Fertilizing & Mulching – Getting Ready for Old Man Winter!

shrubs

How did your garden do this year? Any signs of malnutrition, such as slow or stunted growth, yellowing leaves, or lots of foliage and no fruit? It’s easy to underestimate the fertility needs of a vigorous garden, particularly if there are older trees and shrubs around (their roots go sideways even more than they go downwards, and can suck up a lot of the nutrients you add to your other garden beds). Use Gro-Power Winterizer as your last feeding and come March, start your trees, shrubs, and perennials back on a regular feeding schedule.

Mulch your perennial beds with Payne’s Soil Conditioner approximately mid-november because that will allow more time for the ground to freeze 1 to 2 inches deep. If you mulch the beds before a hard frost, rodents may burrow into the warm mulch. But by the first hard frost, the critters will have found their winter hiding places and will be less of a threat. Apply a layer at least 3 or 4 inches deep (6 inches for especially cold or windy sites) around each plant, then, after you’ve done so, use your hands to gently pull
the mulch a couple of inches away from trunks and stems to discourage fungus diseases.