PLENTY TO DO IN OUR GARDENS THIS MONTH
January has just passed. We are one month closer to the start of spring. Up to this point we have had a very nice and mild winter.
HERE ARE SOME FEBRUARY GARDENING CHORES:
- Our plants are still in a dormant state. February is a good month to prune our SUMMER flowering shrubs – NOT SPRING BLOOMERS!! And – only prune if you feel that the plant needs to be pruned. There is a gardening trend whereby homeowners are letting their plants grow naturally without any pruning.
- GET YOUR SOIL TESTED – Now is a good time to get a soil test kit, fill it with dirt, and send off to Virginia Tech for analysis. This is vital information to know.
- CRABGRASS PRE-EMERGENCE – We are experiencing a mild winter. Plant growth is advanced this year. Don’t miss “the window of opportunity” when it is time to apply to your lawn. You want to get this product down before our forsythia shrubs finish blooming. Only Mother Nature knows when forsythia will start blooming.
- Continue feeding our feathered friends in February. We need birds to stick around to help with insect control as we warm up.
- Do NOT mow your lawn until it has grown at least 2 inches. The roots are being renewed in the spring, and grass needs vigorous top growth initially.
- February is a key month to apply DORMANT OIL spray, such as Bonide’s All Season Horticultural Oil, to our fruit trees. Do this on a mild day while temperatures are above freezing.
- Houseplants may notice our longer days and begin growing. You can begin feeding them again.
- Now is a good time to shop and select your needed gardening seeds. We carry an excellent selection of seeds from Burpee, Botanical Interest, and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.
HAPPY FEBRUARY! And remember…PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS!!!!!