Christmas is a busy time of year and sometimes things get forgotten, including plant care.

 

To keep plants happy and healthy they need to be given water, so don’t forget to check your plants daily to see whether they need a drink of water. That goes for any floral arrangements and indoor flowering containers.

 

 Fresh cut Christmas trees are still a favourite in many homes and these take up a lot of water too (up to 4 litres per day). Even though they are cut they are still a living thing and so it is important that they get watered daily. If they are not kept in water, a seal will form on the cut end of the tree and it will not be able to take up water, and so then it will need to be re-cut again which would be very difficult if it is already decorated.

 

A tree that is not taking up water will become dry which will cause the needles to drop.

 

To avoid fire hazards it is important to check lights and wires for any fraying or other possible problems and never use real candles.

 

This time of year is a time for visiting and with the recent weather we’ve had there is a lot of ice build up on driveways and walkways. To avoid anyone from slipping you want to either get rid of the ice or make it less slippery. There are different products available to melt the ice and many of these contain high levels of salt and other chemicals which can be harmful to plants and lawns.

 

I prefer to use 46-0-0 fertilizer which is a fertilizer high in nitrogen (1^st number).

 

Sprinkle some of this on the ice and the nitrogen will melt it. It will not harm plants or grass unless there is a high concentration and if this happens soak the area with water in the spring to flush it through.

 

If you use the 46-0-0 carefully, not only will it melt the ice over the winter but in the spring it will give the lawn an extra boost, and green it up more quickly.

 

Ice can also be made less slippery by sprinkling crushed lava rock, or coarse sand on it and in the spring it is swept up and be re-used again.

 

On behalf of my family and staff I would like to wish everyone a very safe and Merry Christmas.