AND JUST LIKE that, we are back to temperatures in the high 40s with no frost at night and going up to 50 degrees in the next few days.
You just have to love Mother Nature, what a joker! But seriously — how great to get this cold weather and abundant snowfall.
First, the snowfall.
How fortunate are we here on the Peninsula, where our drinking and water supplies, as well as the salmon and your plants, really depend upon the snowpack.
As of the end of December, the Olympic Mountains were severely behind in their accumulation of snowpack.
Well, if you think we got snow down here, just imagine what’s going on above 5,000 feet (whoo hoo the pack is back— go, pack, go).
But snow was also wonderful here, too. Snow is a phenomenal insulating blanket.
First, it snowed before the cold, the extremely cold, weather set in.
That means the naturally occurring ground heat was insulated inwards, keeping the soil above freezing only an inch or less below ground level.
That is super good news.
Your plants’ roots stayed warm.
Then, that snow slowly melts off, putting more moisture into the ground and not running off or causing erosion.
So, bring on the snow!
Now as to the cold weather — whoo hoo! This fall/winter season has been way too warm.
Got that? Way too warm!
Many a plant, for either reproduction or dormancy, requires a cold dormant period. This dormancy period is crucial for many reasons, one being that the sap is not flowing. It was just cold. And it is still very dark.
Plants are basically stupid. They have no brain.
They rely on two basic data points — those being day length and soil temperature.
As you know, both day length and temperature will be increasing.
So again, let me make this crystal clear: prune, prune, prune!
That’s all I am going to be doing since I did not dare to prune with record-breaking warm temperatures.
Now, I will start pruning from sunrise to sunset! Fortunately, that means only 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Orchards, first. Plums and cherries are the very first trees since their sap is the “first to rise.”
The best time to prune is from December through the end of February for most ornamental plants (a lot of exceptions) so yet again: prune, baby, prune!
To close, how wonderful the weather is here in Camelot.
Just perfect, given the conditions we’ve had.
Now everyone, gaze into the Olympic Mountains, be awe struck by the winter beauty — and do stay well all!
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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
