Plant Care During North Florida's Winter

Here in Northeast Florida we can have 80 degree weather one day then below freezing the next. Where we are located on the map still warmer air circulates up from the South while Winter storms dip down enough to remind us it is Winter. During these moments when temperatures drop down passed forty degrees Fahrenheit a lot of our Florida Favorites get a little frizzled. When Mother Nature opens up her ice chest and we dip below thirty two degrees Fahrenheit then some of our Lovelies can actually take some major damage and/or get killed.

A lot of these treasures need not to be harmed and in fact can be kept from looking mangled and unpleasant after Mother Nature decides to turn the thermostat down. It is very simple to keep your babies looking their tip-top shape.

Here are a few helpful hints: first is proper watering. Plants are like people, living creatures. They need the care and understanding that any young lifeform will need. Meaning they will need regular water and diet their first handful of years. When you do that they will last you and your family generations and generations to come. Once they mature they will stand on their own and need minimal supervision. This may sound like a lot but what I mean is when you plant any plant from a Reputable Garden Center you will just water your plants once a day for the first two weeks; every other day the 3rd week; 2 - 3 times a week after that.

Maybe a little bit more during dryer and warmer periods here in Florida. Every March 15th; July 4th; and October 15th give each plant two handfuls of a Granular General Feed Fertilizer (a 10,10,10 would be perfect.) around that time of year. Once the plants get 4 - 5 years old you can reduce that yearly feeding to just March 15th and October 15th. This is a good rule of thumb for most bigger plants you plant in this part of North America.

Smaller plants, Tropicals, Perennial Flowers, Edible, and Flowering Shrubs can be fed every two months with a Specialty fertilizer specifically designed for that type of plant (ex. Holly Fertilizer for Hollies, Gardenias, Blueberries, and Camellias; Palm fertilizer for Palms, Tropical Fertilizer for Hibiscus, Bouganvilleas, and the like; Citrus Fertilzer for Citrus, and Avacados.) Understanding the simplicity and ease of this program and keeping it all your plants will thrive, be healthy and happy, and amaze everyone that sees them. You will be branded with a "Green Thumb".

Keeping this calendar and making sure you cover your plants when the temperatures drops under 40 degrees and uncover them the next day or whenever the temperature raises above 50 degrees will keep your green loved ones Happy, Beautiful, and Healthy. We have a lot of these fertilizers you will need throughout the year at Mulch Masters. Buddy even stocks Winter-hardy plants. Come by and ask Buddy for any advice or help.

Enjoy and as always: Happy Planting.