•This is still a good time to plant trees and most shrubs and evergreens. Roots
will grow and plants will be better established in the spring. Use Fertilome Root
Stimulator when planting and apply mulch 3-4” thick around the base of the plant,
but keep it away from the trunks of trees and stems of shrubs.
•Spray roses now with Fertilome Copper Soap, a good dormant “clean-up” of roses.
Remove any remaining leaves from roses and spray the canes to prevent overwintering
black spot disease. Wait until early spring to do major pruning of roses, but they
can be shortened for winter to 18” or more. Pile bagged Compost & Manure, Mushroom
Compost, or Baccto Garden Soil around the base of roses to about 8” deep to protect
roses over the winter. Do this after the weather is cold but before the temperatures
reach 20°.
•Apply Wilt-Pruf to evergreens with broad leaves like hollies, azaleas, boxwood,
southern magnolias, and rhododendrons to keep them from “winter burn.” Apply when
the temperatures are above freezing.
•Use Tree Wrap around trunks of newly planted and thin-barked trees like dogwood,
maples, flowering pears, etc. to prevent sunscald damage to the trunk in the winter.
Start at the bottom of the trunk and spiral the paper wrap, overlapping the edges,
up to the first main limbs. Use stretch tie or black electrical tape to secure.
•Plant spring flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus, etc.) using two tablespoons
of HiYield Bone & Bloodmeal in the hole when planting. Using a hand bulb planter
or a drill powered “Power Planter” makes the planting easier and faster. It’s not
too late to plant – as long as you can dig the hole, you can plant!
•Fertilize and repel deer at the same time with Milorganite fertilizer, an organic
sewage sludge product. Apply monthly to keep the deer away from trees and shrubs.
•Install Tree Guards around tree trunks to prevent damage from deer rubbing their
antlers. We have heavy-duty black tree guards with an open grid so they can be left
on year-round to prevent deer, rabbits, cats and other animals from damaging tree
trunks.
