Many people often ask: “How is business going now that it’s Winter? Do you have enough work"?”
It is understandable this misconception about gardening only being for the growing season when everything is looking bright and beautiful, however, over Winter there are many things to be done. Often times there is just as much to do in Winter, if not more, and much less fine days with which to do it in.
Below I have listed for you, some of the things that may be done in Winter.
Mulching: If you have not done your Mulching yet, which is ideally done in Autumn prior to the cold months, have no fear, you can still, and should still get it done in early Winter before the coldest time of the Winter months kick in. Mulch will act both as a barrier to mitigate weeds, which are much more prevalent during Winter when the heavy rains come, and also acts as a blanket to keep the soil around the roots of plant warm so as not to send some plants in to shock from the cold.
Pruning: That’s right! While not all pruning takes place in Winter, Most trees, shrubs and roses etc, you will find are ideally pruned in the Winter months. Many ornamental fruit trees, as well as many Citrus, stone fruit etc are ideally pruned in the dead of Winter, just before the growing season in Spring. Rose pruning is the same. While it is not as important exactly how far in to Winter roses are pruned, conventional wisdom has it that in Australia, July through to mid August is the ideal time, however anytime throughout Winter is okay for giving roses the much needed hard pruning they require for healthy growth in Spring.
Pruning is ideally done when not wet, as it is recommended to use Steri-Prune or a similar product which can be applied to both roots and/or shoots to protect against infection especially with larger open cuts to the plant. Also, with rose pruning it is good practice to always follow up a hard prune immediately with an application of Lime Sulphur sprayed lightly over the entire rose to control any potential disease which may affect roses after a prune.
Weed control: Just as mentioned before, weeds become prevalent in the Winter months due to excessive rainfall. Garden beds can be weeded and/or the earth cultivated with a hoe or turned over with a spade, however, pavers, and other hard surfaces with no plant life are difficult to hand weed so finding a break in between rain fall to spray a total herbicide is often necessary several times throughout Winter. You will need a total herbicide that will kill almost all forms of plant life such as Glyphosate. Many people are reluctant to use Glyphosate nowadays due to it’s potentially carcinogenic nature, however, other methods can be used such as steam cleaner to burn weeds away. The however, will not wok it’s way down to the root system of the weeds but will instead burn the part of the weed which is above ground level. You can also use vinegar and other home made recipes to treat weeds.
Weed control in lawns: Weed control in lawns over the winter becomes more technical as you cannot use a total herbicide a steam cleaner or anything else which will harm your lawn. There are a variety of different selective herbicides that will control a range of weeds, however, which products can be mixed and used together as well as the rates, and which lawns they are safe to use on really require expert knowledge, so it is best for safe use and for effective results to consult an expert lawn care team for spraying weeds in lawns.
Over Winter, many forms of broadleaf weeds form, as well as prick weeds such as clover and most notoriously Bindii, otherwise known as Onehunga, JoJo, or Bindy-Eye. This weed has nasty prickles, and if weeds are not treated in Winter, they will drop seed and give you many more problems come the proceeding warmer months when you will want to enjoy your lawn without unsightly weeds or painful prickles.
If you live in Western Australia and would like to have your lawn sprayed for weeds anytime from June to the end of October, feel free to call Nedlands Garden Service on +61451117865 and someone will be able to assist you. Alternatively you can send a request through our main website contact page: https://www.nedlandsgardenservice.com.au/contact
Spring flowering bulbs:
Storing bulbs in the refrigerator over Winter is a good way to promote better flowering when put in the ground over Spring time. Many climates where the Winter is milder such as Australia, this is a good practice. For more information on the correct way to store bulbs over Winter visit: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/bgen/preparing-bulbs-for-winter-how-to-store-bulbs-for-winter.htm
