Our pruning classes are sold out, but we’ve added some new gardening classes for this January. These gardening classes are on a drop-in basis, no need to make a reservation.

If you haven’t applied the second round of dormant sprays to your fruit trees, now is the time. With rain coming in Sunday, be sure to apply the spray with enough time for it to dry before it rains. Call us or stop by to see which of your trees should be sprayed.

• Choose a spot in full sun with good drainage and adequate space for the tree to grow. If space is limited, choose a semi dwarf tree or plant so that you can espalier, training it on a wire trellis, an arbor, or against a (preferably east facing) wall. Winter pruning with the addition of a summer pruning will allow your new tree to be kept as small as you want.
• Prune off any damaged or broken roots, and plunge the remaining roots into a bucket of water to soak while you dig a hole.
• Dig a planting hole and check the drainage. If the soil is heavy clay, work at least 2 pints of gypsum into the soil in the bottom of the hole; it will do no harm, and it may improve drainage. If gophers are a problem, line the hole with a basket made of poultry wire to protect the roots while the tree is young. (We have these wire baskets, “gopher cages”, at the nursery.)
• Hold the tree in the hole so that the bump on the bud union faces north, to shade it from the sun, and the point where the roots start on the trunk is just below the surrounding ground. (The bud union is the location where the variety was grafted onto the rootstock; on trees it usually appears as a slight bend in the trunk or a change in its width.)
• Backfill the hole by sifting the native soil you took from it back into the hole around, through and over the roots. (Do not add soil amendment unless you're planting in pure sand.) Plant high, so that as the tree grows the area where the trunk meets the ground is high and dry.
• Press down with your hands to compact soil around and over the roots.
• Make a watering basin. Mulch the ground around the plant and in the basin.
• If the tree does not already have a good branching habit, prune it immediately after planting: cut the tree to a height of 30 inches to 36 inches above ground. Remove most of the side branches (if there are side branches) except those needed for main scaffold limbs. You can produce a low branching tree by choosing to keep three low branches that are not exactly opposite each other.
• To protect the trunk from sunburn, paint it with flat white latex paint (not enamel) that you've slightly diluted with water.
• Water deeply by allowing the hose to lie on the ground and trickle into the hole until it penetrates around the roots. If drainage is poor or if the soil is heavy clay, check once a week and water when the soil begins to dry out. Gradually lengthen the intervals between irrigations to encourage deeper roots.

Bare root fruit trees, berries, and other edibles have started to arrive. Now is the best time to plant them and we have a great selection. Click here for more information on planting a bare root tree.

With winter, the increasing cold and damp bring an invasion of moss to our lawns, roofs and patios. For years gardeners have taken advantage of the fact that the higher flowering plants and grasses have much higher tolerance for iron than does moss and used an application of iron sulfate to suppress moss growth. Lilly Miller MOSS OUT FOR LAWNS offers a liquid form of iron sulfate for easy application. Lime is sometimes touted as a moss control in lawns. While it has no direct effect on moss it will reduce acidity, making conditions more favorable to the growth of grass than moss.

Since iron stains concrete and other artificial surfaces, zinc sulfate and fatty acid based materials are usually used for structures. Lilly Miller MOSS OUT FOR ROOFS can be applied in a trigger sprayer for small areas or a hose-end applicator for larger areas.

Last Week's Question: What is Bryophyta commonly known as?

Prize Winner: Frank Walter has won a $10 Orchard Nursery gift certificate. Congratulations! Gift certificates are to be picked up within two weeks of winning. Winner must bring an ID to the nursery to claim the prize. Prize must be picked up in person. Employees are not eligible for this contest. Please stay tuned for another question next week!