By now you’ve probably heard that the most popular predictor of spring saw his shadow on Groundhog Day. And the long-standing tradition is if the groundhog sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.

Unfortunately, someone forgot to inform landscape plants in our area. As the mild winter temperatures are enjoyable for us, many plants are taking it to mean that spring is here and are beginning spring growth. Here are some things you need to know and what you can do if your plants are starting to awaken.

The plant life cycle is an interesting and complex chain of events. It begins with winter dormancy. A chemical process takes place in the plant, causing it to go dormant in preparation for winter. It will then awaken only after it has experienced a certain number of “chill hours” Â an hour when the temperature remains between 32 and 45 degrees.

Plants differ in the number of required chill hours. Those adapted to colder climates usually need more than those adapted to warmer zones. Even plants within the same species can differ dramatically in the number of hours required for bud break.

For example, apple varieties range from a low of 250 or fewer chilling hours to a high of 1,700. This mechanism is the plant’s way of making sure it does not begin spring growth too early.

We have already met the chilling requirements of some plants in our area. For these plants, dormancy is over and warm periods can lead to bud swell and growth. Unfortunately, buds that have swollen lack virtually all of their winter hardiness and can be damaged by severe cold.

So what do you do if you have a plant that has swollen buds? Actually, there is not much you can do to slow the bud development process because it is completely dependent on weather.

However, watering during dry weather may help. Readily available soil moisture will aid in keeping the plant healthy so that it will be better able to recover from any cold damage that occurs.

Also, it is important to know the difference between flower buds and leaf buds. Flower buds often emerge first to produce spring color and fruit. A loss of these buds only means a loss of the spring display.

Leaf buds usually emerge a bit later and produce energy-making leaves. A loss of these buds means a loss of energy for the plant. But if the plant is healthy and strong, it should recover and produce new buds later in the spring.

 Bruce Chladny is horticulture agent at K-State Research and Extension-Douglas County. For more information, call him at 843-7058 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.