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The Online Magazine FOR and ABOUT Southside Virginia

8/16/2022

Southside Gardener

December To-Do List

 By William H. McCaleb

 Master Gardener Coordinator
 Virginia Cooperative Extension

   Be sure to clean old leaves and twigs out of boxwood, particularly in the center. Use a water hose with your thumb over the end to gently wash out collected debris in the center. Disease and pest damage can be avoided with proper sanitation. Be sure to soak boxwood plants well before winter freezes the ground.

   Open vents in your greenhouse on mild days. Fresh air is essential in a greenhouse. Never over water. Plants generally need less water during cold and shorter day non-growing seasons. Never allow plants to stand in water. Try to avoid watering late in the day or on a cloudy day.

   Check landscape plants for disease. Spray plants monthly with insecticidal soap where you find whiteflies.

   Clean foliage of houseplants during short days of winter. Water when they become dry. Fertilize lightly monthly with 20-20-20. Pothos, dumbcane, and ivies need less water to carry them through the winter. Avoid setting plants in front of hot air heat vents to avoid leaf burn and excessive moisture loss.

   Leftover poinsettias can be put in front of a south facing window to carry them through the winter. Once warm weather arrives in April you can acclimatize them slowly to the outdoors where they will make a striking potted plant on your deck or porch for the warm season.

_____________________

William H. McCaleb
Program Assistant, ANR
Master Gardener Coordinator
Virginia Cooperative Extension
171 S. Main Street
P.O. Box 757
Halifax, VA 24558-0757
434-476-2147
fax: 434-476-7777