Don’t give Knock Out roses much pruning until mid-February
Question: Knock Out roses growing in our landscape are too tall. Can they be trimmed back at this time?
Answer: Give them a trimming but maybe lightly. Short days and cool nights keep roses from making a lot of fall through winter growth. Consider only removing old flower heads and dead or declining portions. Such light pruning should reduce bush size a little and allow still-forming buds to continue opening. Around mid-February, give the bushes a normal pruning to reduce their overall size and stimulate new spring growth. Roses can still be given light fertilizer applications every month or two.
Q: I received a gift of paperwhite narcissuses that are in bloom. What should I do with these bulbs after the flowers fade?
A: Try adding them to a garden site and hope they receive enough cold to flower next year. North Florida residents have good luck getting fragrant paperwhite narcissuses to bloom year after year during the winter months. Central Florida residents have varying results. If you live in a colder area, they may provide another year of blooms. Otherwise, expect only foliage to regrow.
Q: My Hawaiian Ti plants are tall and leggy. Is now a good time to do needed pruning?
A: Ti plants may not look their best at this time of the year, but their appearance is only going to get worse. Regretfully, winter and Ti plants do not go well together. Cold near freezing and below cause foliage and stems to decline. There is no need stimulating growth by pruning now because that also would be damaged by winter weather. Why not enjoy what color is left among your plants and give them a renewal pruning in mid- to late February?
Q: We are enjoying our
camellias but also notice a white to brown coating on the back of some leaves. What is causing this covering and should it be removed?
A: Tea scale is a nemesis that likely arrived with the first camellias in the 1700s. You are seeing adult insect stages covered with a waxy coating, which makes it hard to control. These insects suck juices from camellia leaves that often produce yellow blotching on the surface. Use of a horticultural oil spray to coat the scale with the insecticide can give good control, but repeat applications are likely to be needed. Another good control is a systemic insecticide applied to the soil that is absorbed by the roots and moved up the bushes into the leaves. One application following label
instructions may be all that is needed.
Q: It appears my tomatoes are about finished producing a fall crop. When is the next time to add them to the garden?
A: Get ready to start your next crop of tomatoes from seeds sown in mid-January. Start the seeds in cell packs or small pots. Usually one seed per cell or container is all you need as tomatoes have a good germination rate. Keep the new seedlings warm and in full sun. Fertilize weekly with a half-strength solution to encourage growth and your plants should be ready for an early-March planting. If you would rather skip starting tomatoes from seed, transplants are sure to be available at garden centers. Depending on weather forecasts, some gardeners take a
bit of a chance and add their plants to the garden in late February but keep covers handy for cold protection.
Q: I have a typical viburnum hedge. Will it hurt to give it a needed pruning at this time?
A: Seldom are viburnum and another popular hedge type, the ligustrum, damaged by cold. If they are pruned at this time of the year and a freeze occurs new growth may be damaged which results in some dieback. Also, all hedge types are not going to make much growth during the normal winter weather. So, if you do not mind a sparse looking hedge you might do needed trimming. Otherwise, you could wait a little longer and give the hedge a pruning and provide any reshaping in mid-February.
Q: My yard is ready for a new lawn and I would like to use bahia seed. Can I still sow the seed at this time?
A: Bahiagrass is like most true Floridians in that neither appreciates the really cold weather. If you sow the seed now, some might germinate during the warmer days, but don’t expect a lot of growth. A better plan would be to use a temporary lawn seed like ryegrass for the winter and then sow the bahia seed in the spring.
Q: How easy is it to root crotons? Can I do it in a pail of water or should I stick them in the ground?
A: Rooting stems of crotons is really easy, but it is best done during warm weather. It is so easy that cut croton portions sometimes root
when added to flower arrangements. Develop the best root systems by rooting 4- to 6-inch cuttings in coarse vermiculite or a similar rooting medium. Use shallow pots and stick the base of each cutting about 2 inches deep into moist vermiculite. Place the containers of cuttings in a shady spot and surround them with clear plastic. Keep the cuttings moist, and during warm weather, rooting should begin in six to eight weeks.