Winter yard prep, trees, lawn, fertilizer, gnomes, etc

[photon]

Ok I'm a yard n00b, and probably always will be. We just had sod put down in September, and did all the requisite watering and such.. of course now it's cold and I'm wondering is there anything I should do for my lawn or trees before it snows? Fertilizer specifically.

Or is it too late already to do anything?

[MacDougalbry]

http://www.beginner-gardening.com/falllawncare.html


More specific to Calgary:

http://calhort.org/Downloads/documen...r.ashx?id=1388

[MacDougalbry]

Readers Digest Edition: Scott's Winter Care

[redforever]

Of prime importance in Calgary is to water in any trees and shrubs prior to winter and frost going into the ground. We are in the Chinook zone and those winds are brutal on perennials, trees and shrubs, they can deplete any moisture very quickly.

So water as much as you can now, into November if the weather lasts, so that the ground is nice and wet prior to frost going down. If you have large trees, always a good idea to have a tree well, makes it easier to water.

Come the month of February when we get the most chinooks, it is a good idea to assess the moisture situation and water again if necessary.

In Calgary, it is rarely the cold that gets the trees, shrubs and perennials, it is usually those warm winds. Those winds melt the snow, essentially taking the insulation blanket away. Then the frost can go deeper and that is what will do the plants in. Also, those warm winds can get the sap flowing early, and when the cold weather returns, the tree or shrub is still in spring mode and cant adjust fast enough to winter mode. So another good idea is to shovel the snow from your sidewalks or driveways around those trees and shrubs during the winter months.

[BlackArcher101]

If you have underground sprinklers, for the love of god get them blown out pronto.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by redforever

Come the month of February when we get the most chinooks, it is a good idea to assess the moisture situation and water again if necessary.

And I've been told the opposite. From what I know, the reason you water the crap out of the trees now is so there's moisture available all winter long. But if you water in February you risk thawing out the roots; which tells the tree winter is over and it starts up its spring routine.

For me, it's water the trees and lawn now, then next weekend I'm planning on putting down the Scotts Winter Care and also spreading seed on the lawn. Seed on a newer lawn helps it develop and will fill in any spots.

[photon]

The ground should be pretty moist, we were watering tons just after the sod went in late September. Yeah we got the sprinklers blown out already too.

The Scotts wintercare stuff says not to apply to newly sodded laws, and ours hasn't been mowed yet so I'll probably avoid that.

I'll make sure the trees get enough water too.

[MacDougalbry]

Originally Posted by ken0042

And I've been told the opposite. From what I know, the reason you water the crap out of the trees now is so there's moisture available all winter long. But if you water in February you risk thawing out the roots; which tells the tree winter is over and it starts up its spring routine.

Generally, that is the common wisdom on watering in winter, but the Chinook thing is tricky... if you have plants or trees with shallow roots, you don't want them getting "freeze dried" either if the ground starts drying out. At one of the CalHort events last February, Jim Hole actually advised people to consider light watering as early as the end of February if the Chinooks start drying out the ground.

[redforever]

[quote=MacDougalbry;1038119]Generally, that is the common wisdom on watering in winter, but the Chinook thing is tricky... if you have plants or trees with shallow roots, you don't want them getting "freeze dried" either if the ground starts drying out. At one of the CalHort events last February, Jim Hole actually advised people to consider light watering as early as the end of February if the Chinooks start drying out the ground.[/quote]

As do Barry Erskine and Wade Hartwell on the "Let's Get Gardening" hourly Sunday show on QR770. But you only water the ground, do not water the branches or needles if the tree is an evergreen.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by photon

The ground should be pretty moist, we were watering tons just after the sod went in late September. Yeah we got the sprinklers blown out already too.

The Scotts wintercare stuff says not to apply to newly sodded laws, and ours hasn't been mowed yet so I'll probably avoid that.

I'll make sure the trees get enough water too.

Keep in mind that the sod will use most of that. It is always a good idea to have a bit of a tree well to water your trees. If not, get one of those sweat hoses and lay it in a snake spiral pattern around the tree, extending to the most outer branches of the tree, and then let run for 24 hours to give the tree a good soak.

[Rathji]

When I did ran a landscaping company, this is what my horticulturist partner told our clients: If the chinook is extended, a tree(or shrub or even a perennial) will think spring is here and start to grow. Make sure it has some water during these times. As for your grass, same basic concept, but since grass gets alot more water from snow in ratio to what it needs, unless the chinook is long you wont need to consider it.


Grass is pretty hardy, I have planted sod in the middle of January and had it come in strong the next year. The main concept is if the plant is dormant, it doesnt really use anything, but if it starts to grow, the plant needs alot of water and if it cant find it, that is when the most damage can occur.

[Slava]

Hey Rath, when is a Chinook extended? Would you say that is past 4-5 days or something like that?