During winter, there are some handy tips and tricks for healthy winter gardens.
Now that the cooler weather of winter is here, gardens don’t loose as much water to evaporation as they do in summer. Because of this, soils can easily waterlog if over watered, particularly on the southern side of homes and in well shaded areas.
If you have an automatic watering system, during these cooler months reduce the watering time to at least half that of summer.
When watering, do so in the morning so that both soil & plants can dry off before nightime. This will reduce fungal disease. If possible, water directly onto soil & not onto plant foliage. Fungal diseases love wet conditions and if the plant leaves are wet during the night, this creates ideal conditions for fungal diseases to proliferate, so this is very important for healthy plant growth.
It is commonly thought that plants don’t need fertilising in winter, but this is not true. Plants will flourish with the right winter fertilising. What is more important is the type of fertilisers used. High nitrogen fertilisers are more suited for spring through to autumn, but not really for winter. However, fertilisers containing high amounts of Potash (Potassium) are excellent for developing deep green leaves and promoting plant strength and vigour through winter.
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