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As we move into the
winter months, complaints about deer damages in the landscape continue to
increase. And let’s face it…deer are hungry and your landscape usually
provides a good source of food. So the question now is whether deer
repellents work during the cold of winter, and if not, what else can be done
to protect specimen plants.
Deer repellents will
continue to work over the winter…Liquid Fence, Repels All, DeerScram…just
keep re-applying as needed. DeerScram, a granular deer repellent, actually
works even if it’s beneath several inches of snow. But when deer are
extremely hungry, sometimes they’ll go right thru the repellents to eat. So
for added protection, try physical barriers, and one of the easiest to use
is nylon netting. Drape and secure the nylon netting right over your
specimen plants…between the netting and the repellents, hopefully your deer
will move on to the neighbors yard.
This time of the year, I
also get a lot of questions concerning keeping those holiday Poinsettias
looking good all winter. So here’s a few pointers:
Keep your poinsettia in
a well lit area, away from drafts of hot or cold air. Direct sunlight isn’t
necessary, but it does need to be well lit.
Keep evenly moist soil
conditions, not too wet and not too dry. Water the poinsettia thoroughly
when the soil surface feels dry to a light touch. Be sure to discard any
excess water in the saucers…poinsettias left sitting in water may suffer
from permanent root-rot damage.
If you get a few leaves
yellowing, it’s due to improper watering or sunlight conditions so adjust
accordingly.
In about 6-8 weeks, lightly feed your poinsettia with an all purpose water
soluble fertilizer at about ½ the normal rate. You can increase this as the
warmer season moves in.
In mid to late May, cut
the plant back to about 8 inches, move outside to a semi sunny area, and
grow it all summer outdoors in the container. Come early September, we’ll
move it back inside and start the process of getting it to turn colors for
the holiday season. |
