Top 10 To-Do List in Winter

Winter is just around the corner. Here are the jobs you can prepare for.

Winter’s Top 10 To-Do List

1. For fruit trees, make sure all remnant fruit and leaves are picked up and disposed of. Leaves and rotten fruit are a perfect place for pests and disease to continue a life cycle, gradually becoming worse every year. Good housekeeping is essential for a healthy home orchard, and an integral part of management.
2. Winter is a time to protect your trees from fungal and insecticidal problems. Applications of winter oil and copper fungicide will help prevents issues like curly leaf and shot hole, and stop insects from attacking your fruit trees in winter.
3. Remember to undertake pruning when weather is clear and no rain is forecast for that day. Large pruning cuts are best protected with a horticultural mastic to prevent disease entering the tree.
4. Feeding the soil in winter is a good practice to keep the soil life healthy. This can be a 6-weekly feed with Seasol or liquid humate.
5. Pre-emergent weed killers can be applied to the lawn and washed in the soil. They will kill the seed of unwanted grasses and prevent them from growing in the lawn at spring time. Always check label for safe use and compatibility to the specific grass type you are treating.
6. Winter is the best time to plant deciduous and bare rooted trees or roses when they are dormant. Try to prepare the soil in advance and only use a small amount of compost to plant them. Never fertilise new plants or trees, as this can burn off the new roots trying to get into the new soil environment.
7. Many people switch off their irrigation systems in winter. I advise my clients  to rather reduce the seasonal percentage on their controller to 5%.
8. For rose and vine pruning, ensure all the leaves have fallen before you undertake this work. After pruning, spray with eco oil and eco fungicide to protect against fungal spores.
9. Weed control is important in winter to ensure the weeds don’t rob all the nutrients from your soil. Pick a nice sunny afternoon and pile them up or place in a compost bin for future use. Remember even soursobs are very high in nitrogen, and make an excellent compost when mixed with your lawn clippings.
10. Winter is a great time to apply a soil moisture treatment to hydrophobic (non-wetting) soil. I recommend eco hydrate as it is much cleaner that the petroleum-based alternatives.

If this all seems too overwhelming, give me a call.

Otherwise, happy gardening!