February Gardening Calendar

In this week’s article I want to mention some things gardeners need to be considering for February. The following is a garden checklist:

• Soak roots of bareroot trees overnight and then plant the following day. Do not fertilizer the first year after planting.
  
  
• There are no real advantages to pruning back the canopy of ornamental trees after planting. Detrimental effects have been found from this practice including the inability for new roots to grow until shoot growth has recovered. Unless diseased or broken branches exist, leave the plants alone.
  
  
• This winter, remove bagworm bags from shrubs which were infested this past summer. Eggs were deposited within the bags by female worms, shortly before they died. Physically removing and destroying the bags will reduce or eliminate problems this summer.
  
  
• You still have time to control weeds in your bermudagrass lawn. An herbicide containing glyphosate can be used on dormant bermuda lawns in February when temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit for winter weed control. Make sure your bermuda lawn is completely dormant or you will damage it.
  
  
• September to October is the optimum time to establish tall fescue lawns. If you missed that window, an early spring seeding (late February through March) can be a reasonable second choice. Tall fescue is the only choice we have for a shady lawn grass.
  
  
• Base any fertilization on a soil test. Take samples from several different spots within a particular area and mix it together. Bring a pint sample of dry soil in plastic sandwich bag to Cooperative Extension office for processing. Samples are mailed to the University of Arkansas Soils Lab in Marianna, Arkansas. Free test results will be mailed to you within three weeks.
  
  
• Mulch strawberry beds now with straw. Keep the straw off the crowns. The straw will keep fruit from touching the soil and rotting.
  
  
• Remove the dead stubble off of ornamental grasses before they resume growth.
  
  
• Locate the garden near a source of water. Carrying buckets of water can be a real turnoff to even the most passionate gardener. Remember, a vegetable garden needs at least six hours of full sun each day.
  
  
• Azaleas get hit hard every year with lacebugs. These sucking insects can wreak havoc on an otherwise easy care plant. Without care, the leaves can become bronzed by late summer, and a few plants have been killed by these insects. Lacebugs don’t become active until April or May-depending on the spring we have. You can begin to monitor for them, and spray as needed, but a newer product may take away any worries. Imidacloprid applied in February or early March, can give you full season control.
  
  
• Late this month or early March prune summer flowering shrubs and hedges. Spring blooming shrubs such as forsythia should be pruned immediately after flowering.
  
  
• One last point I want to let you know about is the Baxter County Master Gardener Seminar on March 7 at the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Center in Mtn. Home. Seminar topics and speakers are: "Invasive Plants" – Janet Carson, "The Balance of Nature" – Lucinda Reynolds, "Soils and Composting" – Ellen Chagnon, "Edible Native Plants and Their Preparation" – Dr. Tamara Walkingstick and "The Xeriscape Garden – 20 Years of Experience with Sustainable Landscapes" – Patrick Byers. There is a fee of $25 per person to attend the seminar and this includes lunch. Attendance is limited and pre-registration is required. To register mail name, address, phone number, e-mail (if available) and check payable to BCMG to: Kathrine Gilmore, BCMG Seminar, 275 Sharon Dr., Mtn. Home, AR 72653.
  
  

Submitted by : Mark Keaton


University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension office at 425-2335.