Happy New Year and Prepare for Cold Weather
As a new year begins, we reflect upon the last one and set goals and expectations for the new one. New-year resolutions? Why not. Regrets? Hopefully not many. Whatever the past holds or future desires are, the staff at SmartyPlants wishes you all the best in 2012. We look forward to seeing you and to being here for all your gardening needs.
Seems like only a few days ago, we were bragging to our family and friends who don't live in South Florida about the warm weather we were experiencing. That quickly changed, but compared to the rest of the country, we can't complain. I still do, and if they could, so would the plants at the nursery. Like in your yard, many of them are more sensitive than others to cold temperatures. It's good to know which ones need more protection and which ones can take the cold. To protect entire planter beds, frost cloth cut to size is recommended. For the "special" plants that can't take the cold, you may protect them individually with plant hoods, or plant sweaters as we like to call them. These are made of breathable fabric, like the frost cloth, and are also great to keep pests away. Both types of protection are available at SmartyPlants.
After cold snaps, you may notice some leaves turning yellow and dropping. This can be expected this time of the year, but don't assume that cold weather is the reason. Too much water can also cause this as well as pest infestations. Because we've had such warm temperatures, pests are happily reproducing out there. So be vigilant in your garden. Inspect under leaves looking for aphids and other critters that hide.
Plants have been a little confused because December was so cozy, so you may have observed some unseasonal plant growth. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies due to the additional energy plants have spent growing. Look for dark greening of the veins in the leaves and leaves which have turned limey yellow (see tips below).
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