February Garden Tips

GENERAL:
 
1. Garden Plot: If you have a garden plot, apply manure, cut leaves or compost and turn it under to get the soil in good shape for Spring planting.  Make sure soil is dry to avoid clotting.  If you’re going to have soil samples done, send them off now for analysis.  Sprinkle the soil w/ fertilizer 1-2 weeks before planting and work in.  Do the same w/ lime or wood ash, about 5 lbs. Per 100 s.f..
 
Compost: In the cold weather and especially when dry, it is a good idea to run a       water hose or sprinkler into the pile for a couple of hours every 2-3 weeks to keep the decomposition process going in the cold weather.
 
Fertilizer:  Ferilize most trees and shrubs by month’s end, except shrubs like      azaleas and camellias.  Those you fertilize right after blooming so as not to force open.
 
Planting:  Set out roses and fruit trees and fruiting shrubs this month, especially pears, blueberries, blackberries, muscadines and pears.  If they come in a plastic bag with peat moss, soak in water overnight before setting out.  Look for flexible stems.  Avoid new growth, which will get killed by subsequent frosts.  Most trees and shrubs in general are best planted in Fall and Winter because more root growth occurs from December to March, especially in trees.  Planting by end of Winter will lead to less watering needed and a better survival rate. 
 
Sow Seeds: Sow indoors and place under plastic.  Do not fertilize until first set of true leaves is formed and transplant outdoors after it warms up next month.
Cool weather crops such as lettuce and turnips will be more successful in early
Spring.  When ready to transplant, acclimate them slowly over a period of a few days to acclimate them before planting outdoors.
 
Cut Flowers:  Bring bundles of forsythia and winter honeysuckle indoors before blooming and they will open w/ the warmth.  Change water regularly.
 
PRUNING:
 
Nandina- To keep full and less leggy, remove up to 1/3 of the plant by cutting the older canes all the way down to the ground to encourage sprouts from the base upward.
 
Trees and Shrubs: Most ornamental trees, shrubs and grasses can be pruned this month except fruit trees, which are more specialized.  It would be better to consult the county cooperative extension service or specialized literature for detailed instructions.  Don’t prune blooming shrubs such as azaleas and camellias until
right after they bloom, otherwise you’ll be cutting  off buds that start growing soon after the previous bloom.  Do not prune junipers or other conifers.
 
Flowering Leafless Shrubs:  Don’t cut these until after blooming or else you’ll be             cutting off flower buds about to open.
           
Groundcovers:  At the end of the month, you can cut some unruly groundcovers back with a lawnmower on the highest setting.  Examples- liriope and mondo grass (not dwarf). 
 
Roses:  Prune existing roses back to within 12-18” height.  If it’s a climber, you can leave main body of rose on the trellis and just cut the smaller runners and limbs back to main trunk if you like.  For the more cold hardy roses like ‘Nearly Wild’ and ‘Knockout’, you can leave more of the rose bush intact and just prune off the cold-damaged twigs and smaller braches to shape up and keep in bounds if you want to get a head start on having more mass sooner.
 
General Rule:  Prune species that bloom after May by end of February and those that bloom before or during May soon after they bloom.