WINTER CARE OF GARDENS

With the change of seasons and weather conditions, the plants in your gardens will also change. It is important to do winter care in order to make the plants less affected by the cold weather and to be more productive in the spring months.

The processes you can do to prepare your gardens for winter are generally; cleaning works, pruning of plants, planting and pool maintenance operations.

General cleaning works in the gardens;

1- Hoeing and weed removal;

It is necessary to take advantage of the moisture of the soil after precipitation. The soil softened after the rain helps to collect and hoe the weeds in your garden.

2- Cleaning of dry leaves;

With the cooling of the weather, the leaves of the trees and bushes begin to fall. You can make your garden well-groomed by cleaning these leaves with a wire rake. If the cleaning of the dried and fallen leaves is delayed, you may encounter fungal diseases. You can read our article on the cleaning of dry leaves, the link of which is given below.

Click here to read our article about “CLEAN THE LEAVES IN YOUR GARDEN”

3- Cleaning of diseased leaves and shoots;

If diseases or harmful factors are seen on the leaves and shoots of your plants, pruning should be done in order to prevent the plant from damaging other structures and other plants. Removing disease and pests from the garden will protect your garden and plants.

4- Fertilization;

One of the things you can do in your garden in winter is fertilization. You can fertilize your lawns, trees and shrubs. You can use fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus to enrich your existing soil.

5- The process of protecting your sensitive plants;

It is more difficult for your plants, which have difficulty in adapting to the weather conditions of your region, to spend the winter. With the effect of falling temperatures, your plants will face the danger of frost. To prevent this, root necks of your sensitive plants; Covering it with compost, bark, gravel, mulching will benefit your plants. In addition, it is necessary to observe the effect of wind and snow. You can reduce the pressure on the leaves and branches of plants by clearing snow accumulations. If your plants are bent or twisted due to wind and snow, these areas should also be cleaned.

Pruning works in gardens;

You can form, rejuvenate and prune your plants this season. This subject is classified as pruning in trees, pruning in shrubs and ornamental plants, pruning in fruit trees.

1- Pruning in trees;

Pruning of trees should be completed before hibernation, that is, before buds emerge. You need to determine the branches that need to be pruned according to the form and development characteristics of the trees. Identify the correct branches so that snow does not accumulate on the branches and breakage occurs in areas with heavy snowfall. Damaged areas after pruning should be covered with grafting paste.

2- Trimming of shrubs and ornamental plants;

Flowering shoots of flowering shrubs and ornamental plants should be pruned. The plant should be lightened by pruning dense branches. Dried flower branches can be pruned away from the main branches. Shoots budding in winter can also be pruned during this period. You can prune form bushes and ornamental plants, that is, topiary. You can reach our article about topiary care from the link below.

Click here to read our article about “YOU CAN USE THESE TOOLS ON TOPIARY PLANTS”

3- Pruning in fruit trees;

You can apply winter pruning on fruit trees to increase flowering and yield in the spring. The most suitable period for pruning fruit trees is the winter season. A fruit tree that goes dormant in winter does not produce leaves, flowers or fruits. For this reason, fruit trees should be pruned before they bud. In fruit trees; Pruning is done to shape the tree, to preserve the given shape, to prevent the tree from growing, to ensure that it receives sunlight, to prevent breakage and sagging, and to increase fruit.

Since the purpose of fruit trees is to increase the yield, branches bearing fruit buds are not pruned. The pruning interval also varies according to fruit tree species. E.g; plum, apricot, peach, cherry, sour cherry etc. While the trees are pruned every 2-3 years, the walnut tree is pruned every 7-8 years.

Grass care in winter;

For lawn care, you must first remove the substances on the lawns that can harm your garden. One of them is the process of cleaning the dried and fallen leaves. If it has snowed on the grass, you should not walk on this type of ground.

With the increase in precipitation in winter, your lawn’s need for irrigation water will decrease. You do not need to water the lawn separately. However, if it does not rain for a long time, it will not hurt to water your lawn. In winter, it will be beneficial for the lawn to cut the grass shorter than the usual length.

You can fertilize your lawn as you enter the winter months. In this way, you will have more lively grass in the spring months.

If your lawns have a distorted appearance or pitted areas, you can prepare the soil. You can complete the soil leveling by adding soil to the pit areas. If you provide suitable weather conditions for grass planting after soil leveling, you can plant grass.

Planting;

Since your plants are in a dormant state during this period, you can relocate your plants or make new plantings. However, planting should be avoided when the weather drops to minus degrees. Planting should not be done in very cold weather to prevent the soil roots from freezing and thus the plant from freezing.

Swimming pool and ornamental pool maintenance;

As temperatures drop, the water in your pool may freeze. Drain your pool water before winter comes in order to prevent various accidents. Remove the leaves that dry out with the effect of winter from your pool. If the pool is constantly moist, there will be algae. To prevent this, do not delay the maintenance of the pool. You can find detailed information about pool maintenance in our article linked below. Do not neglect the maintenance of technical materials and equipment (filter, pump, motor, etc.) related to the pool.

Click here to read our article about “HOW TO MAINTAIN AND CLEAN THE POOL?”

Control of Drainage Lines;

With the increase in precipitation, the regions with drainage problems become visible. If precipitation is collected in an undesirable area and ponding occurs, it says that there is a drainage problem in that area. If the drainage problem is not resolved, rotting is observed in the plants. To eliminate this problem, you can create a drainage system. Drainage lines must be constructed in order to prevent excessive accumulation of water and to remove it from the area.

Spraying;

Pests, ie insects, lice, etc. On your plants. If there are living creatures, you can apply pesticides during this period. Pests that damage fruits in fruit trees spend the winter period on the branches and shoots of the tree. In the spring, they damage the fruit first and then the tree. In order to prevent this, it is very important to spray fruit trees in the winter period. Winter spraying should be avoided every year, it should be done every 3-4 years.

Click here to read our article about “HOW SHOULD I CARE FOR FRUIT TREE IN THE WINTER SEASON?”