Happy Holly Days! December 2014 Garden

PLANT:
Happy Holly Days!
December 2014
Garden Planner
• Many fruit trees are here and
ready to plant while they are dormant. Others will be arriving in January and February in biodegradable
paper pots. See a list of the Paper
Potted fruit trees on our website,
www.YamagamisNursery.com or in
the nursery. Look for the E-Z Pick
trees that will already have been
trained to have low branches for easier size control. We often sell out of
popular varieties, so get your order
in today!
• Dormant roses in paper pots
start arriving just before Christmas.
They make wonderful gifts that keep
on giving. Look for old favorites as
well as the newest award-winners.
• Blooming container gardens
brighten up the grayest of days.
They are quick and easy to plant,
then deliver color, color, color right
through the cold. Need some inspiration or guidance? Let us suggest
some cheerful winter bloomers.
• Flowering holiday plants like
Poinsettias, Cyclamen, Azaleas, and
Christmas Cactus are wonderful for
adding cheer to your home or office.
They also make terrific hostess gifts.
Place them in a cool spot indoors
with bright light, away from any
heater vents. Make sure the pots can
drain freely by cutting slits in the
bottom of any decorative pot wrap.
Ask for our FREE Poinsettia Care
Guide so you can even get them to
Copyright 12/14 • rebloom next year. NOTE: Keep holiday plants away from pets as many
are toxic if eaten.
•Plant any remaining fall flower
bulbs into the ground. Plant pansies and violas over them for a riot
of color winter through spring. Use
Dr. Earth Bulb Food to give bulbs
a strong start. Follow our FREE
Fall Bulb Planting Guide for depth
recommendations.
FERTILIZE:
• Pansies, Primroses and other cool
season color will bloom bountifully
with foliar applications of Maxsea
16-16-16 every two weeks.
• Feed Cymbidium Orchids with
GrowMore Orchid Bloom Formula (6-30-30) to promote bloom
spikes for next year’s flowers. Cymbidiums should be outdoors in a
protected spot to set buds. Use frost
fabric to protect them on nights
below freezing. Bring them indoors
to enjoy once half the flowers have
started to open.
PRUNE:
• Sharp pruning shears are critical for good, clean pruning cuts.
We offer a Bahco Sharpener if you
have a good pair of shears that have
gotten a little dull. We also offer
Felco Pruning Shears, long recognized as the best shears on the market, if what you need is a new pair.
• Winter is the time to prune most
deciduous fruit trees, shade
trees, roses and shrubs. Some
of the spring-blooming ornamental
shrubs are an exception (lilacs),
so be sure to check with one of our
Nursery Pros before cutting.
• Need some guidance for fruit tree
pruning? We recommend a handy little book, How to Prune Fruit Trees
and Roses.. It’s an invaluable, easy
to use tool. For more personal attention, attend a Fruit Tree Care
Class, dates to be announced later.
• Pruning evergreens and conifers now will help shape them, plus
you can bring the often fragrant
clippings indoors for holiday decorations. Check around your garden for
other decorative clipping material
like rose hips, Nandina (Heavenly
Bamboo), Magnolia limbs, Eucalyptus, and Citrus to customize wreaths
and centerpieces.
• Resist pruning off any frost damage that might occur until the last
frost is past (usually March). The
damaged portion of the plant will
act as insulation and help protect
the rest of the plant (including the
tender growing tip) from further
damage.
PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE:
• Dormant
Sprays – To
control fungal
problems such
as peach leaf
curl, powdery
mildew, and scab,
use Monterey
Garden Liqui-Cop. To control over-wintering insect pests,
including mites, aphids, and scale
can be controlled with an application
of Monterey Horticultural Oil
Spray This oil spray will smother
the insects overwintering in the
www.YamagamisNursery.com • All rights reserved
December 2014
Garden Planner
bark of your trees
and shrubs. Always
spray on a calm day
when rain is not expected for 48 hours.
If an unexpected
rain occurs, you will
have to re-spray.
Our FREE Fruit
Tree Care Calendar is available
here in the nursery
or on our website,
www.YamagamisNursery.com for
more information.
• Don’t Let Jack Frost Nip Your
Garden! We offer a FREE Frost
Protection Guide full of great tips
to protect your garden in winter. It
is available on our website, www.
YamagamisNursery.com under Garden Guides. One of the most overlooked precautions is simply to water
deeply before frost. Plants that are
dehydrated are damaged more easily. We offer frost protection fabric
and bags for extra protection for
Citrus, Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, and
any frost-tender plant.
• To prevent petal blight from
attacking your Camellias, be sure
to clean-up underneath the plant
before it starts to bloom, and spread
a 2” to 3” layer of clean fresh mulch
under it. The mulch will keep any
spores on the ground from splashing back on to the plant. Serious
infections can be treated with Spectracide Immunox.
• Don’t slip and fall from moss and
algae in your lawn or garden, Try
correcting the causes of the problem slime. Eliminate excess water,
Copyright 12/14 Yamagami’s Nursery
correct poor drainage, remove thick
thatch layer, and reduce soil compaction with aeration. Thin shade trees
to let in more light. For problem
areas, use Bayer 2-in-1 Moss & Algae Killer which is not only safe for
lawns but also for walkways, decks,
roofs and mulches.
• Snails and slugs like cool moist
weather, so continue to bait with
OMRI approved Sluggo or hand
control these pests. For problems
with earwigs or sowbugs, use Sluggo Plus for OMRI approved control.
• Rake up fallen leaves, fruit, or
debris to prevent diseases and
ground-dwelling insects from overwintering in your yard.
• Keep Christmas garland and
wreaths from drying out quickly by
spraying them with Cloud Cover
before displaying.
GARDEN MAINTENANCE:
• Citrus Leaf Miner is showing up
all over this year. Check your Citrus
trees for infestations. Unlike other
pest infestations treatments, DO
NOT PRUNE OFF infected parts.
Just as new growth is starting in
spring, spray tips of branches with
OMRI approved Monterey Garden
Insect Control. Repeat applications
every 7 to 14 days until new growth
emerges clean. Do not apply more
than 6 times. Spray at dusk to avoid
contact with bees.
• Turn your compost pile weekly
to keep it active and cooking. If it
doesn’t rain, water the pile after
turning it to maintain even moisture.
• Tips for keeping
your living Christmas tree healthy:
before bringing tree
inside, water soil
well and spray tree
with Cloud Cover.
Keep inside for no
more than 7 to 10
days. When the top
2 inches of soil are
dry/damp, water
with 1 or 2 trays of
ice cubes.
• Check the staking on young trees
and patio trees, especially rose trees.
The top can snap off in heavy storms
unless securely staked. See our Tree
Planting Guide for instructions on
proper tree staking.
COMING EVENTS:
Yamagami’s Holiday Schedule:
• On Wed., Dec. 24th , Yamagami’s
Nursery closes at 2 PM and will
remain closed through Thursday
and Friday, reopening on
Saturday, Dec 27th, 2014.
•
Yamagami’s Nursery is closed
Wednesday, December 31st and
Thursday, January 1st reopening
on Friday, January 2nd. 2015.
• Yamagami’s Winter Class
Schedule for January and February
should be published by mid-December. Look for classes on Pruning,
Rose Care, Fruit Tree Care, and
Japanese Maples.
• March 7th 10 AM to 2 PM Citrus
Tasting! Sample a range of different
Citrus fruit. Ask the grower any
questions you may have about what
is best for your garden.
• When you want to succeed...the first time • All rights reserved