AgriLife News – January Garden Tips
By KAITLYN SLOVER
I know we just celebrated Christmas and the New Year, but believe it or not, it is already time to start thinking about our Spring gardens! Below are a few tips to make sure your garden is in tip top shape.
- Prepare soil for spring planting. Mix compost and organic material into soil. Beds should be 4 to 6 inches deep for annuals and 6 to 8 inches deep for perennials.
- Mulch plantings
- Cut back and divide ornamental grasses
- Mow and water lawn as needed. Keep lawn free of leaves, use as mulch over plantings or put in compost.
- Prune fruit trees of vertical shoots and crossed limbs. Fruit trees should be bowl shaped to allow air and sunlight to reach branches. Never top trees!
- Fertilize house plants once a month with a 20-20-20 fertilizer
- Apply horticultural oil to plants and trees susceptible to scale
- Remove vining weeds from plants while the plants are leafless.
Plant or transplant fruit trees, nut trees, and roses. Water well, using a root stimulator and mulch.- Plant asparagus and onions.
- Start seeds indoors for warm season vegetables, annuals, and perennials.
- Get your soil tested for pH and nutrients. Make adjustments as needed.
- Wash flowerpots and tools in soapy water and a weak bleach solution.
- Clean out birdhouses.
Kaitlyn Slover is the County Extension Agent for agriculture and natural resources for Upshur County. Her email address is kaitlyn.slover@ag.tamu.edu
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