Mon, 08 Feb 2010

February To Do List
Most gardeners in Austin don’t realize that February and March are the busiest times of the year in the yard. Most parts of the country are still buried under snow, but here in Austin it is the best time to get ready for spring. Here is a list of things that I do in February and early March: Prune all roses except climbers Acidify soil around and give a granular, slow-release organic fertilizer to roses and other acid loving plants like camellias, gardenias, citrus, azaleas, hydrangeas Prune citrus trees Cut back all perennials that froze to the ground Cut back all ornamental grasses except bamboo muhly Clean out evergreen bulbous plants like bicolor irises, butterfly irises aka African iris, lily of the Nile aka Agapanthus, society garlic, alliums, chives and irises Look for leaves and other debris that may have gotten caught on top or in the middle of plants. If you used leaves to keep some plants warm over the winter, scoot them away from the base of the plants to avoid rotting the plants in the spring. Add compost and mulch to your flower beds Topdress your turf grass with compost Prepare your vegetable garden beds with compost and mulch so they are ready to plant peppers and tomatoes in late march- consider adding minerals, worm castings and cottonseed meal to garden beds that have heavy clay or compacted soil Plant a final crop of cool season veggies that will mature in less than 60 days Plant woody plants, especially hardwood trees Prune fruit trees Prune deciduous trees Transplant plants as needed Use corn gluten on weedy areas Use a hoe or a rake to cut down and scrape up spring and winter weeds like sticky weed and hedge parsley Use compost tea and/or a soil activator on the soil over your entire yard Spray plants with seaweed or superthrive to help them recover from stress caused by cold weather Do not prune: Evergreen trees and shrubs Lady Banksia roses and climbing roses Sago Palms Do not plant: Tender perennials or marginally hardy plants Annuals Perennials that typically die back to the ground each winter that have been kept in a greenhouse this winter Succulents


posted at: 13:14 | path: /colleen2010 | link for this entry

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