It is, without a doubt, the season of the year in which we pay the least attention. And, although our little piece of nature is asleep, the truth is that it still needs us. A good reason to learn about the essential winter garden care so that, with the arrival of good weather, it can shine to its full potential. And how to prepare the garden for spring depends, to a large extent, on giving it the attention it deserves in the cold months.
Taking care of the garden in winter does not only involve planting those outdoor plants, bulbs or winter planting trees. In addition to that, it is essential to carry out minimal maintenance tasks on it that are not only intended to take care of it. Added, they will avoid one of the headaches of any gardening lover: diseases.
So let’s look in detail at seven tasks that we tend to perform in the middle of winter. Seven simple tasks that will ensure that, with the return of good weather, we will fully enjoy the garden.
With the arrival of cold weather, most plants enter a state of vegetative rest. A natural and essential break that allows them to stay alive, saving nutrients and energy, in the face of a climate that does not favor growth. But this vegetable break does not mean that we forget about them completely. Not only will they need us to continue watering them, although in an infinitely smaller amount than at other times of the year. They will also require certain fundamental care to be able to wake up from lethargy with the arrival of good weather.
And yes: it is true that, although we are clear that garden care in winter is essential, the cold does not invite much to go out to the garden. But nothing like shaking off laziness and taking advantage of the central hours of the day to carry them out. And not only because it is the most beneficial time for us. Added, it will also be the same for your plants since it is precisely that time of day that is ideal for watering.
1. Eliminate damaged plants, key to avoiding infections
With the arrival of cold weather, many plants dry out or rot. And, although we think that there is nothing wrong with leaving them there, nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that a plant in poor condition is a source of infections and fungi, so eliminating them should be a priority task.
The thing is not only to eliminate the plant from the place where it is. It is also advisable to clean the substrate in which it was planted and the one that surrounds it. A way to eliminate any possible source of infection from our equation.
2. Check the weeds, one of the most important winter garden care tasks
Although our outdoor plants and trees are in forced vegetative rest, there are some that continue to thrive despite everything. We are referring to adventitious herbs: those that grow among ours at any time of the year and that, far from being only unaesthetic, can also be harmful to our nature.
Eliminating weeds from the garden is crucial. Its presence not only steals nutrients from our plants: it also serves as a protection for the presence of pests and fungi. For this reason, even if it is cold, we will have to spend time pulling them out and eliminating them thoroughly.
3. Protect plants and their roots, essential to save us trouble
It is more than likely that, with the arrival of winter, we thought about how to protect the garden from the cold. However, it must be clear that those measures that we took at the time are subject to the weather and, therefore, may have ceased to fulfill their protective function.
Well into spring, it is important to check if our plants and their roots are well protected. What’s more: even if we didn’t do it in November, now is still a good time to mulch and prevent, thanks to it, the late winter frosts from taking their toll on our plants.
4. Enrich the soil, a bet to improve spring
One of the fundamental winter garden care that we will have to relegate to the end of the season. Cold, frost and snow tend to compact the ground. Something that not only greatly impedes the correct growth of plants but also usually causes the impoverishment of nutrients in the soil.
For this reason, it is important to apply an organic fertilizer to the soil, such as compost or worm castings, before the arrival of spring. Thanks to it, we will not only enrich the substrate: we will also improve aeration; and we will awaken all the microbial fauna that lives in the soil and that is key to the generation of nutrients. For our bottom fertilizer to achieve its objective, the ideal is to remove the soil and mix it with the fertilizer. And extremely important: carry out this work away from the roots to avoid damaging them.