Sometimes in the spring, when plants are due to start vegetation, it turns out that some of them did not survive the winter. It seems to us then that the plants are frozen. We are looking for fault in the lack of additional protection against frost and wind in the winter. But this may not always be the case. Well, sometimes it happens that plants just dry out due to lack of water. See why this is happening and find out which plants need to be watered in winter.
Dropped and rolled rhododendron leaves are a sign that the plant lacks water
What plants require watering in winter?
Of the conifers, cypress, juniper, fir and pine are the most vulnerable. In contrast, deciduous evergreen - boxwood, mahogany, rhododendrons and viburnum. Young plants that have not yet had time to root well, and species that naturally root shallow are particularly vulnerable.
You think: okay, but why is this happening? Let me explain!
Evergreen plants constantly lose water through their leaves and needles (especially in periods of thaw, when warming opens stomata in the leaves, through which the water evaporates). At the same time, the soil is frozen, so the plant cannot take up water through the roots. In addition, there is dry frosty air and especially drying frosty winds from the east and north. And we have a ready winter drought.
How to water plants in winter?
If the autumn is dry and rainless, the last watering before the onset of frost is of particular importance.If your garden has both evergreen plants and shedding plants for the winter, remember that the latter do not benefit from abundant watering in early fall before they drop their leaves. Why? Because it extends the period of their vegetation and may cause them to be damaged by the first frost.
Watering can can be useful in winter for watering evergreen plants
Fig. depositphotos.com
Pre-winter watering , saving evergreen plants, so do it as late as possible, when the plants shedding leaves for winter have already lost most of their leaves. Most often it is at the turn of October and November. It is imperative to be in time before the first frost. Water the plants abundantly, preferably long-term with a small stream of water, so that it penetrates well into the ground (to the layers that do not freeze).
Additionally, plants will be helped by mulching the soil after watering. A sufficiently thick layer of mulch will prevent water evaporation from the soil and limit the soil freezing process. It is also worth using covers from the side of frosty eastern winds, which dry the shoots of plants.
If your evergreen plants have not been watered just before winter, you will need to help them during this season and dowinter wateringIf you find that during periods of long frost, leaves are curled and bushes they take on an unhe althy appearance, which is a symptom of a lack of water in the soil, water the plants abundantly at the next warming-up, when the ground thaws.Watering in wintershould always be done during periods of thaw so that the water soaks into the ground before it freezes again.
