Winter Watering

Hand Watering Young Trees & Shrubs

Prolonged periods of dryness and above freezing temperatures can limit a plant’s chances at survival or to achieve their full potential. Oftentimes, if a plant does not receive adequate moisture during a warm and dry winter, it will have injured branches or the leader branch at the very top will die. Worst case scenario the plant will die completely or wake up in spring and grow normally and then die once temperatures get too warm and it uses all of the stored food energy from the prior season. Woody plants that are stressed are also subject to insect and disease problems.

Watering Guidelines:

• Method: Hand water using a hose or bucket. Keep your irrigation system off and winterized until mid May.

• Frequency: Water once or twice per month if there is no or little rainfall or snow. The ideal amount of winter water for young xeriscapes with woody plants in our climate is equivalent to about 2” of rain per month. Do not over water. Adjust for your soil type (fast draining vs slow draining).

• Timing: Only water when the air temperature is above 40 degrees. Water in the morning so the water can soak in before the ground freezes at night.

• Focused Applications: Only focus on woody plants (trees and shrubs with wood stems and branches) that have been installed within the last 5 years.

• Conifers & Evergreens: These trees form the backdrop to our winter gardens, offer valuable habitat and food, provide windbreaks and noise dampening, which  makes them immensely valuable in the urban environment. Your evergreen trees do not enter full dormancy like deciduous trees (broadleaf trees that lose their leaves). Instead, they enter a winter acclimation period during fall and early winter when daylight shortens and and temperatures drop. This acclimation includes adaptations like producing “antifreeze” or a resin to protect their needles so they can photosynthesize during any available sunlight. At this time, you may notice some of the interior needles dropping off the tree, this is the plant “harvesting” the energy from the interior needles and drawing the energy down into the roots to grow the root system. While the conifers and evergreens are undergoing these survival adaptations (September – January), it is important to make sure these trees are well watered using the guidelines found above. This can extend to older aged conifers as well.

• 

Snug as a Bug in a Rug? Try Making a Bug Snug with Materials From Your Garden.

Creating a Bug Snug is a feel-good, creative activity that people of all ages can enjoy as a way to connect with the landscape around them. The impacts are real, especially if your garden includes native plants that attract native bees.

In North America, most native solitary bees live short lives, while native bumblebees must survive the winter in order to start new colonies in the spring. By providing safe shelter—a place for solitary bees to lay their larvae to overwinter, and for bumblebees to hibernate and re-emerge in spring—you support these vital pollinators. In doing so, you also help sustain the entire web of life that depends on them.

How to Make an Easy DIY Bug Snug:

• Pick a location for your Bug Snug. Do you want it to be a winter focal point or hidden in a sheltered location?

• Find 3 firm sticks that are about – 30” long

• Create a tripod or tipi conical shape using the sticks. Gently tap the sticks into the ground about 2” so the structure will not fall over.

• Fasten the top of the tripod or tipi with biodegradable twine such as hemp.

• Gather dry leaves, hollow stems, twigs, and cuttings from your garden and layer them inside your stick structure.

• If your Bug Snug looks like a squirrel’s nest, then you did it right!

• Leave your bug snug standing until daytime temperatures reach 70 degrees in mid or late may. You may disassemble the bug snug and gently scatter the materials in the back of a mulched garden bed out of view to decompose and add nutrients to your soil.

Silver Sage Xeriscape & Design is in the local media!

Take a look at Voyage Utah’s “Rising Stars” December Release:

https://voyageutah.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-shane-baldwin-of-south-salt-lake-city/