tips for January to help reach your gardening goals for 2013.
Pruning. Prune trees and shrubs to remove dead or unwanted branches from the middle of the tree. This will allow more light to penetrate and stimulate growth and new branch development.
Lawn Maintenance. Don’t allow leaves to accumulate on your lawn during the winter. Mow them back into the lawn or collect them for compost. Leaves left on a lawn can cause disease problems if the grass gets too wet or dark.
Vegetable Garden. Seed potatoes, asparagus and onion slips can be planted this month. Red lasoda and white potatoes along with 1015, white granex, yellow granex and red burgundy onions are now available.
Later in January you can plant cool season crops like radishes, spinach, carrots, broccoli, turnips and beets. For details on when and how to plant vegetables, stop by the nursery for a free copy of our 2013 Spring Planting Guide.
Freezing temperatures. Protect plants by watering them before a hard freeze. Water acts as an insulator and moist soil stays warmer than dry. Plant cells that are full of water will resist cold damage more easily.
Transplanting. If you are thinking of rearranging your landscape by transplanting established trees or shrubs, January is a good time. Be careful to dig away from the trunk so as not to disturb or damage the root system. Keep well watered and use a root stimulator to prevent transplant shock.
Happy Gardening
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