Your
YARD AND GARDEN

Dave Robson

You've done lots of landscape work this summer and fall. Now you can finally relax before starting over next spring. But you're not out of the woods yet. You have to contend with the weather for the next five months.

Winter injury is the hardest thing on newly planted trees and shrubs. Plants continue to grow even though leaves are no longer present.

The following tips will help you avoid winter injury to trees and shrubs.

Plants growing in raised planters or containers are most susceptible to root killing from low temperatures. Move them to an unheated building or insulate the sides with bales of straw.

Provide hardy plants, especially evergreens, with adequate moisture in late summer and early fall. The soil should be moist 12 inches deep after watering. However, wet soil that freezes can shatter roots of many fruit trees and perennials. Well-drained soil is a must for the winter.

Shade exposed evergreens against midday and late afternoon sun and wind by erecting barriers of canvas, plastic, cheesecloth, burlap, or slat screens placed two feet away on the south and southwest sides.

Broadleaf and other evergreens can often avoid winter "leaf burn" or leaf kill if you apply a special antitranspirant spray such as Wilt-Pruf, Vapor Card, Plant Shield, Stop-Wilt or Plantcote. Apply the spray to the foliage in late fall and repeat during midwinter when the temperature is above 40 degrees F.

Protect young thin-barked trees against frost cracks by wrapping the trunks with sisalkraft paper or strips of burlap, tying a six-inch board upright on the south-southwest side of the trunk, wrapping young trees with aluminum foil, or applying a coat of whitewash.

Boxwood, junipers, yews and other multiple-stemmed evergreens that tend to spread, split apart, and break under a load of ice or snow can be protected by tying the branches with strong cord or old nylon panty hose.

Protect against mice chewing the bark off the crowns and roots of young and old trees from late fall into early spring by clearing away grass, weeds, and debris within a foot of the trunk, leaving the ground bare.

Protect against rabbits by erecting a cylinder of hardware cloth, chicken wire or fencing three feet or more high several inches away from the trunk. For young trees you may wrap the trunk and lower branches with several layers of newspaper in early November and remove them in spring.

Protect bramble fruits and blueberries, erect an 18- to 36-inch-high chicken wire fence surrounding the planting.

Protect against mice, rabbits and deer by using repellent such as Gustafson 42-S or Thiram 42-S plus indoor white latexpaint or Wilt-Pruf NCF (1 pint of 42-S and 1 quart of latex paint or Wilt-Pruf in 2 gallons of water) that is sprayed, brushed or rolled on the trunk and scaffold limbs.

To repel deer, hang bars of Dial soap or bags of human hair on trees you suspect will be damaged.

Enjoy Your Garden And Home Safely Fall is a time when many homeowners hurry to get their homes and gardens ready for winter; cleaning up lawns and making repairs. While you're enjoying brisk fall weather and the great outdoors, remember a few things: • Keep cords to power tools out of your work area to avoid cutting into the cord accidentally. • Keep outdoor electrical products unplugged when not in use. Remember to turn them off while you connect or disconnect attachments, blades, etc. • NEVER remove safety guards from garden trimmers, snowblowers, etc. • Wear safety goggles when using any tools that could throw small particles back into your face. Also, remember to wear protective clothing when clearing brush, etc.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois. You can write to Robson in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: 217-782-6515. E-Mail: robsond@idea.ag.uiuc.edu

16 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING NOVEMBER 1996