Is it time to plan, prune or plant?
Is it time to plan, prune or plant?
The answer to the above question is “yes.” Exceptionally warm days in February have many gardeners getting out and enjoying the Arkansas weather. With the uncertainty of our weather week to week, it becomes a challenge to know when to prune our trees and shrubs or when and what to plant in our garden.
Plan
Now is a good time to plan your garden, order your vegetable seeds and have your soil tested. Remember, soil tests are still free at your local Cooperative Extension Office.
Plan ahead for lawn weed control. Applying needed nutrients and maintaining a proper pH of your soil is the first step in weed control. But if you are seeing green in your lawn, that is probably not your grass greening up this early — it is winter weeds. Wild onions are really full now, many of the annual winter weeds will begin to grow fast as the weather warms up. Don’t wait for flowers and seeds to set. Spray them now, on a warm day, with an appropriate herbicide for the turf you are growing with post-emergent broadleaf control. Don’t spray on a windy day. Always read and follow label directions. If you were plagued with spurweeds, which causes tiny stickers in your lawn, catch them now before the stickers set. March 1 is the target date for applying a pre-emergent herbicide for summer weeds.
Prune
February to early March is a good time for pruning. The general rule for pruning ornamental plants is the timing of the flowers. Plants that bloom in the summer, such as crape myrtles, althea, butterfly bush and summer spireas, bloom on new growth and can be pruned now. Correct pruning can actually increase summer flowering. Anything that blooms in the spring should be left alone until after they bloom. Roses need specialized pruning. Know what type of rose bush you are growing. Hybrid tea roses need to be pruned back to within 8-18 inches from the ground every February, while shrub roses don’t need the severe pruning. Climbers should be allowed to bloom in the spring before you prune them back.
Fruit trees, blueberry bushes and grape vines also need annual pruning and now is the time. Fruit trees should be pruned every year to maintain their health, encourage balanced growth and productivity, and control their size and shape. Thinning out the trees, removing any overcrossing limbs and excess water sprouts encourages the remaining fruits to grow larger. Increasing air circulation and sunlight penetration also helps with controlling insects and diseases.
Plant
It is time to begin planting the early vegetable garden. What can you plant and when? Between February and April, you can plant the following items: kale, leaf lettuce, mustard, English peas, radish, spinach, turnips, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, endive, onion plants and sets, Swiss chard, Irish potatoes and others.
Tomatoes, peppers, summer-bedding plants and houseplants don’t need to be outside until mid-April at the earliest.
For more information on your garden, contact the Garland County Extension Office at 623-6841, email Allen at abates@uaex.edu, or visit our website at http://www.uaex.edu.
Master Gardeners If interested in becoming a Master Gardener and would like information, the public is welcome to attend their monthly meeting at 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Elks Lodge; or call the Extension office; or email abates@ uaex.edu.