With its slower pace, January in the northern hemisphere is a time for rest and contemplation and planning for the new gardening season ahead. The weather dictates how much time we’re able to spend outdoors and what jobs can be accomplished in the garden.
In spite of the winter dormancy of many plants, beauty can be found in the simplicity of the landscape this time of year. Plants that would normally go unnoticed in the height of growing season can be more deeply appreciated in winter. Conifers and evergreens give shape and structure to the garden, trees with patterned bark and shrubs with colorful stems add contrast and heightened color, berries provide winter interest and food for birds, the unique form of the Corkscrew Hazel or Oak tree is noticeably silhouetted and welcome early flowering bulbs such as snowdrops begin to appear.
There are some important gardening tasks to accomplish before the arrival of spring including pruning apple and pear trees, cleaning and sharpening tools and protecting less hardy plants from winter damage to name a few. Please refer to the Jobs for January checklist outlined below. Some of these tasks can be deferred until February if January winter weather doesn't allow.
This months spotlight is on winter pruning of Apple and Pear trees. January and February are the best months to prune Apple and Pear trees so I will discuss this in detail below.
Jobs for January checklist:
Winter prune Apple & Pear trees
Plant fruit trees if the weather permits-ground isn’t frozen or snow covered
Plant bare root Roses late this month if weather is milder/above freezing
Evergreen and deciduous shrubs can be planted and transplanted if ground is not frozen or waterlogged
Shake snow from evergreens to reduce chance of branches breaking and from being misshaped
Keep off frozen grass as walking on it will cause damage and try to keep off waterlogged lawns as the additional weight can cause compaction that hinders healthy growth
Cleanup of conifer flagging debris brought down by winter storms-blowing off or raking up debris covering lawns and smothering plants in garden borders and blowing off walkways and driveways to keep tidy and unstained
Protect crowns of tender perennials if frost is expected. Provide cover using dry mulches such as straw, bark mulch or garden compost. Other materials to use include burlap, garden fleece or cloth
Clean and sharpen tools and service gas powered equipment ahead of the spring season
Dead and broken branches can be pruned out of evergreen and deciduous shrubs
Warm season grasses with foliage that dies back over winter can be cut back to within 1 foot of the ground this month or next, as long as it’s before new shoots emerge
Cool season grasses that retain live foliage in winter can be tidied up by pulling out unsightly dead foliage. I like to hand-comb through to do this
Lindsay's top tips for January:
Service gas powered equipment well in advance of the spring season when servicing shops become too busy and backlogged with long wait times. Here in Vancouver it is not uncommon to wait 2-3 weeks to have equipment serviced in spring
When hedges have winter damaged branches that have become splayed-out and misshapen from the weight of snow, I find tying them in to the main truck with arbor tie effective in maintaining the desired shape of the hedge. Once branches are bent out of shape, they don't tend to bounce back on their own and need to be permanently tied back into the structure of the tree. Arbor tie is soft and prevents material from cutting into the bark, which leads to the eventual death of the tree. Do not use wire ties or material that will cut into the bark. Please refer to the link here for an example of a quality arbor tie product: https://www.landscapesupply.com/catalog/product.php?cat_id=55&pid=3232
Cedar hedges should be de-flagged to remove interior build-up of dead conifer flagging which prevents good air circulation and light from penetrating into the interior for a healthier hedge. This practice I find can also help reduce extra weight that causes excess splaying of branches after a snowfall event. I reach into the interior and gently hand comb out the flagging debris working my way from top to bottom. I remove debris that gets trapped between multi-stemmed trunks and then rake out the fallen debris around the trunk and along the hedge border. Depending how much hedging you have, this can be a labor intensive process but it can be staggered over many months doing a section at a time to make it more manageable. I find this is my approach for clients with larger estates surrounded by cedar hedging where I don't have enough time to devote to this large undertaking all in one go. I do it section by section and stagger it.
Don't compost the Cedar flagging as it can make the pH of your compost too acidic. Instead bag for green-waste collection or remove to your nearest municipal green-waste station.
Monthly Spotlight on pruning Apple & Pear trees:
Apple and pear trees should be pruned every winter to keep them productive and control their size. Maintaining an open-centered crown with well-spaced branches ensures trees stay healthy and produce good quality fruit.
When to prune: January to March when trees are dormant and have lost all their leaves.
Why prune: To optimize fruit production, to control shape and size as well as remove unproductive dead and diseased branches
Tools required for the job: Sharp secateurs, sharp loppers and a good quality pruning saw. These are each suited to different diameters of shoots and branches.
Tip- After pruning diseased wood, be sure to disinfect blades before using to prune healthy branches or when moving on to a different tree or shrub.
Please note: The pruning method described here is for established/mature apples and pears trained as bush trees (with a crown on a short trunk) or standard trees that are in excess of 4-5 years old after planting.
For newly planted trees and for espalier and cordon trained fruit trees, different pruning techniques apply and will be discussed in a separate blog.
For specific information on how to properly prune larger branches please refer to the RHS pruning guide link provided here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees/pruning-guide
Lets dive into how to prune Apples & Pears in winter:
The objective of winter pruning is to maintain an open-centered, goblet-shaped crown with well-spaced main branches radiating from the trunk. This method allows more sun and air to penetrate the interior of the tree resulting in better fruit production and less pests and diseases and allows for easier harvesting of the fruit.
The majority of the productive fruiting wood is young, approximately one to four years old. This age of wood produces the best fruit. The fruit is produced on spurs, stubby shoots with fruit buds so retain these where possible, unless branch is damaged, diseased or over-crowded.
Aim to prune out between 10-20% of the overall canopy in any one winter. If a neglected tree requires renovation pruning and more than 25% needs to be removed, spread the pruning over 2 or 3 winters. Moderation is the best rule when pruning trees. With overgrown neglected trees a drastic pruning will result in excessive vegetative growth at the expense of fruit production.
The more you prune, the stronger the regrowth. If you have pruned too hard, your tree is likely to produce vigorous upright branches called watersprouts or watershoots that crowd the crown of the tree.
Avoid pruning off large limbs where possible as decay can set in and affect the trunk and negatively impact the health of the overall tree. If a larger limb must come off due to damage or disease, prune to the branch collar and avoid leaving a stub.
Most pruning cuts will be to branches that are between 1-5cm (½ inch-2 inches).
Keep in mind, this is a process of thinning out, removing branches where growth is more crowded.
Traditional advice was to paint any large wounds made by pruning but current thinking is that this does more harm than good as it seals in moisture and disease. It’s best to leave a clean cut and let it heal over naturally.
Pruning steps to follow:
Begin by removing any dead, diseased and damaged shoots and branches
Remove crossing shoots that are rubbing together. Retain the better placed, outward facing shoot as long as its not damaged
Prune out strong shoots & branches growing inwards towards the center. You can leave weaker shoots (up to 8 inches long) unpruned
Prune to remove vegetative tree suckers and vertical watershoot/watersprout growth
Look for any downward growing branches low on the tree that receive little light. Prune to a more upward growing branch or back to the main trunk
Shorten the previous year’s growth on each of the main branches by a quarter to one-third, cutting just above an outward-facing bud. This will encourage branching and the formation of fruiting spurs (stubby shoots with fruit buds)
Leave young side-shoot laterals unpruned, so they can develop fruit buds in the second year. Only remove them if they’re crossing or too crowded, closer than 4–6 inches apart at the base
For larger more mature trees, reduce excess height or overcrowding by shortening longer branches by up to one third. Prune to a strong outward and upward facing side-branch that’s at least one third of the diameter of the branch being pruned
Prune out vertical branches (established older watershoots) as horizontal branches produce more fruit
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