Winter prep: pruning, splitting, cleaning
Leif has a new article posted (pdf) in the library. Here is the first paragraph:
With soil moisture levels running a little on the low side due to several dry periods during the 2004 growing season, most landscape plants will benefit from one more good watering prior to the onset of winter. Plants will generally go through winter in slightly better condition with the extra moisture. If you’ve been waiting to prune oaks and elms, the recent hard frosts have made it safe to go ahead. Prune these varieties between now and about April 15th when the bugs that can transmit disease might become active. Remember to leave the slightly flared area at the base of the branch when making your pruning cut. When left in place, this “collar” tissue heals quickly and secretes phenols to prevent rot in the wood exposed by the pruning cut. Avoid the use of pruning sealants. Pruning sealant can actually prevent rot resisting phenols from the bark collar from soaking into the bare wood of the pruning cut. (continued…)
Leif’s articles appear in the Saturday edition of the Northfield News, in the Home and Real Estate section. All his previous articles are archived in our web library, going back to 2001.
