Tips to keep your garden healthy in low temperatures

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The cold weather might be a nice change for you but not so much for your plants. While you’re busy exploring everything winter has to offer, your garden will be freezing to death. This means that the gardening season is far from over. It’s your job to keep your garden healthy in low as well as high temperatures, otherwise, you can’t count on success. Thankfully, it only involves a little effort and paying a certain amount of attention to your plants. Here are some handy tips on how to keep your garden healthy even when the weather tries to ruin it.

1. Clean up

The first thing you need to do to keep your plants healthy this winter is clean up the rotting and dead ones from your garden. Unhealthy plants spread disease and pests like wildfire. It’s better to sacrifice one or two plants rather than the whole garden. Make sure you’re thorough and haven’t missed a single plant.

This will ensure only the strongest and healthiest plants will make it to spring, meaning you’ll have one hell of a garden to reckon with. You can easily regrow what you’ve lost next season, but that’s only possible if there’s not even a sign of disease or fungus.

2. Cover your trees

Since you can’t really move your trees into warmer areas, you’ll have to take other measures. Generally, it’s advised to cover your deciduous trees. This will help them retain their health in the cold months to come. You can leave the covers on for the whole winter, but it’s advisable to see how your trees are doing.

If it’s just a short cold period we’re talking about, you should take off the covers as soon as the weather starts getting warmer. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been on just for a day or two because your trees will appreciate the warm weather much more than being cooked up while the air is pleasant. For low plantings, you can even use leaf mould of straw as a defensive measure for shorter cold periods.

3. Get rid of bugs

Bugs are bound to be looking for a safe and warm place to stay in this winter, too. That’s why it’s important to check the dirt of your plants before you bring them anywhere. As it’s cold outside, the dirt is the most common place you’ll find the bugs because it is the warmest. If left untreated, the bugs could end up munching on everything healthy your plant has, spreading disease, and completely destroying it.

That’s why it’s important to chase the bugs away. This is an especially imperative process if you plan on moving your plants indoors. You can get rid of the bugs by spraying natural repellent in the pot, or introducing plants which naturally repel bugs to your garden. One such plant is definitely lavender.

4. Bring plants inside

If you’ve got sensitive potted plants, it’s time to bring them inside. No matter how careful and gentle you are with them, there’s no way they’ll survive the extreme temperatures in the backyard. You can make a temporary gardening space in your home which will be ready to offer shelter to all your sensitive little plants. If you don’t want a designated space, you can simply decorate your house with all the new plants from your garden.

The important thing is to recreate the ideal environment those plants need to survive. Make sure they have enough light and water, and they’ll be ready to retake their place under the sun after winter is over without a doubt.

5. Pruning helps

Winter is the ideal time to prune most of your plants. First off, their foliage is mostly gone so you can see their shape better. This allows you to be free and creative as well as to do a better pruning job. Even though this process can be repeated every season, perhaps it’s most convenient to do in winter. The plants are dormant during winter, which means that pruning will also promote regrowth in spring. This way you’re investing in a healthy and growing garden for the long run.

When pruning, make sure to take your sharp garden secateurs and cut away the dead or diseased parts of the plants first. It’s most convenient to do this on a dry day, as both you and the trees and shrubs will have an easier time with the process. Remember that your goal is to maintain the structure of the tree or shrub, so act accordingly.

6. Adjust the amount of water you give

Now that it’s colder outside, you’ll need to reconsider how much you water your garden. The plants will need sufficiently less water now that it’s cold outside. You should still water them in the morning, as they’ll be dry for the cool and damp nights. This will preserve their health and keep them strong despite the weather.

If you have an automated system which does your watering, don’t forget to run a seasonal maintenance check. It’s important to get rid of any potential clogs and to make sure the settings have been adjusted according to the weather outside. Once winter is over, don’t forget to repeat this process.

Conclusion

As you can see, a healthy garden is not unattainable in winter. Get your winter gear on and give your plants the time of day even though they may be too sleepy to appreciate it now. In spring, you’ll see just how much your efforts have paid off, as you’ll have a marvellous and stunning garden, ready to grow more. We’re confident you’ll get the optimal results you desire with these handy tips.