Timely Tips

What to Do in January 2026
Weekly Gardening Timely Tips from
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County

Jan. 4 to 10

Perennials: If you celebrated this year with a live Christmas tree, consider landscape uses before you drag it to the curb. Cut the tree for logs, chip the wood for mulch, or use branches and needles as insulation for hardy plants. Consider placing the tree in an out of the way spot in the backyard as shelter for birds and other wildlife.

Flowers: Keep poinsettias exposed to four or more hours of direct sunlight or bright artificial light every day. When the top layer of soil is dry, water the plants enough so that excess water drains from the bottom of the pot. Don’t let the pots sit in water. Poinsettia thrive in temperatures between 65-70° F by day and 55-60° F at night.

Fruits and Vegetables: It’s too early to begin sowing most seeds indoors yet, but it is not too early to plan the vegetable garden, assessing what worked last year and what you want to change. You can also place seed and plant orders for spring. Focus on plants with improved resistance to diseases, drought, and pests. Learn the growing conditions preferred by each crop so you can choose the right site and care for them properly. Contact your local Cooperative Extension for advice.

Trees and Shrubs: Check plant protections in the yard: Patch gaps in animal-resistant netting and fencing. Adjust stakes. Assess any trees that need to be pruned or removed by a professional. Shade trees, most fruit trees, and grape vines are best pruned in March to early April before bud break. Oak is an exception that should be pruned before March at the latest, before the beetles that transmit oak wilt emerge. Don’t touch spring-flowering shrubs like azaleas and rhododendrons, whose buds are already set (if you prune those now, you’ll have no blossoms this spring). While you’re outside, check for spotted lanternfly egg masses on trees and many landscape surfaces. See https://westchester.cce.cornell.edu/horticulture-environment/invasive-nuisance-species/invasive-pests/spotted-lanternfly. Crush as many eggs as you can find! Use a stiff card to scrape them off of surfaces into a sealable bag, squish and discard in trash.

Lawns: Avoid using salt to melt ice and snow on walkways near the lawn and other plantings because it’s toxic to grass and many other plants. Try instead birdseed, sand, or sawdust for traction (these may be messy if tracked indoors). Ice melter alternatives that are more “plant friendly” include magnesium and calcium chlorides.

Houseplants: Be careful transporting indoor plants this time of year. Bag or wrap them for protection from the cold before transport. Sticking a plant in a trunk of a vehicle for the ride home is a recipe for trouble. Better to use the pre-warmed interior cabin (protect the floor or seat from water with a tarp or other covering). Houseplants can be damaged by even a few minutes’ contact with frigid air.

General: Learn to save by starting your plants from seed in the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester 2026 Home Garden Lecture Series: Seed Starting.

Wednesday, Jan. 14 from 10 to 11 am, remote on Zoom, $5. All lectures are remote on Zoom. The whole series is $45; a ticket to any single remote lecture is $5 and the tour is $20 (while there is space).

Speaker: Gilda Forseter is a Westchester CCE Master Gardener Volunteer. Since retiring from a 45-year career as a nurse and nurse practitioner she has had more time to focus on her garden of 2 years. She has been growing all her flowers from seeds for the past 10 years. Check out the brochure at https://www.canva.com/design/DAG37gykNic/RGq-kIdH95APY6-bKoGQYw/view?utm_content=DAG37gykNic&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hcc45ab7c29 For more information, please call CCE at 914-285-4640, 914-285-4620 or email westchester@cornell.edu

Last updated January 3, 2026