Until the snow melts and the ground thaws, there isn’t whole lot we do in our yards or to our lawns. Unlike the last couple of years, there will not be much yard activity in February this year. We have been lucky that last couple of years with early springs, but not so much this time. You can do a lot of damage/compaction to the soil when it is saturated and or half frozen. The rule is to work the soil or walk in yard if you can see water around your foot print when you step in the yard. Sounds simple, but it’s impractical if you have get the dog or the newspaper…the point is, don’t over do it if the ground is saturated.
I’m told “patience is a virtue” and will have to practice what I preach this spring when it comes do doing yard work. I’m going to try to go on more walks with my wife and go hiking in more local parks this spring. TheMissouri Conservationist magazine had some great recommendations last fall for hikes in Missouri and I’m going to check some of those out. I went down to Hawn State Park (St Genevieve area) in December before it got real cold and went on a3 mile hike on the “Whispering Pines” trail and had a great time.
Now is a good time to check and replace your hand tools, get a diary/action plan started of activities in the yard, feed the birds and get ready for spring. About the earliest activity anyone should be doing is spraying dormat oil. This can be done safely once the temperatures are above 40-45 and will stay there for 1-2 hours. You want the spray to ‘dry” on the plant material, not “freeze” on the plant material.
Man, I want spring here in a hurry. I tell my kids all the time…”don’t be in a hurry to grow up”. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Practicing what we preach is not so.
Look for some exact lawn tips when Mother Nature allows!
Stay warm,
Glenn Kraemer
PS Note from MaryAnn- very fond of keeping a diary, and it can be a good winter read. Along with that it is a good time to update any changes made to your landscape design plans.
I love to create an inventory list of all foundation plant material. My favorite winter project is to do this and then put it all on an excel file sheet and assign an activity week to assess whatever care is needed for that plant.
