Spread wood ashes evenly on vegetable garden. Use no more than 1.5 pounds per 100 square feet a year. Do not use if the soil pH is higher than 7.0 or if potassium levels are excessive.
Use dormant sprays of lime sulfur or copper fungicide on fruit trees and roses for general disease control.
Protect new landscape plants from wind with staking, guy wires, windbreaks and site selection.
Make sure that landscape plants in protected sites receive water regularly during the winter.
Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified.
Take care of yard sanitation: Rake leaves, cut and remove withered stalks of perennial flowers, mulch flowerbeds, hoe or pull winter weeds.
Check for rodent damage around base of trees and large shrubs.
Spray peach trees with lime sulfur or approved fungicides to protect against peach leaf curl. Choose resistant varieties if possible.
There’s still time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses. Don’t delay. This is a good time of year to plant trees and landscape shrubs.
Avoid mounding mulching materials around the base of trees and shrubs. They might provide cover for rodents.
During heavy rains, watch for drainage problems in the yard. Tiling, ditching and French drains are possible solutions.
Protect poinsettias from cold, place in sunlight, don’t let leaves touch cold windows; fertilize with houseplant fertilizers to maintain leaf color.
Monitor houseplants for adequate water, fertilizer and humidity. Water and fertilizer requirements generally are less in winter.
Check stored flower bulbs, fresh vegetables and fruits for rot and fungus problems. Discard any showing signs of rot.
Make holiday decorations from trees and shrubs in the yard.
Monitor spruce trees for spruce aphids. Treat if present in large numbers. Read and follow label directions.
Tie limbs of columnar evergreens to prevent snow or ice breakage.
If the lawn is frozen, stay off it.
Use paper tree wraps on lower trunks of newly planted fruit and nut trees to avoid sun damage.
