Plant Doctor: February in the garden

January 27, 2013|Tom MacCubbin, IN THE GARDEN


Average temperature: High 74, low 51

Rainfall: 2.35 inches

Central Florida average last frost date: Feb. 15

The moon

1. Moon phases

•Last quarter: Feb. 3

•New moon: Feb. 10

•First quarter: Feb. 17

•Full moon: Feb. 25

2. Moon-sign planting dates

•Above-ground crops: 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22.

•Below-ground crops: 2, 3, 7, 8, 25, 26.

•Control weeds: 9, 10, 18, 19.

•Prune trees/shrubs: 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 23, 24.

What to plant

3. Vegetables: Plant through mid-month; beet, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard, endive, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, pea, potato, radish, Swiss chard and turnip. After mid-month plant; bean, cantaloupe, corn, cucumber, eggplant, luffa, pepper, pumpkin, squash, tomato and watermelon.

4. Flowers: Alyssum, aster, baby's breath, bacopa, begonia, candytuft, carnation, calendula, coneflower, coreopsis, cosmos, dahlia, delphinium, dianthus, diascia, dichondra, dusty miller, false heather, four o'clock, gaillardia, gaura, gazania, geranium, gerbera, godetia, Johnny-jump-up, licorice plant, lobelia, million bells, nasturtium, pansy, petunia, rose, salvia, snapdragon, Stokes aster, sweet pea, veronica and yarrow.

5. Herbs: anise, basil, borage, chives, dill, fennel, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, tarragon, and thyme.

6. Bulbs: African iris, amaryllis, Amazon lily, Asiatic lily, blackberry lily, blood lily, bulbine, caladium, canna, crinum, day lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, Louisiana iris, society garlic, spider lily, rain lily.

Lawn care

7. Lawns turned a straw color by cold should be given normal care.

8. Rake out the cold-damaged grass blades as new growth begins if you cannot stand the brown.

9. Do not try to speed lawn recovery with special waterings or feedings.

10. Mow as needed to maintain height and control weeds.

11. Readjust zoysia lawns to the desired height of between 2- to 3-inches before growth begins.

12. A temporary ryegrass lawn can be seeded over cold-damaged turf to renew the green look.

13. Brown lawns can be sprayed green with products available from commercial suppliers.

14. Many weeds have been damaged by cold and can be easily spotted and removed.

15. Water when the soil begins to dry, usually once a week or less.

16. Delay feedings until the end of the month or early March.

17. Select a lawn fertilizer with little or no phosphorus, the second number in an analysis.

18. Inspect irrigation systems; check for clogged or broken sprinkler heads and adjust as needed.

19. A crabgrass control can be applied at midmonth if you are not adding new turf.

20. Live crabgrass sprigs must be removed from lawns for a herbicide to be effective.

21. Till new lawn sites 4 to 6 inches deep and level the soil before planting.

22. Take time to have a soil acidity test made and readjust the soil pH if needed.

23. Sod or plug new lawns; begin seeding after midmonth.

24. Treat weed-infested lawns with the appropriate herbicide when lawns begin vigorous growth.

25. Aeration can help lawns with compacted soils, nematodes or hard to wet soils.

26. Change the oil and air filter of gas-powered equipment.

27. Sharpen mower blades.

Vegetable/fruit gardening

28. Hurry to start transplants from seed of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants for March planting.

29. Cool-season vegetables can be planted through early February.

30. Warm-season vegetables planted in late February are likely to need cold protection.

31. Blankets, boxes and mounds of hay give good protections from late-season frosts and freezes.

32. Support vining crops by tying the vines to a stake or trellis.

33. Plant additional fruiting trees, shrubs and vines.

34. Gardeners may want to avoid new citrus and avocado plantings due to major pest problems.

35. Many tropical fruit trees and shrubs have cold damage; begin the needed pruning.

36. Till and enrich sandy soils with organic matter before starting new plantings.

37. Complete the harvest of midseason citrus fruits.

38. Plant container gardens to enjoy vegetables and herbs on porches and patios.

39. Adjust the soil pH for blueberries to an acid level.

40. Check vegetables for aphids and caterpillars; control as needed.

41. Reshape citrus trees and trim grape vines in February before flowering begins.

42. Feed all fruit-producing trees, shrubs and vines in late February.

43. Begin spray programs after apple and peach trees flower.

In the landscape

44. Begin pruning trees, shrubs and vines before new growth begins.

45. Prune back to healthy wood which may be to buds, branch angles or near trunks.

46. Reshape overgrown and out-of-bounds plantings, including hedges.

47. Be gentle with crape myrtles; only remove seed heads, small stems and suckers.

48. Prune ornamental grasses to within a foot or two of the ground.

49. Give all but climbing roses a first-of-the-year pruning around midmonth.

50. Trim back out-of-bounds perennials; remove old flower heads and seed pods.

51. Complete plantings of cool-season flowers.

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