It is time to take action and prepare your lawn and garden for spring.
Putnam County UT Extension Agent Wayne Key said the winter months are the optimal time to test your soil for spring. Key said testing the soil’s pH levels provides insight into whether additives are needed, such as adding lime. Key also said that addressing your soil needs now will lead to healthier, more productive yards and gardens.
“When you do have those beautiful spring days, when it warms up and you want to be outside,” Key said. “And you want to start fertilizing and doing things in the landscape when its warmer and you can be outside linger, that you already got the answers, the results, everything you need to put on your garden, or your flower beds, or your lawn.
Key said winter is an ideal time for garden cleanup. He said any diseased plants such as beans or dead flowers should be removed and discarded now to prevent future issues. Key also said excess stalks should be cleared to prepare the garden for a successful spring planting season.
Key said pulling weeds is good winter task. Treating weeds with herbicides requires warmer temperatures.
“About weed control, as long as its 60 degrees for three days or more, boom,” Key said. “You need those lawn weed killers that you’ll see in home and garden centers. Those can be used in your mulch, in your rock beds, around your sidewalk, around your AC and heat units, things like that.”
Key said that certain plants can be planted in late winter such as kale, spinach, arugula, and lettuce. Key said that root crops can survive as well including garlic, potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. He said that while most flowers require warmer weather, petunias, aster, and lobelia are among the few that can tolerate cold temperatures.
“There’s a whole lost of things that do really well in cold or cool weather and cooler climates,” Key said. “So that they can be planted in this kind of weather.”
Key said as a final point, do not apply fertilizer during the winter because most plants do not require the nutrients.
The post Late Winter Tasks Can Cut Down Your Spring Work appeared first on News Talk 94.1/AM 1600.