Welcome To The New Year!
Hello, and welcome to a brand new year. Let’s take a look at some things happening, and to do in the garden this month.
January is quite often a time of change for a lot of folks, we make New Year resolutions about things we want to do and alter in our lives in the coming year and we can do that too in our gardens. It’s a good time to look back at the last year, see what worked in the garden, what didn’t, and plan any changes we would like to make. We need to work around the weather regarding planting anything of course; we have just had a short hot spell which is not ideal for transplanting anything!
Keep watering!
Speaking of hot weather, keep on top of your watering when the temperature creeps up especially fruiting plants, fruit trees and pots. By the same token you need to be careful that you don’t overwater, this fills all the spaces between soil particles up with water and the roots basically drown and die. If that occurs the plant will, in time, die of starvation. Using a wetting agent and ensuring everything is well mulched will make keeping your plants happy and healthy much easier.
If we are going to get a day or days mid 30 degrees and up then prepare early. An application of GoGo Juice or Seasol will help your plants cope with the heat, apply a wetting agent to the soil if you haven’t already done so, water well the day before or early in the morning and put some shade over vulnerable plants. This can be shade cloth, old sheets or really anything to through some shade during the hottest part of the day
There are some plants that love the heat though. Frangipani which comes in a range of flower colours will thrive in the hottest part of the yard, either in the ground or in a pot. Up against a north facing wall with reflected heat of the building is a great spot; just don’t overwater them as they will not tolerate wet feet. Salvia, in all their forms and colours, are another group of plants that love our summer heat. They range from almost groundcovers to roughly 1 metre in height, flower prolifically and just need a hard prune after the best of the flowering is over to bring them back better than ever.
Planting those summer fruit & veg!
There is still plenty of time for planting summer vegetables. We really didn’t have a Spring so things like tomatoes, chillies, capsicums, melons and pumpkins which are all heat lovers that can still be put in now and have ample time to grow and fruit.
Do you need to put a bird net over your fruit trees? Do it now if you haven’t already done it, there’s nothing worse than seeing your fruit disappear overnight if or when the birds discover it. If your fruit trees have finished fruiting. If they have finished fruiting it’s time to put a little work into them too. A good feed now will help them recover from the crop they just produced and give them the boost they need as they will bare starting to set fruiting wood ready for the next season.
Most fruit trees will benefit from a summer prune to thin out and reduce overall size. Apricots in fact should pretty much only have a summer prune as heavy winter pruning can often result in disease entering pruning cuts that can’t heal quickly enough. Keep giving your trees a good deep weekly water too.
Final notes
Remember not to cut lawns too short in hot weather, leaving some extra leaf helps to shade the roots and cuts down on evaporation from the soil. If we get a prolonged hot spell don’t cut the lawn at all but afterwards reduce the height in stages to minimise damage. When watering try to apply 20-25ml in one application as this will soak in further and develop a deeper root system which helps the grass cope better too. An application of a soil wetter won’t go astray either, apply and then water in.
As always when working out in the garden at this time of the year remember to be sun smart, hydrate well and stay safe. Happy gardening.
Don't forget to tune in to our facebook live with Phil
Ask one of our knowledgeable garden staff members for advice if you have any questions regarding anything having to do with your garden, indoors or out. We would be pleased to lead you on the correct path. Call us on 1300 165 165 or visit your local store.