We have reached the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. In our north Florida region we are moving into what are really our only two months of winter—January and February—so this wouldn’t seem like a time for rejoicing. But during these coldest months, we can look forward to spring because from this day forward, each morning comes earlier and each day is longer .
The winter solstice is important to gardeners because many plants respond to day length by shutting down most of their processes when days are short and temperatures cool (dormancy). Growth begins again for perennials when days lengthen. The response to changes in day length is called photoperiodism and helps plants adapt to changes in season. Dormancy is ended by either longer day length, rise in temperature, or a combination of the two. Some examples of elements which may be controlled by day length are flowering, leaf bud dormancy, and the activation of bulbs or tubers.
So welcome the winter solstice and begin looking forward to spring by poring over your seed catalogs, starting seeds indoors in January in preparation for planting in March, and in general, enjoying this downtime, when many weeds and insect pests are also dormant.
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