January is a good time to do some lawn and garden maintenance. Temperatures tend to be moderate enough in some areas to work outside on good weather days. Yes, there are still steps you can take for prevention and preparation for the spring.
Leftover from the holidays
- Recycle or plant your living Christmas tree.
- If you have a poinsettia plant (Euphorbia pulcherrima ), place near a window where it can receive as much direct light as possible. Water the plant when the soil surface is dry to the touch. Allow the water to come out of the bottom of the pot; however, do not allow the poinsettia to sit in water.
- Recycle outdoor holiday plants like azaleas, cyclamen, and poinsettias. Remove the foil from the containers and place them in a sheltered area until you can plant them.
Prevention to avoid future issues
- Check for frost swells around your outdoor plants and apply additional mulch as needed.
- If you are storing bulbs, rhizomes, or tubers, check them to make sure that they are not rotting or too dry.
- Prune fruit trees to promote healthy growth and fruit production.
- Protect tender plants on cold nights.
- Cut back on feeding houseplants. Do not feed dormant houseplants.
- Complete any trimming of perennials. Remove dead branches from rose bushes and dead limbs from trees and shrubs.
Preparation for the spring
- Clean and sharpen gardening tools.
- Plant or transplant frost-tolerant perennials.
- Apply dormant spray to roses.
- Plant bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines.
- Prune winter-blooming shrubs and vines just after they bloom.
- Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines.
- Plant bare-root perennial vegetables.
- Sow seeds for cool-season vegetables.
- Prune winter-blooming shrubs and vines just after they bloom
Check out our previous articles for all your January gardening tips.
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