Lawn and Garden Chores to do in February It has been too cold for me to want to do anything extra outdoors, but February is the month to complete many outside horticulture chores in preparation for the upcoming growing season. Hopefully, the weather will have warmed up a little by the time you read this. If it does, here are a few chores you might want to work on this weekend.
Now is the time to get those bareroot fruit, nut, and shade trees in the ground. When planting bare root trees dig the hole as big as the root system, usually about 12 inches square, and at least 18 inches deep. Plant the tree and refill the soil to the same depth that the tree grew in at the nursery, being careful the tree does not settle too deep. Adding water to the hole and packing the soil will ensure there are no air pockets around the roots. On fruit trees, I prefer to select midsize trees; they are cheaper and grow better than the larger trees. Additionally, it is far easier to cut 3- to 4-foot trees back to 18 to 24 inches, than to prune 5- to 6-foot trees back this much. Such strong cutback is necessary to remove apical dominance, put the top in balance with a reduced root system, and force out strong vigorous shoots which are easy to train.
Now is the time to get ready to prune fruit trees. The problem with pruning peach and fruit trees is they will start blooming the first warm spell after pruning, then you get a late frost and so long fruit. If you only have a few trees, it would be best to wait until pink bud to prune. If you have lots of trees to prune, then you cannot wait that long, and it gets to be a guessinggame.Mid-February is usually the suggested time to start. Why prune at all? It is recommended that you remove 40% of your tree each year to encourage new growth in the spring. Pruning helps to keep the peaches within reach for easier harvesting. Pruning will also open the center of the tree allowing air circulation and sunlight into the tree; this helps to prevent disease and accelerate fruit growth.
For garden preparations, it is certainly not too late to add some organic matter to your garden. If you have sandy soil, organic matter will help hold water and nutrients. If you have a heavy clay type soil, organic matter will improve drainage and aeration. However, since we are already planting some crops and close to planting others, I would only add material that has already been composted, not fresh mulch. When adding organic matter to soil, supply enough to physically change the soil structure. Ideally, at least onethird of the final soil mix should be some type of organic material. To accomplish this, spread a 2to 4- inch layer of organic material over the garden surface and till it to a depth of at least 6 to 10 inches. Apply the recommended rate of fertilizer over the garden surface at the same time and till it in along with the organic material. If you have never pulled a soil test on your garden site, I would encourage you to do so. It cost $12 but can give you a wealth of information. It is nearly impossible to give a proper fertilizer recommendation without a soil test.
Onions grow best in well-drained soils with full sunlight. I suggest planting in a well-prepared seedbed that has been worked 8 to 10 inches deep. Apply 2 to 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer blend like 12-1212 over every 100 square feet to be planted. After spreading the fertilizer blend, mix it into the top 3 to 4 inches of soil. When planting onion transplants, plant them ¾ inches deep and 3 inches apart- rows should be 12 to 18 inches apart. Keep your onions free of weeds so they do not have to compete for nutrients or water. Each leaf on the onion plant forms a ring on the onion bulb- more leaves mean bigger bulbs. Once your onions have 5 to 6 leaves, you will need to sidedress fertilize your onions with a high nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of about ½ a cup for every 10 feet of onion row.
Now is also the time to think about and plan how you will water your garden. It takes too much time to put in a garden and have a poor harvest because you were unable to irrigate. Drip irrigation is the most efficient means of irrigating. Whichever irrigation method you use, try to avoid light daily watering because this will cause the plants to develop shallow root systems of 1 to 2.” Utilize less frequent irrigation that soaks the ground up to 6” deep. In general, all gardens need at least 1” of water per week either from rainfall or irrigation. Examine the soil rather than the plant to determine the need for irrigation; if the soil is dry down to 2”, then you will need to water, if not, you can plan to irrigate in two days.
All your perennial warm season turfgrasses will be dormant right now but it is the time to apply preemergent, especially grassbur preemergent. There are more preemergent herbicide products available than I have room for here, but we do have an excellent fact sheet available at the office that covers products and how and when to use them. You are welcome to call or come to the office for a copy.