Use calendar to track winter watering schedule
Proper irrigation will protect plants from cold temperatures, punishing winds
: Wow! With all the rain we had earlier this week I won’t have to water my trees and shrubs for a long time. Right?! — L.P., Albuquerque
A: For the most part you’re correct, with a wee caution. I suggest you mark a calendar on the days that the landscaping received measurable precipitation. Then in two to three weeks, unless more wet weather has happened, you’ll want consider giving everything a drink of water. Especially if it gets really windy and/or extremely frosty. Think of water in this way: a snuggly muffler around your neck or thicker warm socks on your feet! Without moisture (the muffler or socks) surrounding the roots of your living treasures they’ll suffer with the advent of colder temperatures.
As the dormant season progresses you’ll want to step down the watering to perhaps no more that every three weeks to monthly by the end of December, remembering to continue watering periodically all winter long. But again if it stays very dry and/or we do have gusty, windy, mild days stay prepared to offer water to the landscaping.
That’s why you’ll want to utilize a calendar. If you’re like me you’ll remember that yes, we did have substantial DIGGING IN
Qrain, but how long ago was it? Make notes on a calendar. Know, too, that if it’s been nearly two weeks or longer since the plantlife has had a drink, but it’s not really water day, and the nighttime temperatures are going to take a nose dive, get out and water before that happens. It’s the moisture in the soil that’ll protect the plants. I can hear those that think “Well, the ‘native’ plants don’t get additional water … mine should be fine, too.” That’s not the case. I’ll bet that most — if not all — of the living creatures in your landscaping wouldn’t be considered native. Most everything started from seed or was containerized and planted in your grounds. That fact disqualifies native in that sense and they’ll need far more consideration to stay healthy through the dormant season.
So mark the calendar as to when there was/is measurable precipitation and count forward marking “water day.” If it does rain or snow before water day make note and start the count from that date to determine your next water day instead. It’s a diary you’re keeping of what happened when and what needs to happen when, according to the weather. Please, just don’t stop watering all together. That would put a lot of pressure on your plants and they are dependent on you to keep them safe!
Q: Is it too late to make the poinsettia I’ve kept as a houseplant bloom for the coming holidays? — A.P., Albuquerque
A: It’s never too late! In fact with the shortening of natural daylight part of the process has probably started. But here’s what you should do to get this happy treasure to come into bloom.
First, if it lives in a place that is truly bright and has artificial light on it in the evening hours, it’ll need to move. You want the plant to have 12 hours of solid darkness every night for the next 30 nights. If that means moving to a room that isn’t lit up at night, do so.
I have a western exposure room that gets good light during the day but in the evening the curtains are drawn and the room is rarely entered during the night time hours. No light at all from 6 p.m. until the next morning when the curtain is thrown open. I also keep the room temperature lower than the used part of the house.
Now if you don’t move the plant, get in the habit of covering it each night with a cardboard box, remembering to uncover every morning. Poinsettias can be brittle so make sure the box is roomy enough to accommodate it.
You should back off on the constant water you’ve been giving it, too. Allow it to dry out a bit more between waterings. Not droopy dry just not as perfectly as you’ve kept it all growing season long, OK?
Then after your month of light/dark therapy put the plant back where it lived and soon it should transform with the leaf color changing and flower bud set. It’s not a hard process, but a very committed one to get the poinsettia back into bloom! Have fun Diggin’ In!