Health & Fitness
DECEMBER GARDEN TASKS
I think we all need to do a rain dance! If you have recently planted an entire landscape or just one plant make sure to keep new plants irrigated during our dry, cold weather. Soil should be wet but not soggy.
Irrigate Since we haven’t had much rain I would turn back on automatic irrigation for one day per week. Especially if you have frost-sensitive plants.
Plant bulbs, winter annuals and drought-tolerant plants The ground is still fine to work since we haven’t had any rain. I would not plant anything frost-sensitive now.
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Spray dormant, deciduous fruit trees, berries and roses with dormant oil spray...this protects plants from insects and their eggs by smothering them. Be sure to clean up any leaves and fruit on plants and ground. With roses, I like to prune and remove any leaves first.
Frost watch If frost is predicted make sure frost-sensitive plants like citrus and Bougainvillea have enough moisture in soil. If plants are not in a protected spot and have suffered frost damage before think about covering with a frost blanket, old sheet, burlap or paper. It’s best if the material doesn’t touch leaves by propping it up with stakes. Remove cover during the day. Or try a string of electric lights - it will look festive and keep the plant warm.
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Clean up leaves from surfaces (soil, hardscape and lawn) and remove leaves from the top and inside of plants.
Weed Pull up weeds before they flower and set seed.
Mulch Add 1-2” layer of mulch to suppress growth of more weeds. I usually do this once all the autumn leaves have fallen and been cleaned up.
Purchase bare-root plants like fruit trees and roses from nurseries and mail-order companies. Get them into ground asap.
