Turn the winter blues into greenery and keep your outdoor plants looking lively and lush with these tips for gardening in winter.
Winter is often associated with bare trees, frosty mornings and dormant gardens. However, with the right approach, you can keep your garden green and lively throughout the colder months. In this blog post, we will share our favourite plant care tips and product recommendations, to help you care for your garden plants during winter. Let’s dig in!
Keep your garden from catching a cold: gardening in winter
How to keep winter frost from damaging your young plants
Winter frost can be especially damaging to young and delicate plants, causing leaves and stems to turn black and die. And although many areas of South Africa don’t get exceptionally cold, most of the inland areas of South Africa experience some degree of frost and the frost belts fall within vast areas.
Cover any frost-sensitive plants with a Wonder Plant Guard Protection Barrier before the sun reaches their leaves in the morning to prevent frost burn and move tender plants planted in containers up against the house to provide protection from cold temperatures.
Another tip for gardening in winter is to put mulch around the base of your young stems to protect them against the cold.
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How to add nutrients to your soil for healthy plant growth
Winter can deplete soil nutrients, leaving your plants starved for essential elements. To improve soil health and provide nutrients for your plants, you can add Wonder Organic Vita-Boost to your garden beds, and feed seedlings monthly with this nutrient rich fertiliser and soil conditioner..
Wonder Super Phosphate is a high phosphorus fertiliser for stimulating root growth in lawns, seedlings, trees and shrubs and can help keep your outdoor plants growing wonderfully.
Check out Wonder’s full fertiliser range online.
How to water your plants this winter
During the winter season, soil compaction can occur due to the combination of rain and frost. This can make it challenging for water and nutrients to reach the roots of your plants. To ensure healthy root growth and promote better soil drainage and oxygen flow, consider aerating your soil. Creating small holes in the soil will allow for better water and air penetration.
When watering your plants during winter, it’s best to do so in the early morning. This will help dissolve any frost in the beds and allow the soil to dry out slightly before the cold night sets in. While your plants don’t need as much water during dormancy as they do in the spring and summer, it’s still important to water them deeply a few times a month. Trees and larger landscape perennials should be watered between the trunk and the drip line, while smaller plants can be watered near their crowns. Be sure not to overwater your plants and avoid leaving the ground soggy, as this can lead to root rot and suffocation.
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How to avoid pH imbalances in your garden’s soil
Winter weather can cause pH imbalances in your soil, leading to nutrient deficiencies and stunted plant growth. To avoid this problem, test your soil pH using a soil testing kit.
This will help you determine if your soil is too acidic or alkaline and identify any nutrient deficiencies. If your soil pH needs adjusting, you can use Wonder Dolomitic AG Lime to bring it back into the optimal range for your plants. This great product raises the pH of acidic soils and prevents calcium deficiency from occurring. By keeping your soil pH balanced, you can ensure your plants have the nutrients they need to thrive. All winter long.
How to do lawn care over winter
Did you know that fertilising your lawn during winter can help keep it healthy and green? Even in the warmer parts of South Africa, where lawn grass doesn’t fully hibernate, it still grows at a slower pace. That’s why it’s important to give your lawn a boost with some Wonder Organic Vita-Boost to keep it looking its best.
Now that you have all the tips and tricks you need for gardening in winter, it’s time to put on your gardening gloves and get to work. Don’t let the chilly weather discourage you from taking care of your plants – with the right tools and a little bit of know-how, you’ll have a winter wonderland of beautiful, healthy plants in no time. Remember to follow Wonder on Facebook and Instagram for doses of social greenery (and the best tips and tricks for seasonal plant care).
