Wintertime in the Garden, some basic do’s and dont’s

Wintertime in the Garden, some basic do’s and dont’s

It looks like it will be a wet fall and a cold winter, especially for us in Southern California. 

Now is the time you should be applying rock dust, compost, and mulch to your property. You need to be applying a little bit throughout the property. If you live in northern areas where there is snow, you should have started and completed before the first snowfall. But living in Southern California allows us to have a mild snow-free winter. Sure snow in certain higher places but usually around here, it is never then upper 40’s, low 50’s.

What this does is it allows us to grow year-round.

Let's start with fruit trees.

A great time to set yourself up for a fantastic fruit harvest for next year and all year long is now. The late fall and wintertime around here are the best time to apply minerals and microbial. This should be allied along with organic fertilizer and then with an acid mulch. You are in luck because now you can buy an excellent organic fertilizer that also has a long list of beneficial microbes. So all you need to add is a source of minerals. I talk a lot about rock dust. I use 14 different sources of rock dust, along with several other sources of minerals. The more varied the sources, the more diverse the minerals will be. If the minerals and the microbes are in the same place and the other conditions are right, we have a party. The result will be that the nutrients will be rich in minerals and in an available form that can be absorbed and used by the root hairs of the plants and trees in your garden. What you do now will be seen in the spring.

 You really should get into the habit of continually supplying these things, and I would apply every season except during the heat of the summertime. Rather than apply it all at once, I would use a small amount on regular bases to ensure that it gets wholly washed into and absorbed by the soil. It is not a bad idea to not just apply compost but to also applied an organic soil amendment such as Doctor Earth Soil amendments, which is also rich in the microbes. Fruit trees need lots of minerals for their fruit to be sweet. Most fruit should have around a 28 or higher Brix level. It should transfer to mean that the fruit tree fed correctly and that the soil is functioning correctly. The soil needs to be at a 6.5 to 6.8 ph to have the most microbes. They live within a specific Ph range. The bacterium and the Ph will vary around the world, and that is why we should always apply a blend of microbes so that the plant or tree will get the proper bacteria needed. Remember, microbes are specific to the plant or tree. 

You will find that most fruit trees will have dropped its leaves. It is usually better to collect and dispose of because of the leaves usually carryover any diseases the tree may have had that year. Now is not the time to prune. I would wait until early spring and then do a light pruning. Only prune for fruit and not for looks are the shape. Be careful when pruning is done wrong, you will not get any fruit for maybe a few years! This is also an excellent time to treat the fruit trees for any diseases it may have had the previous year. You can start a foliar spraying program of spray coffee, cream, and sugar once a month. This should be alternated with spraying compost tea every other month. The compost tea should be done up until flowering. The other mixture should only be done during the late fall and late winter.

Other Trees

Your other trees have a much more extended period to work with depending on the species of tree, but usually, we are talking in terms of decades. Your trees should be organically fertilizer with a blend of rock dust, and microbials. If you use the Doctor Earth Organic fertilizers, you will also have the microbes. Just add some rock dust like Agrewin or Azonite. There are many sources available on the internet. There are also many liquid forms of trace minerals try Sea90 or Superseaweed. Any liquid seaweed will have a variety of trace minerals. The trees should also get foliar spraying once a month during the winter and spring months. This will ensure they get all the minerals they need to stay healthy during these stressful spring and summer days we are having. I would make sure they are on a drip system and water deeply, not more than once a week. Most trees and fruit trees will do well with just one proper watering per month. That depends on the health of the soil. This is what we are trying to achieve. A healthy functioning soil.

Many trees can grow for hundreds of years alone with only nature's help. We, humans, have managed to damage nature and the relation the soil has to not just the trees' health but to eventually our health. This is a slow but steady process that must be done year-round. Pay attention to the needs of the soil first, and then the needs of everything growing on it will also be met.

If you wish to make it through this time of significant change and stress, you must pay very close attention to the basics. Control the water by using a drip if possible. Keeping the water below ground will let you use 75% less water, and you will still have happy plants. Then try not to overwater just because it gets hot. Watering less is better than over-watering.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Any questions? Email me andy@invisiblegardener.com

Andy Lopez

Invisible Gardener