Manure, if you can get it, is still the best for a garden (well rotten that is). I get it from a neighbor and compost it for six months. Used fresh it can burn. Never use it on the bottom of a planting hole with woody plants. It will cause forced top growth and will not harden off before cold weather. Both cow and horse manure add humus to the soil. . Fertilizers do not.
You can garden organically without using any chemicals. Just compost and manures will do it.
I also add fresh manure to the compost pile in the Fall. I do turn it now and then or drive a rod into it to aerate the pile. The new tubs that they sell that rotate will make compost in half the time. Either way, you never have enough!
Chemical fertilizers do the same thing. The plants can’t tell the difference. But the soil needs humus to maintain its filth and productivity so a combination of compost. dried manure, peat moss, or chemical fertilizers will give you a healthy and productive garden.
It is almost time to prune ornamental grasses. They should be cut down as low as you can to allow the new grass to come up. You can also bum it down.
Clematis can also be pruned now. Make sure you know which one you have. It makes a difference in the pruning. Some bloom on old wood – some on new wood.
Rosa Rugosa can be cut back by one third. Don’t remove mulch yet till warmer weather.
Check Dahlias to. make sure they are not drying out. If they are, you can moisten them with a spray bottle (but ever so slightly – they can get moldy if too damp).
About this time, J start my Elephant Ears with new soil and compost. It takes about two and a half months in the greenhouse to get large enough to put outside (and then only when the weather is really warm).
For Bonsai that were outside all Winter, now is the time to repot and root prune them.
While things are slow, it is a good time to get equipment ready – sharpen blades, new spark plugs, change oil and filters.
Flower pots can be washed in a solution of bleach (ratio of 9 to 1). This will kill any carry-over diseases.
When Spring finally comes (and it will come), we will be ready. A busy time but worth it all when everything is growing and blooming. Happy gardening!
