​FEBRUARY GARDEN CHECKLIST

• If you’re wondering when to apply fertilizer, it’s still a little early to fertilize trees, shrubs, and grasses. Mid to late March is soon enough to fertilize trees and shrubs. Fescue lawns should be fertilized in April and summer lawns are fertilized at green up (May).
• 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.
• It’s time to prune fruit trees! If you have just a few trees you can wait to prune them until just before blooming. You could prune all fruit trees now except for peaches. If we get a serious cold snap, exposed wounds on peach trees can result in some major damage, so it’s best to prune them just before bloom.
• Peach leaf curl is a fungus disease with symptoms (puckering and reddening of leaves) appearing in late spring to early summer on peaches and nectarines. To prevent this disease, spray trees with a fungicide before bud swell (could be as early as mid-February some winters). One application of Bordeaux mixture, copper octanoate, copper, ziram, chlorothalonil, or calcium polysulfides applied as soon as possible when temperatures are above 40 degrees F, will prevent this problem this year. Be sure to read and follow label directions.
• Most summer and fall blooming perennials can be divided and replanted any time this month. Give extras to your garden friends.
• You still have time to control weeds in your bermudagrass lawn. An herbicide containing glyphosate (example – Roundup) 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.
• 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.
• Make sure that you have cleaned up the spent foliage and debris from last season in your vegetable and flower gardens. Consider using a dormant or horticultural oil on fruit trees, grape vines and scale infested shrubs. Check label for application instructions on dormant and horticultural oil.
• Azaleas get hit hard every year with lacebugs. These sucking insects can wreak havoc on an otherwise easy to care for 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.
• 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.
• Remove the dead stubble off of ornamental grasses before they resume growth.
• Late this month or early March prune summer flowering shrubs and hedges. Spring blooming shrubs such as forsythia and azalea should be pruned immediately after flowering.
• Prune your climbing roses that bloom throughout the season, Knock-Out and Hybrid Tea roses late this month or early March. However, wait until after blooming to prune your climbing roses that only bloom once. Also wait to prune any other roses that only bloom in the spring until after they bloom.
• Mulch strawberry beds now with straw. Keep the straw off the crowns. The straw will keep fruit from touching the soil and rotting.
• Soak roots of bareroot trees overnight and then plant the following day. Do not fertilize 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.

 
Baxter County Master Gardener Seminar is on March 21 at the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Center in Mtn. Home. There is a fee of $30 per person to attend the seminar, which 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 or go to http://www.baxtercountymg.com/spring-seminar.html . Registration opens on January 2, 2020. Seminar topics and speakers are as follows:
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• “Beneficial Insects” – Ray Moranz, Xerces Society
• “Growing Community Through Soil” – Don Bennett, TriCycle Farms in Fayetteville
• “Fruit Trees, Bushes, and Vines for Natural Growing in the Ozarks” – Guy Ames, Ames Orchards & Horticulture Specialist for the National Center for Appropriate Technology
• “Shade Gardening” – Berni Kurz, University of Arkansas Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist
• “The Missouri Botanical Gardens and What It Offiers” – Daria McKelvey, Supervisor of the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the MO Botanical Garden

 
 
For more information, contact the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension office at 870-425-2335.

It may be cold and wintry, but there’s still plenty to be mindful of around the yard and garden. Winter is a great time to fellowship with other gardeners and grow your gardening knowledge!
 

• Baxter County Master Gardener Seminar is on March 21 at the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Center in Mtn. Home. There is a fee of $30 per person to attend the seminar, which 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 or go to http://www.baxtercountymg.com/spring-seminar.html . Registration opens on January 2, 2020. Seminar topics and speakers are as follows:
  • “Beneficial Insects” – Ray Moranz, Xerces Society
  • “Growing Community Through Soil” – Don Bennett, TriCycle Farms in Fayetteville
  • “Fruit Trees, Bushes, and Vines for Natural Growing in the Ozarks” – Guy Ames, Ames Orchards & Horticulture Specialist for the National Center for Appropriate Technology
  • “Shade Gardening” – Berni Kurz, University of Arkansas Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist
  • “The Missouri Botanical Gardens and What It Offiers” – Daria McKelvey, Supervisor of the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the MO Botanical Garden

 

• An herbicide containing glyphosate can be used on dormant bermudagrass lawns in January or February when temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit for winter weed control.  Make sure your bermuda lawn is completely dormant, or grass injury may occur.
• Mulch is important in protecting young plants from frost heaving. A 2-3” mulch will reduce heaving problems which occurs with alternate freezing and thawing. Otherwise, newly planted plants (2” potted plants) can be pushed completely out of the ground.
• January through February is a good time of year to move plants from one location in the landscape to another.  Water and mulch transplanted plants well.
• For trees, remove grass and maintain 3’ to 4’ diameter of grass free area around young trees. Eliminating competition from around the immediate area of the tree contributes to a dramatic increase in growth of the tree. Keep a 2-3” layer mulch in this grass-free area.
• Staking newly planted trees is recommended for large trees however, stakes should be removed after the first growing season. Stakes should be loose to allow the tree to sway in the wind. Trees allowed to sway develop a stronger root system and a sturdier trunk.
• When watering trees, keep in mind that water as needed, but let the soil dry down somewhat between irrigation. Waterlogged soils kill many tree species. Remember, plant roots need oxygen.
• Winter is pruning time for most landscape trees. You may need to remove lower limbs of young trees each winter as it matures. Ideally, you would want your lowest limb about six feet from the ground. Do any corrective pruning while trees are young, removing narrow crotch angles, double forks, etc.  Remember to not cut limbs all the way back to the trunk. The obvious branch collar should be left.  Pruning sealants are NOT recommended. You can expect a wound from a 1” limb to heal over by the second year after cutting. Larger wounds will take longer to seal.
• Vegetable gardens need to be cleaned up if you haven’t done so. Winter cleanup reduces insect and disease pressure for the coming growing season. This refuse probably needs to stay out of the compost pile. Most compost piles may not get hot enough to kill harmful pathogens. Use your own judgement. Asparagus stalks can be cut back and beds need a new layer of compost (2 to 3 inches).
• Till garden plots without a cover crop to expose overwintering insects to the winters cold. Do not till when soil moisture is high causing clods to form. Incorporate compost, animal manures, etc. at the same time to garden plots needing organic matter.
• 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.
• This is a good time of year to cut poison ivy vines from trees at the ground level and paint the cut end with full strength Brush-B-Gon or glyphosate. Handle vines with plastic gloves and wash up thoroughly to avoid the itchy aftermath.
• Avoid the temptation to fertilize houseplants during the winter months unless they are under grow lights or very high light conditions.
• When the temperatures are below freezing, avoid much contact with plant material outside. Frozen plants are brittle, and limbs can be broken easily. If ice or snow are on your plants, use caution around them. Heavy loads of snow can be lightly brushed off, but stay away from ice-laden plants.
• Mulch strawberry beds now with straw. Keep the straw off the crowns. The straw will keep fruit from touching the soil and rotting.

 
For more information, contact the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension office at 870-425-2335.
 

The Baxter County Master Gardeners are a fun group of folks who enjoy sharing their love of gardening with any visitor.

At our meetings we have speakers, refreshments, & fun.

Come join us!



Next Meeting Date:
January 9, 2020
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Meeting Place: 
The First Presbyterian Church
1106 Spring Street
Mountain Home, AR

January Speaker: 
Guest Speaker: Steve Blumreich, President of the Friends of the North Fork & White Rivers
Topic: Wonderful, Beautiful, and Mysterious Monarch Butterflies  

​Master Gardeners Monthly Radio Program:
Mountain Talk Radio January 15th on 97.1   7:15 a.m. - 8:am.
Master Gardener Hosts are Tommy Hagan and Ceil Gasiecki

Directions:
From Mountain Home
Take US Hwy. 62B East through Mountain Home until you come to Cardinal Street. Cardinal Street is the intersection just past Harp's Grocery.  Turn right onto Cardinal Street and travel South until you come to the first stop sign which should be Spring Street. Turn left onto Spring Street and go down the hill past the bridge and the First Presbyterian Church will be on your right hand side. 

From Gassville:
Take Hwy. 62/412 towards Mountain Home. Once you get to Mountain Home continue on into Mountain Home on US 62B. This will take you through town till you get to Harp's Grocery and you come to Cardinal Street. Cardinal Street is the intersection just past Harp's Grocery.  Turn right onto Cardinal Street and travel South until you come to the first stop sign which should be Spring Street. Turn left onto Spring Street and go down the hill past the bridge and the First Presbyterian Church will be on your right hand side. here to edit.