Your Garden This Month: January

Well, we are back from our break and we need to look at what the weather is doing. If the mercury is still climbing, set the seasonal percentage on the irrigation controller to 115% to cope with the 40s.

Get your Seasol out, and mix some up for any plants that are a bit stressed or burnt from extreme weather.

Remove any bird netting from trees that have finished fruiting to avoid too many branches growing through it. A light tip prune in summer when the fruit has been picked is fine, and will prevent you tearing the net.

Don’t let young fruit trees you have planted this year dry out in the heat. This will be the most critical time for them, so keep them well watered.

If you have been flat out, and have not had a chance to mulch the garden, get too it, as it’s not too late to keep the ground cool and protect you soil from drying out.

Lawn beetles are now very active with soil temperatures high, with the grass growing actively and with plenty of water in the lawn. Keep an eye on things and treat if you suspect the lawn is under attack to minimise the damage.

It is still a great time for lawn coring or scarifying, as summer grass species are very active and will respond and recover very quickly, especially with temperatures over 30 degrees.

Regular weekly checks of irrigation will pick up any faults that may cause losses in this time of extreme heat. Also, look for plant wilt or lawn browning off, this is a good indicator that a zone is not working.

If you have a Weathermatic irrigation controller, check screen for fault alerts.

Happy gardening!

David

David Allington

David is the owner of Allingtons Lawn & Garden Care. He has been in the horticultural industry for nearly two decades, and has pioneered an exciting gardening services business at the cutting edge of the industry. Through this site, he shares his knowledge and expertise. Return to the home page to view all on offer or drop us a line via the contact form.