January 2007 , Volume 18 Number 2
Community Paper
copyright ©2006 by Community Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

JANUARY IN THE GARDEN
by Nick Francisco, Blodgett Gardens
3821 Edgewater Drive, 407-295-2363
See this month's ad!


PLANTS AS HOLIDAY GIFTS
Traditional poinsettias or mums make excellent gifts that your host will always be able to find a use for. Or be a nonconformist and give a holiday citrus tree (or any other plant your recipient may have a desire for) wrapped with a big red bow of course. This gift will keep on giving for many years. Stumped for gift ideas for the gardener on your list? How about one our folding spreaders. Very user friendly (unusual for a spreader) and something most gardeners just don©ˆt buy for themselves. If he or she has a spreader how about a new 1 gallon sprayer? Gardeners need at least two. One for pesticides and a separate one for herbicides. Most of us only have one which we have to triple rinse between applications to remove those herbicide residues. Frost season is here! Northern environments have a gradual cooling to constant cold temperatures which prepares the plants for the cold weather. Here in the south we may have 85 degrees one day and 31 to 32 the next Our plants are seldom prepared for the arrival of colder temperatures due to the roller coaster rise and fall of the temperature. Fertilome Winterizer applied to turf and shrubs feeds and promotes root growth all winter for a healthier landscape next spring. Over seeding with rye grass ? Feed your dormant grass (remember its roots are still growing even though the leaves are not) with light monthly applications of Fertilome Winterizer or the rye grass will rob your existing turf of vital nutrients. Promote better spring growth by building a better root system all winter with Fertilome Winterizer.

Transplanting
Many times we are asked to move a tree or large shrub to a more desirable location because it has grown too large for its original placement Winter is the best time to relocate our landscape materials. You should have a 99% success rate if you follow this 8 week digging schedule. First remove the top layer of soil and mulch, slightly exposing the surface roots without damaging them. Draw a circle around the trunk 12" from the stem for every i~ of trunk diameter. Divide this outer circle into quarters, picking one to start with. Sharpen your shovel with a file so you will be making clean cuts to the roots (dean cuts heal faster than jagged ones). Dig down 12" to 24" (depth depending upon variety and existing root system) staying outside the circle removing one shovel width of soil. When you are past the lateral growing roots we will undercut (at the 12" to 24" depth) the root ball severing all downward growing roots. We backfill the hole with liberal amounts of water and 2 to 5 gallons of Fertilome Root Stimulator (mixed at 3 tablespoons per gallon of water). Spray the foliage with Fertilome Frost Pruf Soak water the plant weekly to promote new root growth. WAIT 2 WEEKS.

Repeat the above process on the third quarter that is directly opposite the first quarter you did 2 weeks ago. This should totally sever all downward growing roots which take the longest to reform. Backfill as before with liberal amounts of water and 2 to 5 gallons of Fertilome Root Stimulator. WAIT 2 MORE WEEKS. Repeat the side dig of the first quarter but do NOT undercut the root ball Undercutting here may disturb the formation of new downward growing roots. Backfill as before with liberal amounts of water and 2 to 5 gallons of Fertilome Root Stimulation. WAIT 2 MORE WEEKS.

Repeat the above dig on the last quarter Backfill as before with liberal amounts of water and 2 to 5 gallons of Fertilome Root Stimulator.

Blodgett Gardens is now channel 9's local garden expert. Channel 9 has a forum through their website where individuals may ask specific questions to their problems and we (the experts) will answer their specific questions rather than having to come into the store. Of course visual ID is required for some solutions but many may be answered without seeing a sample.
http://www.localsolutionsnetwork.com/expert/expert.cfm?cfapp=11&from=1&expert=96&eid=12969&specialID=1