Bakersfield Life

With recent economic troubles, people are inclined to spend less. Instead of going out for dinner, many are eating at home. Rather than travel on their time off, people are opting for “staycations.” All this time at home can fuel the desire for a year-round green lawn — but winter can be a cruel beast to plants and lawns, so your gardens and yards may need a “makeover.”

 

When preparing the foliage around one’s home for cold weather, ensure success with the three P’s: preparation, planting and protection.

 

“The absolutely best place to start is the soil,” said Rita White, owner of White Forest Nursery. “If the soil is good, anything will grow. As long as it is not frost-tender and planted in the correct place.”

 

Fertilization and soil are key to ensure a good, healthy green lawn over the winter. Organic fertilizers and fertilizers high in potassium are best for this job.

 

“Potassium is like vitamin C for plants,” said Randy Dirkes of Gardener’s Supply. “It is a major factor in plant health, vitality and cell wall thickness ... which protects from freeze damage and fungus diseases.”

 

It is best to get a head start on the cold weather.

“Thirty days before the first frost is the best time, which is usually mid- to late November in Bakersfield,” Dirkes said. “This gives the plants and grass time to assimilate the material and ‘harden’ for the wintertime.”

 

Clean your yard well and rid it of any weeds or other organic materials that will shelter insects, such as dead limbs, leaves or branches on fruit trees, which are prone to eggs. Pruning will also make your plants stronger and more likely to survive the winter.

 

Because the ground does not freeze in Bakersfield, grass roots remain active and grow throughout the winter months. However, Bermuda grass — the most common grass used for lawns — is dormant during winter and requires over-seeding of a cool weather breed. A good choice is perennial rye grass, which mixes in with the Bermuda and disappears when the cold gives way to warmth.

 

If you have a flower garden and would like to keep growing in the winter, roses, pansies and mums are all plants that fair well in colder months, or broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and beets if you grow vegetables.

 

After you have planted your grass and/or plants, you want to be sure they are well taken care of. This is where protection comes in. From insects and fungi to weeds and rodents, your yard is in potential danger regularly and you want to be sure to do everything in your power to stop these threats. When it comes to insects, some dormant spraying is all you have to worry about since the majority of bugs wait out the winter, emerging when warmer weather returns. As Dirkes put it: “In the winter insect activity is generally nil.”

 

Fungi is a problem for lawns more than it is for plants and is a result of water remaining on the blades for two to three days in a row.

 

“The main goal of watering in the wintertime is to keep the soil moist,” Dirkes said. “Generally, you want one inch of water per week if it is not raining.”

 

However, it is hard to tell if you have enough moisture on your lawn. A good rule of thumb to help you know if you need to water more or less is to take a large-bitted screwdriver and stick it in the ground seven inches. If you find this to be fairly easy, then there is enough moisture. Likewise, if it is too easy and feels mushy, cut back on water, or if you are not capable of doing it, water more.

 

“If you can’t get through the ground, neither can the roots of grass or plants,” White said.

Frost is also an enemy of foliage, and is one of the main causes for the death of plants. Frost can be warded off in a number of ways, polymer coating can add 2 to 6 degrees of cushion against frost, and products such as Cloud Cover can an additional 1 to 2 degrees of cushion.

 

Be sure to correctly plant frost-tender plants in an appropriate location, and to cover more tender plants. Trees can be used to create a canopy effect, as well as house awnings or other such things. However, don’t cover plants with plastic bags to protect them from frost at night; if a cover is needed for otherwise-exposed plants, be sure to use a light fabric cover, such as a cotton sheets.

 

“You can also use C7 Christmas lights,” White said. “By laying them over the shrubs, plants or ground, you create a mini-greenhouse effect, because those light create up to five degrees of heat.”

 

Don’t hesitate to get working on that cool season lawn, Dirkes says. “Now is the time to do it,” Dirkes said. “Don’t wait until the middle of November ... because the seed may germinate, but they will not grow.”