January 2021 Gardening Advice

While most indoor plants should not be fertilized for the next few months, African violets, need to be fertilized regularly to keep blooming

submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill and Manchester Community & School Gardens

I am very optimistic about the upcoming gardening season. Why? Because I’m a gardener, which is the very definition of optimism! I’m always optimistic about the new season. I spend hours dreaming about what new plants I am going to grow, how I am going to finally finish the project on the slope in the backyard (which I started 8 years ago), and all the other wonderful things I will accomplish. I likely won’t get even half of them done, but it’s fun to make all those grand plans while I look out on yet another dreary, gray day. At least there’s no snow to shovel – for now. The weather over the next couple of days looks a little suspect.

I am now humming that song by the Everly brothers “All I Have To Do Is Dream.” My brain works that way – turning most things into song lyrics – I don’t know why. But, dreaming is a great way to spend January if you’re a gardener. That, and planning. And maybe getting a few things done indoors.

Indoors:

• Make your plans now so that you can start gathering what you will need early in the season, before all the good stuff is gone. Write down what you want to get done: plants that need to be divided or moved, areas that need to be filled in, beds that need more mulch, new varieties you want to give a try. Check to see if you have all the tools you will need, or if the tools you have need to be refurbished or replaced.
• While you are sitting indoors, look out. Are there areas in your yard that look boring or bare at this time of year? Plan for how to change that now. Adding plants that can provide winter interest – like red twig dogwood, with branch color that stands out against the snow and gray, and evergreens that provide color when everything else is brown, or even garden art, such as statuary or furniture – can help to make your yard and garden appealing all year long. Looking at how things appear now will help you decide where to make improvements in the spring.
• Pore through the seed catalogs that will start arriving any day now, and peruse the online catalogs to get inspiration for what you want to grow (Garden Mill seed varieties will be available on our website shortly). Last year, we and many others ran out of a number of things very early in the season. Industry experts are expecting some of the same to happen again this year, so be sure to get yours early.  
• Give all of your indoor plants some TLC this month. Indoor plants tend to get neglected during the outdoor season (at least at my house!), so now’s a great time to make up for that neglect. Clean off any dust that may have accumulated on leaves. That layer of dust can keep the plants from getting sun, which is already in short supply at this time of year. Make sure plants are close to windows, so they are getting as much light as possible (or provide some artificial light at this time of year), but be sure that leaves are not touching the cold glass, or that plants aren’t in drafty areas – both can cause damage or even kill indoor plants.
• Humidity is also key to healthy indoor plants at this time of year. With heaters running pretty much constantly, the air gets dried out quickly. If you don’t have a whole-house humidifier, and it’s not possible to have a room humidifier in every room where you have plants, there are still ways to increase the humidity around them. One way is to put the plant on a tray of pebbles that is kept filled with water. The plant’s roots won’t be in the water all the time, but the evaporating water will humidify the air around the plant. You can also put trays of water out around the plants to accomplish the same thing.
• Don’t fertilize indoor plants for the next few months, as they need a resting period just like outdoor plants. There are some exceptions to this rule, such as African violets, which need to be fertilized regularly to keep blooming.
• Repot any plants that have outgrown their current pots and are getting root-bound. Root-bound plants dry out faster, and generally don’t thrive. When re-potting, don’t go up too much in pot size. The general rule of thumb is to only go up one to two inches more in diameter and height than the current pot. If your plant is already in a pretty big pot, you might want to divide it into smaller plants.

Outdoors:

• The weather forecast is calling for warmer-than-normal temperatures for the next couple of weeks. Take advantage of that to finish mulching any plants you didn’t get to in the fall (you may want to wait until after this weekend's messy weather). We tend to get fluctuations in temperatures throughout the winter, which can stress plants severely. Mulch is a great way to help your plants get through the winter, by keeping the soil temperature more consistently cold. Pay special attention to areas that are closer to the house. Those areas will warm up more quickly, so be sure they are well-mulched.
• If you didn’t get burlap screens up around your evergreens, finish that task now, too. The high winds we have been experiencing lately will continue throughout the winter. Combined with the frozen ground that doesn’t allow plants to take up water, this causes evergreens to dry out and potentially sustain significant damage. Screening them with burlap can make all the difference to their survival. Do not wrap your evergreens in burlap. Wrapping them up can cause even more damage than the wind alone. Heavy snow and ice can accumulate on the burlap, weighing down your trees and shrubs. Putting up a barrier, using stakes to hold the burlap in place, is the best way to protect evergreen trees and shrubs.
• The weather people are saying that we will have a warmer and wetter winter this year. That means that we are likely to see much more snow than we did last year, and that it will be the wet, heavy kind. We are also more likely to have ice. I’m sure that thought thrills you as much as it does me! Heavy, wet snow is very hard on outdoor plants – especially trees and shrubs, and even more so evergreens. So, when we do get the next big snow, take a look at your trees – especially the evergreens – to see if the snow is weighing down branches. If so, it might be a good idea to try to clear the snow from them to prevent damage. Gently brush the snow off, but be careful not to bang on the branches, as that can do even more harm. Don’t try to remove ice that is encasing branches though. You can cause far more damage than the ice on its own. Let it melt off naturally, and enjoy the beauty of the ice sparkling in the sun. One good thing to say about getting a lot of snow is that it does help your garden in one way – an insulating blanket of snow helps to keep the soil temperature consistent.

Birds:

• Feed the birds. Keeping the feeders clean and filled can be a time-consuming task, but one that will bring lots of pleasure as you watch your feathered friends show their appreciation for all your hard work. Feeding them throughout the winter also encourages them to stick around in the spring and summer, when they help to keep insects under control.
• Water is also important for your birds. With temperatures going below freezing, water is hard to find when you live outdoors, and birds can’t work faucets. Putting out a heated birdbath or putting a de-icer in your birdbath can be a literal lifesaver for birds during the winter, and watching them in the water is loads of fun, too!

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.