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North Mississippi Gardening Tips
January/February, 2004

FLOWERS

I know you have been receiving all those plant catalogs. I hope you have already placed your orders for all those seeds and plants to make your garden the talk of the town next summer! The longer you wait the less likely you will get what you want. During mild weather you can dig and divide hardy perennials like purple coneflower, daylilies, peonies, iris, Shasta daisies, and many others. Plant these in well-drained soil and mulch with pine straw. Do not cover the plant crown. If you have a greenhouse, sunny windowsill, or other warm, sunny area, you can sow seeds of ageratum, begonia, coleus, salvia, and other tender annuals in flats in late February. These should be ready for transplanting by the time the weather moderates in the spring. Keeping all flowers (perennials, annuals, bulbs) mulched will help protect the newly emerging foliage and keep down winter weeds. Spring bulbs will begin to flower this month. Don't fertilize until after flowering is complete. Use a fertilizer formulated for bulbs. February is a good time to take cuttings from your favorite houseplants. These should root quickly and will have the whole summer to mature.

TREES AND SHRUBS

February is a great month for planting trees and shrubs. Remember to never plant deeper than the plant was growing in the container. Dig the planting hole only as deep as the root ball to help prevent planting too deep. Continue to prune all dormant, deciduous, and evergreen trees this month if needed. Do not prune the spring flowering shrubs such as azalea, rhododendrons, forsythia, spirea and others. Crape myrtle, lilac chaste tree, althea and other summer blooming shrubs can be pruned now. Fertilize all trees and shrubs in February with a complete fertilizer, such as 15-15-15. A good general rule is to apply one-half pound of fertilizer every three feet of height of the plant. You can make dormant cuttings of deciduous shrubs like hydrangea, viburnum, althea, forsythia, roses and many others during this month. Prepare a propagation bed with sterile sand, perlite, or vermiculite outside in an area that would receive light shade and be protected from cold winter winds. A cold frame works well. Remember these cuttings should remain undisturbed until late March or April. At that time, check for roots and pot if ready.

FRUITS AND NUTS

Prune all fruit trees in February if you haven't already done so. Proper pruning will increase both the quantity and quality of fruit production. Pruning is especially critical during the first two to three years of your tree's life. For information of pruning of apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, grapes, blackberries and muscadines go to your local Extension office and ask for these publications: IS 1434 Fruit and Nut Review Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums, IS1433 Fruit and Nut Review Apples and Pears, IS1445 Fruit and Nut Review Muscadines, IS1444 Fruit and Nut Review Bunch Grapes and Blackberries. These great publications also contain loads of information on fertilizing, harvesting and general maintenance. Plant nut trees this month like Chinese chestnut, pecan and walnut. Remember to plant two or three Chinese chestnuts so they can cross-pollinate so you will get a good nut harvest. Do not plant strawberries or figs until late February or March after the coldest weather has passed. Apply a recommended dormant spray on tree fruits, semi-bush fruits and grapes if you haven't already. When applying any pesticide be sure and follow the directions on the label.

GROUND COVERS AND LAWNS

If winter weeds in your lawn like wild garlic or chickweed bother you, check with your Extension office or garden center for the recommended lawn formula herbicide to use. Follow the label directions and be patient because results are slow in the winter. Evergreen lawns should only be mown at the correct height. For tall fescue this is two to three inches. For Kentucky bluegrass it is one and one half to two inches. For ryegrass seeded over Bermuda grass the ryegrass should be cut at least one inch above the base lawn. Keeping fallen leaves raked off your evergreen or dormant lawn will prevent damage to the grass. Do not fertilize lawns with warm-season grasses at this time. Fertilizing now will only encourage more weeds and weed seed production. Warm-season grasses are still dormant and cannot benefit from fertilizer now. Plan to use a pre-emergence herbicide in later winter if you want to control summer annuals that will be sprouting then.

VEGETABLES

As soon as the soil dries sufficiently take the time to till and prepare your vegetable garden for spring planting. If you haven't done a soil test in several years, do one now. You should have the results back in time for adding the required amendments before planting time. Don't know how to take and submit a soil sample? Call your county Extension office. They will be glad to help. After you get your garden tilled, go ahead and make the rows. These raised bed rows will dry faster than a flat garden so your spring planting won't be delayed because the soil is too wet. As soon as the weather gets mild-could happen in February-plant English peas. Hardy vegetables like asparagus, horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke can be planted now. Sow seeds of beets, carrots, lettuce, mustard, radish, spinach, and turnips in mid-February. Set out transplants of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower after the middle of February. Time to put those Irish spuds in the ground, too. Better not to lime areas where you plant Irish potatoes. Irish potatoes are more susceptible to certain diseases in alkaline soils.

Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes North Mississippi Gardening Tips monthly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.