Winter Watering

The following is based on a conversation with Katrina Bishop of Christopher’s Gardens Nursery in Lakeside

We all know our trees and plants need some moisture during the winter, especially if we are not getting enough measurable snow. Sometimes, we experience a drier winter season. Tips are passed down from time to time, and Sandy, Christopher’s wife, relayed the freezer-burn theory to Katrina.

The theory is that if you do not wrap up the food in the freezer, it gets freezer-burned because the freezer is so cold and dry. The food is not edible once it is freezer-burnt. The same thing happens with root systems in plants. If their root systems are not sufficiently hydrated and viable, they will break like something that has been freezer-burned. It’s no longer viable.

That is what happens to roots. They dehydrate. They freeze and are no longer viable. That is why plants do not come back. They are not getting enough hydration in the winter. The ultimate goal of a plant is healthy roots. If a plant does not have roots, it will not grow. Water a couple of times a month during the winter. That is the purpose of winter watering.

Plants go dormant in the winter but do not stop living. Dormancy means they go to sleep and do not need nutrients. Plants do not pick up nutrients while dormant, but they still need water to stay viable. If a plant is zoned for our area, it will more than likely come back.

If you bring a plant from somewhere else and plant it here, you need to be careful. If your sprinklers have already been flushed out and we experience a late freeze, you will burn the new growth. The plant should survive, though. Once our plants are in the ground, they typically learn to grow with our moon cycles.

Christopher’s Gardens Nursery 1629 W. White Mountain Blvd / 744 W. Apache Lane Lakeside, AZ 85929 | 928-368-6723 christophersgardensnursery.com