February Gardening

I hope none of you were hit too hard by the frosts and freezes in January. A few of my plants, even though well bundled up,
lost some leaves to the cold. Several that I did not have the time to cover were about wiped out. One thing I have learned � never get rid of any plant for several months that seems dead. Last year, a huge rubber tree I planted in the ground froze completely. I left it alone, after sawing it off to ground level, with the intention of coming back to dig up the roots at a later time. One day, I noticed new growth on it and it has come back nicely since.

While we still have a threat of freezes and frosts throughout February, there are many garden chores we can tackle. On hardy plants, you can trim back and prune out winter damage and frost bitten limbs. For the sensitive plants, it�s best to live with the damage until the end of February.

Lawns are looking a bit ragged and it is a good time to green them up. Fertilize, apply weed control, and add sod, plugs or seed. A light mowing is beneficial; don�t mow too low.

Cool season vegetable plants should be in the ground by the end of the month. Plant the last of the cool season flowers to get through till they begin to die out in mid-March. Start seeds and cuttings for March planting now.

Fertilize citrus, palms, shrubs and vines around the middle of the month.

The Water Festival was great. I only got to hear one speaker since I had a booth there. The speaker was Linda Evans, of the Extension Department. Her topic was Florida gardening and was very well presented. She stressed knowing your plants� water needs, judicious use of fertilizer and pesticides, and planting native flora. She also spoke about mulching and composting.

The Extension Department is a wealth of information for all gardeners. They offer information and advice on just about everything, including plant identification, disease and pest identification and control and soil testing. A team of Master Gardeners assists Linda Evans and Linda Landrum. They are located at the Fair Grounds in the building up front by SR44. And it�s all free!

You may contact the Volusia County Extension office at (386) 822-5778 or on the Internet at Volusia.org/extension_service.

Now for a funny story about organic gardening: I love to fish, and have always loved fish emulsion to fertilize my plants. Emulsion has become difficult to locate. So, I decided to make my own. I got a 5 gallon bucket, filled it with water, and began to put all the waste from my fish cleaning in it. The hot sun beat down on it; it began to bubble and foam. I kept adding more fish, and kept getting a stinkier mess. One day, I was just about to toss in some more fish when two little girls rode by on bikes. I heard the one say to the other, �Now hold your nose when we go past this house! It�s the smelliest place around!� I have since learned to spread my fish cleanings around the yard in several buckets, which helps reduce the odor. It also makes it easier to spot fertilize!

Until next month � Happy gardening!