Unlike summer, your garden is at rest in winter. However, it also needs special care during the cold season. We reveal the mistakes to avoid in the garden and how you can support your garden plants. This will not only prevent damage, but also ensure that you’ll be able to enjoy your perennials again in spring.
The 10 most common mistakes when gardening in winter :
Walking on the lawn when it’s snowing can damage it. And did you know that garden plants can also die of thirst in winter? To make sure spring doesn’t start with a nasty surprise, there are a few things you need to watch out for in the garden right now.
1. don’t protect sensitive trees
When the sun shines in sub-zero temperatures, the risk of frost damage is particularly high for trees. The side of the trunk facing the sun warms up, causing the bark to expand. Meanwhile, the side facing away from the sun remains frozen. The resulting stresses eventually crack the bark. Wounds in the bark allow parasites, fungi and bacteria to develop easily. Young trees are particularly vulnerable.
2. don’t water garden plants in winter
A common mistake when gardening in winter: you stop watering altogether. Yet evergreen garden plants need a little water even in winter. When the sun shines, water evaporates through the leaves. If the ground is also frozen, the roots can’t get any water. So, as soon as the ground thaws a little, you need to water the plant a little.
Tip: always keep an eye on the weather forecast. Always water your evergreen plants, for example, before a prolonged period of frost. If it’s dry and not freezing, you should also water your plant in winter.
3. walking on the lawn in winter
If there’s frost, snow or ice, don’t walk on the lawn in winter. Walking on the snow could compact it, “starving the grass of air”. This mistake can lead to typhoid rot, a typical winter lawn disease.
On the other hand, if the turf is covered with frost, or completely frozen in the event of a frost, the individual blades may break off when walked on. This results in grass dying and brown spots appearing on the lawn.
4. your tub plants lack light
Some tub plants can’t stand frost, so they spend the winter indoors. Oleanders, bay trees, date palms and some citrus varieties continue to bear their leaves in winter. So make sure you choose a location for these plants that isn’t too dark.
5. your plants sweat under frost protection
To protect plants from frost, they are wrapped well before winter. At the end of winter, however, this becomes a problem. On sunny days it’s already very warm, but at night it can still freeze. If necessary, you can remove the frost protection during the day and put it back on in the evening. If plants sweat under the frost protection, they risk budding too early. Make sure that the frost protection material lets in light and air.
6. your compost heap isn’t protected
This isn’t necessarily a mistake, but the following tip, which can help you garden in winter, is quite sensible: Cover the compost heap with cardboard, old carpets or bags filled with straw or leaves. This prevents the heat produced from escaping as quickly, and the compost decomposes more quickly.
7. you don’t remove the masses of snow
When it snows heavily, it’s essential to keep an eye on your hedges and trees. If the weight of the snow is too heavy, branches could break. If the branches are already bending a little, or if the layer of snow is thicker than ten centimetres, you should free your plants from the weight of the snow.
8. spreading too much salt
With a few exceptions, road salt is forbidden for private use anyway. If you still have a few leftovers, don’t spread them on your garden paths. Salt is harmful to flowerbeds, trees and hedges if it seeps into the ground with the meltwater.
9. You let the garden pond completely freeze
The garden pond should remain at least partially frost-free so that decomposition gases can escape. These form at the bottom of the pond when plant remains decompose. The fish in the pond risk being poisoned by these gases. This is why you should remove dead plants and dead leaves from the pond in the fall. To prevent the pond from freezing, you can place a large piece of wood or a sheet of polystyrene on the surface of the water. In case of emergency, a ventilation hole must be made in the ice.
10. you store phytosanitary products too cold
Plant protection products can be rendered unusable by frost. So do not store them in the garden shed or garage during the winter. If the consistency of the product has changed during the winter, this is a sign that you should no longer use it.
If you follow these tips for gardening in winter, you will not only save yourself a whole series of work, but also a lot of money to replace plants that have died.
