Plant Doctor: December in the garden

December 1, 2012|Tom MacCubbin, IN THE GARDEN


Average temperature: High 73, low 53

Rainfall: 2.31 inches

Winter arrives: Dec. 21

First frost: Average Central Florida date is Dec. 18

The moon

1. Moon phases

•Last quarter: Dec. 6

•New moon: Dec. 13

•First quarter: Dec. 20

•Full moon: Dec. 28

2. Moon sign planting dates

•Above-ground crops: 14, 15, 18, 19, 23, 24

•Below-ground crops: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 28, 29

•Control weeds: 16, 17, 25, 26, 27

•Prune trees and shrubs: 3, 4, 12, 13, 20, 21, 22

What to plant

3. Flowers: Alyssum, baby's breath, bacopa, begonia, bush daisy, calendula, California poppy, candytuft, carnation, chrysanthemums, delphinium, dianthus, dusty miller, foxglove, geranium, goddetia, hollyhock, Iceland poppy, licorice plant, lobelia, million bells, ornamental cabbage & kale, pansy, petunia, salvia, shasta daisy, snapdragon, statice, stock, sweet pea, verbena and viola.

4. Vegetables: Beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, horseradish, lettuce, mustard, onions, peas, radicchio, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.

5. Herbs: Anise, arugula, basil, bay, chives, cilantro, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, thyme and watercress.

6. Bulbs: African iris, amaryllis, anemones, bulbine, crinum, day lily, paper-white narcissus, ranunculus, society garlic, spider lilies, rain lilies; refrigerate for future planting — Dutch iris, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

Lawn care

7. Reduce watering to no more than once a week; it's the rule in most areas.

8. Dry spots can usually be watered as needed with a hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off.

9. Major feeding time is over for lawns.

10.Yellowing turf can often be regreened with iron or a minor nutrient spray.

11. Many lawns have major weedy areas; remove and add new sod or plugs.

12. Use spot weed-control techniques for small patches of weeds also making good growth.

13. Most lawn insects are inactive at this time; large patch a disease can be a major problem.

14. Make sure your watering system is applying the proper amount of water to wet the soil.

15. Adjust sprinklers to avoid sidewalks, driveways and streets.

16. Mow to maintain proper turf height and control weeds.

17. Replant hard-to-mow and shady areas with ground covers.

18. Create a temporary green by overseeding cold-damaged lawns or bare spots with ryegrass.

19. Help lawns survive the cold by making sure the ground is moist prior to a frost or freeze.

20. Prepare idle power equipment for winter storage.

21. Rake fallen leaves from lawns and add to the compost pile.

Fruit/vegetable gardening

22. Start seeds of the cool season crops for transplants.

23. Most warm-season vegetables have declined; replant with cool-season selections.

24. Observe new water rules; micro-sprinklers can often be used any time.

25. Plantings need less water during the cool weather; water when the surface soil begins to dry.

26. Renew mulches to conserve water and control weeds.

27. Use the cooler weather to restart in ground or container grown herb plantings.

28. Many citrus fruits are ripening; use a taste test to determine when they are ready to eat.

29. Add new cold-tolerant fruits to the landscape; delay tropical fruit plantings until spring.

30. Prepare sandy garden sites with organic-matter additions.

31. Delay deciduous fruit-tree prunings until next month; citrus pruning until mid-February.

32. Control caterpillars, a common cool-season pest, as needed.

33. Feed the vegetable garden every 3 to 4 weeks with composted manures or a general fertilizer.

34. Feeding time is over for all fruiting trees, shrubs and vines; feed again in March.

35. Control rats feeding in citrus trees.

36. Prepare shelters for cold-sensitive tropical fruits.

37. Remove banana plants that have fruited to make room for new sprouts.

38. Protect pineapples from freezing temperatures.

Landscape plantings

39. Add holiday poinsettias to the landscape in their pots to easily remove during extreme cold.

40. Fill declining flower beds with cool-season color.

41. Keep poinsettias and Christmas cactus out of the nighttime light until they show color.

42. Pruning time is over for most plants; out-of-bounds shoots can be removed as needed.

43. Cool weather may have caused cold-sensitive foliage plants to yellow; move them indoors.

44. Trees and shrubs can often go several weeks without irrigation; water as needed.

45. Add a rain gauge to the landscape and keep track of the rainfall.

46. Establish watering zones to only moisten the ornamental plantings.

47. Feeding time is over for all trees, shrubs and vines.

48. Fertilize annual flowers monthly or use a slow-release fertilizer as labeled.

49. Chilli thrips are causing major damage to many plants; control with a natural spray.

50. Hurry to plant wildflower gardens to have blooms for spring.

51. Eliminate invading vines covering trees and shrubs.

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