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January and El Nino
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How many things Can We Do?

What did we forget to finish in the Fall?  Well, here's a list.
Tools, sharpen, oil, disinfect, replace. Same goes with used pots. Disinfect. That white or green coverings from salts or wetness. Too much fertilizers, leave white salts that will cause problems the coming season. Green or black fungus, well, ICK!. So, 1/3 cup of bleach to a gallon of water, will be good to rinse and disinfect them. Check your stones in the bottom as well, they can harbor things that can kill..
Same goes with pruners, scissors, blades, tweezers, anything you used in the gardening chores. Make the solution, spray, dip, whatever, it is an El Nino season, and La Nina will follow.. Cool Dry Baby, loaded with different problems...
Get the Solarization tasks ready. See another part about this important task here. Simple, but really a good thing to do to start clean.
Seed Starting indoors is coming soon, about a month away for most. Tomato, Pepper, Lavender, Onions, Eggplant, are the ones to concentrate on indoors. They take the longest. Everything else, is direct sow, really, don't start others indoors, you will have to re-pot.
Late Winter Cold Crops, it's time to start all, indoors. So get out your lighting kits and prep them for the time coming.
Ornamental Grasses, time to prune, Roses, wait about 30 more days, El Nino is really tasking our resolve here, so watch the trend. It is colder in the beginning of the week here, then warming on the week ends. Cycles, for like 11 weeks now. Keep your Gardening Journals going, refer to the older ones. The one thing that doesn't't change is the Sun Daylight/Darkness charts. As of this writing, we have gained about 14 minutes, and will start leaping soon. When Forsythia blooms in early/mid March, we have gained 2 hours, the soil temp is 58 degrees at 4" for 5 days straight. Forsythia, is your go to shrub. In other words, when it blooms, you, are behind!!!!
Birds... Don't forget the birds. With the destruction of greenery  landmass these days, for "growth", much of the missing "native" plantings and live goods are creating confusion for them. Cool Fact: Did you know, that migratory birds look for certain plantings on their journey? Scenery can change in a few months, from construction, and when they return, pass through, Native Trees and Shrubs for food, are gone... Look for Native Plants to include in your landscape. Just a few, can remind them where they are.
Time to start checking the "Box Stores" for deals. The new vendor plan-o-grams are in, and there are a lot of discounted Gardening items still on the shelves. Those that followed my article a while ago about this, scored big!!! Inventory is over, time to be a snoop!!
Last but not least, your favorite nurseries, were blasted this past season because of the extended season, Hort sales were up, nationwide an astounding 14 to 18 percent!!! They are now, placing "pre-orders" for Spring/Summer 2016... There are so many new vendors about, so get your request/notions in now. Your ideas are more variety = more fun getting dirty!!


 

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