Winter-proof your garden with a $4 Home Depot buy – and it fixes your dead plants...
Consumers can maintain their plants through the cooler weather this month thanks to an essential item from The Home Depot.
Those who purchase it and take other key steps are on their way to winterizing their gardens until the springtime.
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According to experts with Southern Living Plants, mulch is the most crucial thing to prepare for winter.
"While not every plant needs to be protected from low winter temperatures, tender perennials or newly-planted shrubs and trees can use the added layer of protection," they note.
"Winter mulch serves as a blanket for the plants' root systems, helping insulate soil from temperature fluctuations."
The mulch helps the roots from facing too drastic of temperature changes, and provides an added layer of cover when the freezing and thawing of soil pushes roots closer to the surface.
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Some great mulch options to get this process completed in December are at Home Depot, including the Earthgro Brown Wood Shredded Bagged Mulch.
Not only is it budget-friendly at $3.97 per bag, but the mulch is designed to help conserve soil moisture, a vital benefit.
One bag should cover six square feet of garden space at a depth of three inches as well.
Earthgro recommends that users spread the mulch around trees, shrubs, flowers, or vegetables.
Other options from Earthgro at Home Depot are also under $4, and Back to the Roots sells pallets of 100 per order at $499.99.
Bailed Wheat Straw for $8.97 at the home improvement retailer is also a great idea, according to Southern Living Plants.
The experts recommend consumers layer two to four inches of the straw evenly around the mulch and plants after the first hard freeze of the year.
"Be sure to keep the material a couple of inches away from the plant so it won't promote rot or allow small rodents that may seek cover in the mulch to gnaw on the trunk," they warned.
In the case of snowfall or ice, it's best to get some burlap, canvas, or even old bed sheets to cover the garden.
They can be held down with stakes, rocks, or bricks so winds don't blow the coverage away.
Home Depot Return Policy
- 90 Days – most merchandise with proof of purchase
- 30 Days – furniture, tractors, framing and roofing compressors, consumer electronics, paint sprayers, and certain gas powered items like blowers, trimmers, chainsaws, mowers, outdoor augers, tillers, chippers and log splitters
- 7 Days – dehumidifiers, gas pressure washers, air conditioners (whether portable or window), and gas generators that aren’t house or stationary
- 48 Hours – refrigerators, washers, dryers, ranges, dishwashers, and microwaves and other large appliances
- 365 Days – Most purchases made with The Home Depot Consumer Credit Card, The Home Depot Pro Xtra Credit Card, or a The Home Depot Commercial Account
HOLIDAY MUST-HAVES
Home Depot is also selling items for the holiday season that can help customers save on energy bills.
The Home Accents Holiday 100 Warm White Mini LED String Lights are only $9.98 on the retailer’s website and in-store.
Christmas lights can soak up a ton of electricity, but with the modern LED lights, consumption can be reduced by as much as 90%.
For a few bucks more on the lights themselves, the subsequent savings benefit on energy bills makes it a wash at the very least.
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Home Depot fans who "waited all year" for giant Santas are now out of luck as well, with some paying as much as $1,000 for used decorations.
Additionally, a top-rated Christmas tree has had its price slashed by $120 at the retailer this month.
