Home Gardening

North Mississippi Gardening Tips
January/February, 2006

LAWNS

Thankfully, at this time of year lawnmowers are retired to the garage or shed.  That doesn’t relieve us of some lawn duties, however.  Keeping deciduous leaves off the lawn area is very important.  If you have procrastinated raking those leaves off, get busy!  Besides the obvious benefits of having thankful neighbors and a neat yard, removing matted, wet leaves from the lawn will let needed air and sunlight reach the turf.  This is particularly important on cool-season grasses.

It’s too late to apply preemergence herbicides to control winter weeds.  If you failed to do this last August and September, your lawn probably has a thriving population of annual bluegrass, henbit and other undesirables.  The game now is one of tolerance or applications of postemergence herbicides to control existing winter annual weeds.  Postemergence herbicides are most effective if applied to seedlings less than 3 inches tall.  Wait until most weeds are 2 to 4 inches tall before application.

I, personally, can tolerate anything that wishes to grow in my turf as long as I can ride over it with the lawn mower.  For others, less “laid-back” about weedy lawns, the application of chemical herbicides is a handy tool.  However, as environmentally conscientious folks we would do well to remember that keeping our lawns healthy through good management practices such as proper pH, fertilization, irrigation and mowing frequency and height does help control weeds, therefore cutting down use of herbicides.

SHRUBS AND TREES

Narrowleaf evergreens such as junipers, arborvitae, pine, cedar and spruce can be tip pruned now.  Do not prune any branch beyond the foliage area into the “dead zone”, as new growth may not occur due to the lack of latent buds on the remaining branch stub.  I have a good example of this in my own yard.  A false cypress (chamaecyparis) was attacked by swarms of grasshoppers last fall.  The situation was further aggravated by bagworms.  My half-hearted attempts of picking and stomping the bags or shaking the branches to scatter the grasshoppers did little to save my little tree.  The foliage was completely stripped and the tree now stands as a silent reminder of a gardener’s neglect.  It would, however, make an excellent brush for a chimney sweep.

You can prune broadleaf evergreens such as Burford’s holly, photinia, viburnum, ligustrum and cleyera late in February.  You should not prune broadleaf evergreens which offer early spring bloom, such as azaleas, until after flowering in late spring.  Deciduous spring flowering shrubs including forsythia, kerria, weigela and spirea should not be pruned until after flowering unless you don’t want a lot of spring flowers.

FRUITS AND NUTS

Fruit trees, bunch grapes and muscadines can be pruned now.  Keep a close eye on the buds.  As they begin to swell it’s time to fertilize.  This typically doesn’t occur until late March in north Mississippi.  We have been known to have early springs!  So, the best indicator is to watch the buds.  It wastes nitrogen fertilizer to apply it when the plant is not growing.  Your local county Extension office has free publications on recommended pruning techniques, fertilizer rates and frequency for fruit trees, bunch grapes and muscadines.

February brings the arrival of home orchard plants at most garden centers, farmer’s co-ops, and nursery outlets.  Blueberries, grapes, pecans, blackberries, muscadines, peaches, apples, plums and nectarines are just a few of the choices facing the homeowner.  Be sure and select a variety that is recommended for Mississippi.  Your county Extension office or a knowledgeable salesperson can help you with your selection.  

VEGETABLES

For those of you who like to grow your own selections of tomatoes and peppers, one question often asked is, “What is the earliest date I should seed my tomatoes and peppers to have a good transplant ready to set out in the garden when the weather warms?”  The key to this puzzle is “when the weather warms.”  The median date of the last spring freeze for north Mississippi usually falls between the first and tenth of April.  It is recommended that these cold tender plants be put in the ground no earlier than late April or early May when the chance for a cold snap is unlikely. Regardless, when you plan to transplant outdoors, the way to calculate your seeding date is to count backwards from your preferred transplant date approximately 6 weeks for tomatoes and 8 weeks for peppers.  Seed on that date and hope for good weather in 6 to 8 weeks.

FLOWERS

This is the month of the narcissus.  For a garden still in the cold grasp of winter nothing brings warmth and cheer better than the golden trumpets of the sweetly fragrant old-fashioned buttercup.  These old-time favorites are forever unless you flood them or cover them with concrete.  Many a bulb I have rescued from old homesteads threatened by the rolling juggernaut of our expanding highway system.  It is a well-known fact that plants obtained in this manner will thrive only if you feel no guilt for having pilfered them from someone else’s property.  Seriously, it is always better to ask permission before going on to what looks like abandoned or doomed property to dig plants.   To keep your narcissus healthy and happy for generations to come fertilize them with a fertilizer specially formulated for bulbs.  There are two ideal times to fertilize spring-flowering bulbs.  Once in the fall around the time you would plant bulbs and again in the spring as the foliage begins to emerge.  If flowering declines, it may be due to overcrowding or shade.  Hyacinths are another welcome harbinger of spring.  These bulbs do well in north Mississippi coming back for years.  Fertilize them and other spring bulbs, such as crocus, Dutch iris, snowdrops and others as recommended for narcissus.  Most spring bulbs do better in full sun, but they can tolerate light shade.

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.