GET READY FOR SPRING

There are still gardening chores to do in winter

February 08, 2019

PHOTO BY MARIA SOBCZAK/VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER

Water sprouts (growing straight up off limbs) shown here and suckers (sprouting from the trunk base) need to be pruned and maintained on live oak trees to allow energy for growth on limbs rather than on this less significant, new stem-like growth.

Various types of roses for Texas

Modern Hybrids

Hybrid Tea

1.  Mr. Lincoln (red, fragrant)
2.  Peace (yellow)

Floribunda

1.  Betty Prior (pink)
2.  Iceberg (white)

Grandiflora

1.  Gold Medal (yellow)
2.  Queen Elizabeth (pink)

Climbers

1.  Climbing Peace (yellow)
2.  Don Juan (red)

Note: Don’t need to be trimmed back; just cut dead canes/wood.

Old-Fashioned

1.  Belinda’s Dream (dark pink, fragrant)
2.  Knock-Out (cherry red, pink, pink with yellow center, double blooms)
3.  Marie Daly (pink, fragrant; mutation of Marie Pavie)
4.  Marie Pavie (white with pink blush, ever blooming, medium shrub)
5.  Old Blush (pink, ever blooming large shrub)

Note: Don’t need trimming back as much as hybrids; just light snipping.



Steps in pruning tree branches/limbs

Prune/Remove (with plan of general to specific)

•  Dead, broken or diseased limbs; cut at point of origin
•  Branch that is rubbing/touching another, leave stronger/better-positioned one in place
•  Branch that is growing in same space/direction as an adjacent branch, leave stronger of two
•   Branch that is growing from one side, through the middle of and out the other side of the plant
•  Any branches that are aimed toward the ground
•  “Suckers” (shoots emanating from the base of the trunk) or “water sprouts” (fast-growing branches growing straight up on the limbs, parallel to the trunk)

PHOTO BY MARIA SOBCZAK/VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER

Professional tree trimmers/arborists should be considered for large pruning projects like these trees.  One should take care in attempting pruning without proper knowledge and equipment to correctly and safely trim shrubs and trees.

When does winter begin? When the temperature drops below 60 degrees? Maybe when you can put away the lawnmower because you have stopped cutting the lawn? Perhaps you might say Dec. 21, the day that marks the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. However, from then on, the daylight hours will increase and night-time darkness will decrease.

Get ready to get dirty

Is winter just a time to kick back, look at gardening catalogs and home improvement magazines, dream of or plan new landscaping designs or wonder what to plant in your flower and vegetable gardens? All of those ideas are good, but in South Texas, nature doesn’t always give us that much of an actual break from our gardens, lawns and landscapes.

To gardeners, that day suggests that spring is just around the corner. Get ready to get dirty.

Suggestions for January through February

To help you get motivated, I have taken tips from Dr. Doug Welch’s Texas Garden Almanac to inspire your green thumbs to get busy.

In it are many helpful and knowledgeable gardening ideas for each month of the year, touching on such topics as soil, lawns, trees, plants and plant care, to name just a few. I will concentrate on a few of his suggestions from the months of January and February.

• Gardening tools

If you were lucky enough to receive Christmas gifts of pruning equipment this year, then you are set to begin. Those of us who hold onto tools over the years will do well to inspect them, clean up and sharpen those that still have life in them and dispose of the ones who have given their all.

• Small engine equipment

Check lawn mower and trimmer engines to see if a tune-up is needed. If so, take them to a small engine repair shop ASAP to avoid long wait times in the spring.

• Irrigation system

If you have a sprinkler or irrigation system, check out the system for any leaking or broken sprinkler heads. Fix any problems before your watering needs aren’t being met effectively and efficiently.

• Fertilizer application equipment

Fertilizers should be applied with properly maintained equipment, whether using a walk behind or hand whirligig spreader. Check it.

• Garden gloves

Don’t forget to get yourself some new gardening gloves – several different pairs to match the different types of tasks ahead.

Shrubs, trees

Transplant shrubs and trees during the dormant season to significantly increase survival chances.

• Major pruning, training and shaping of shade trees, crape myrtles and other large shrubs are best done in February.
• Spring bloomers should be pruned late spring after blooming.
• Only make a pruning cut that is necessary.

Best time to prune

The best time to prune is in winter just before spring growth begins. Have a pruning plan from general to specific.

Pruning trees

• Start with removal of major dead, broken or diseased tree limbs.
• Remove branches with atypical growing patterns.
• Trim suckers and/or water sprouts on limbs and tree trunks.
• Prune to maintain for natural shaping of the tree/shrub.
• Refer to steps on trimming tree branches in printed information adjacent to this article.
• Consider a professional tree trimming company/arborist for large projects.

Pruning perennial flowers

• Refrain from pruning off freeze-damaged plant material until signs of spring growth appears, usually after the last late spring freeze. In the Victoria area that is, on average, in mid-February. Those dead ends actually provide some insulation for the healthy plant tissue.
• Cold-hardiness of perennial flowers may dictate the level of pruning needed. Most perennials have shoots and branches frozen back to some degree on the plant. Best to let the plant tell you when and where to prune.
• Some perennials, like esperanza and indigo spires salvia, should be cut within 6 inches of the ground every year or two to recreate a whole new vigorous plant.

Roses

• February is the time to prune established rose bushes.
• Tradition has it to prune roses on or by Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day.
• If your goal is to have roses blooming year-round, for both cut flowers and landscape flowers, it would be wise to plant a combination of modern hybrid roses, old-fashioned roses and new, old-style roses.
• Refer to suggested rose varieties in printed information adjacent to this article.
• Roses can be planted almost year-round, so consider giving yourself or someone special a rose bush for Valentine’s Day this year. It could be the gift that keeps giving for many years.

Winter does not actually end until the first day of spring in mid-March. In South Texas, watch for signs of early spring arrival to really get busy and dirty in the garden.

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

Lunch and Learn With the Masters

WHEN: Noon-1 p.m. Monday

WHERE: Dr. Pattie Dodson Health Center, 2805 North Navarro St.

COST: Free

ABOUT: “What’s This? Volume IV” presented by Victoria County Extension Agent Matt Bochat. Bring your own lunch and drink.