January To Do List

January is a great time to focus on your indoor houseplants since there is not a lot going on outside:

• Take the time to dust the leaves of your houseplants. Use a spray bottle and a smooth towel to cleanse. Larger plants can be rinsed in the shower, and use a toothbrush for plants with small leaves. Proactively rinsing plant leaves will reduce the amount of dust build up. Just remember to use room temperature water to avoid shocking your plants and causing spotted leaves.
• If you received a plant as a gift over the holiday season, make sure you spray it with an insecticidal soap. It may also be smart to quarantine them so you don’t risk spread to your other plants.
• Give your houseplants as much light as possible as the days grow shorter.

If we get snow, keep the following in mind:

• Apply ice control products cautiously around your plants grass as they can burn and damage them.
• Gently brush off heavy snows from trees and shrubs immediately. Arborvitaes are particularly fragile in our area. Waiting for the snow to simply melt can cause the limbs to bend and even snap. If you’ve experienced this, give Dowco a call. We can help tie or stake them.
• Avoid walking on your lawn when it is frozen. The footprints will stay there until the grass plant can grow out and this can be very damaging.

Other reminders:

• Don’t forget to recycle your live Christmas tree. When you take it to the city or the county they recycle it into mulch. Christmas lights can also be recycled at participating locations.
• Keep your bird feeders full! The birds will appreciate seed and suet through the cold months and they’ll keep you entertained through the chilly winter.

As you review your Dowco maintenance contract for 2014, call us with questions. If you are not a Dowco client and want to request a proposal for lawn and landscape maintenance Chesterfield, give us a call today! 636-532-9192