News
The temperature was in the 40s every day this past week in Grand Junction, Montrose and Delta making this a great time to have watered your trees, shrubs, flower beds, perennial vegetables, strawberry beds, raspberries and other cane fruits, and outdoor potted plants. If you subscribe to my Twitter or Facebook announcements, I reminded you of this earlier this week.
Hopefully, you took the time needed to drag a hose and water. If you didn't receive one of those alerts you should water next week when the temperature is above freezing and early enough in the day for the water to sink into the ground before nightfall. If you miss this watering opportunity your plants may end up looking like my thumb — split open and bleeding.
My thumb splits open every year at this time due to the dry winter weather. I baste the damaged parts with lotion and cover the injured tissue with Band Aids. Even taking those steps, however, doesn't completely correct the problem. While wrapping the trunks of trees with tree wrap (a Band Aid of sorts) helps prevent cracking of the trunk, applying lotion to the roots, branches and stems is not practical.
One thing that is practical is getting out the hose and watering. If you can't do this yourself some of the local lawn and tree care business should be able to do this for you. Chris Wright, service manager for TruGreen in Grand Junction (970-566-6576) told me last month this was one of the services he provides. If you are interested give him a call.
Without a thick layer of snow on the ground, moisture is sucked from the soil and into the dry air as it moves from an area of high concentration (the soil) to a area of low concentration (the air above the ground). Even frozen water will vaporize into the air, a process called sublimation. This loss of soil moisture continues until the moisture level of the soil and air are in equilibrium or until the tension between the soil particles and water molecules prevent any further removal of water from the soil.
While water moves from below to replace the moisture lost from the surface of the soil there is a point where that will no longer occur. Along the way the soil reaches what we call the “permanent wilting point.” If you have ever let one of your houseplants dry out to the point where the plant did not recover when watered, you are familiar with the permanent wilting point. The roots have dried out to the point the plant cannot recover and the plant dies. The permanent wilting point differs somewhat among plants but all plants have their permanent wilting point.
As the soil dries, water is pulled from the roots. While portions of the roots are dead many of the root cells are alive. Like hibernating bears these cells continue their metabolic activities during the winter but at a much-reduced level. All living cells consist of a flexible membrane encasing a watery substance called protoplasm. Water is necessary for the completion of enzymatic activities that occur among and between the various structures within the protoplasm.
As moisture is pulled from these cells, the protoplasm becomes the consistency of a thick gel resulting in the inability of the cell to complete these activities. At this point the cell dies. The purpose of watering during the winter when air temperatures are above freezing is to prevent the drying and death of root cells. Water is also needed by the above-ground parts of our trees, shrubs, strawberries, and many other plants we have in our gardens and landscape.
Trees, shrubs, and other plants with above-ground parts that survive our winters continue to give off moisture all winter. The same process of drying of the above-ground cells happens as I've described for root cells. The protoplasm turns into a deadly gel when inadequate moisture is available. The moisture replacing the water lost from the above-ground plant cells must come from the soil.
When inadequate soil moisture is available, branch die back, sunscald and other problems are more prevalent come spring. There are places where temperatures are so cold the water within the trunk and branches of plants freezes and is unable to move upward to replace the water lost through the breathing pores of needles and stems. With most woody plants this does not happen until the temperature hits minus 40 degrees F, a problem we seldom experience. A thorough watering now and again in late February will help keep these cells hydrated.
Watering during the winter is only part of the answer to having healthy plants next year but is something you should not ignore. My Tweets and Facebook announcements provide additional gardening recommendations you should find helpful. You can link to those through my website at http://WesternSlopeGardening.org.
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Dr. Curtis E. Swift is the area horticulture agent with the CSU Extension. Reach him at Curt.Swift@mesacounty.us, visit WesternSlopeGardening.org, or check out his blog at http://SwiftsGardeningBlog.blogspot.com.
Hopefully, you took the time needed to drag a hose and water. If you didn't receive one of those alerts you should water next week when the temperature is above freezing and early enough in the day for the water to sink into the ground before nightfall. If you miss this watering opportunity your plants may end up looking like my thumb — split open and bleeding.
My thumb splits open every year at this time due to the dry winter weather. I baste the damaged parts with lotion and cover the injured tissue with Band Aids. Even taking those steps, however, doesn't completely correct the problem. While wrapping the trunks of trees with tree wrap (a Band Aid of sorts) helps prevent cracking of the trunk, applying lotion to the roots, branches and stems is not practical.
One thing that is practical is getting out the hose and watering. If you can't do this yourself some of the local lawn and tree care business should be able to do this for you. Chris Wright, service manager for TruGreen in Grand Junction (970-566-6576) told me last month this was one of the services he provides. If you are interested give him a call.
Without a thick layer of snow on the ground, moisture is sucked from the soil and into the dry air as it moves from an area of high concentration (the soil) to a area of low concentration (the air above the ground). Even frozen water will vaporize into the air, a process called sublimation. This loss of soil moisture continues until the moisture level of the soil and air are in equilibrium or until the tension between the soil particles and water molecules prevent any further removal of water from the soil.
While water moves from below to replace the moisture lost from the surface of the soil there is a point where that will no longer occur. Along the way the soil reaches what we call the “permanent wilting point.” If you have ever let one of your houseplants dry out to the point where the plant did not recover when watered, you are familiar with the permanent wilting point. The roots have dried out to the point the plant cannot recover and the plant dies. The permanent wilting point differs somewhat among plants but all plants have their permanent wilting point.
As the soil dries, water is pulled from the roots. While portions of the roots are dead many of the root cells are alive. Like hibernating bears these cells continue their metabolic activities during the winter but at a much-reduced level. All living cells consist of a flexible membrane encasing a watery substance called protoplasm. Water is necessary for the completion of enzymatic activities that occur among and between the various structures within the protoplasm.
As moisture is pulled from these cells, the protoplasm becomes the consistency of a thick gel resulting in the inability of the cell to complete these activities. At this point the cell dies. The purpose of watering during the winter when air temperatures are above freezing is to prevent the drying and death of root cells. Water is also needed by the above-ground parts of our trees, shrubs, strawberries, and many other plants we have in our gardens and landscape.
Trees, shrubs, and other plants with above-ground parts that survive our winters continue to give off moisture all winter. The same process of drying of the above-ground cells happens as I've described for root cells. The protoplasm turns into a deadly gel when inadequate moisture is available. The moisture replacing the water lost from the above-ground plant cells must come from the soil.
When inadequate soil moisture is available, branch die back, sunscald and other problems are more prevalent come spring. There are places where temperatures are so cold the water within the trunk and branches of plants freezes and is unable to move upward to replace the water lost through the breathing pores of needles and stems. With most woody plants this does not happen until the temperature hits minus 40 degrees F, a problem we seldom experience. A thorough watering now and again in late February will help keep these cells hydrated.
Watering during the winter is only part of the answer to having healthy plants next year but is something you should not ignore. My Tweets and Facebook announcements provide additional gardening recommendations you should find helpful. You can link to those through my website at http://WesternSlopeGardening.org.
----------------------------
Dr. Curtis E. Swift is the area horticulture agent with the CSU Extension. Reach him at Curt.Swift@mesacounty.us, visit WesternSlopeGardening.org, or check out his blog at http://SwiftsGardeningBlog.blogspot.com.
