By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia
Spring has “sprung.” But if you hurry, you can still work in
those last-minute winter gardening chores.
“This is the last call for many winter garden jobs,” said
Willie
Chance, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent in
Houston County. “Try to do these chores as soon as possible,
before your plants really start growing.”
These “winter” gardening chores include controlling pests,
fertilizing plants and even transplanting.
Check for scale insects
“Now is the time to control scale insects on branches of
shrubs
and trees,” Chance said.
Check for overwintering infestations of scale insects on
evergreen plants like camellias, cleyeras and hollies. If you
find them, he recommends using a dormant oil spray. However, if
your plants have begun to bud or leaf out, he said, use other
insecticides for control.
Mulching isn’t just a winter-preparation chore. Chance
recommends
adding a 3- to 4-inch layer now to control weeds and keep the
soil moist. Add mulch to fruit, vegetable, shrub and flowering
plants.
“There are many sources of free or inexpensive mulch,” he
said.
“So you have no reason not to mulch.”
Fertilize and trim
Fertilize pecan trees now with a fertilizer containing zinc.
“Pecans require zinc to make their leaves stronger and to help in
kernel development,” he said.
If you use 10-10-10 fertilizer, apply 1 pound to new trees
and 4
pounds per inch of trunk diameter (at chest height) to older
trees. Spread it evenly around the tree, well beyond the drip
line, or the point to which the branches reach.
Fertilize bulbs, too, as soon as they come up. After they
bloom,
let the foliage die back naturally.
“This allows the bulb to store energy for next year’s blooms,”
Chance said. “If you want to move bulbs, mark where they’re
growing and then transplant them after the foliage dies
back.”
If your landscape includes liriope, remove the old
foliage. “You
can use a mower set on the highest setting or a weed eater,”
Chance said. “Cutting liriope back removes the old, ugly and
blighted leaves.”
Removed the old foliage before new growth starts. To check for
new growth, look in the center of the plant for new leaves.
If your landscape includes mondo grass, also known as dwarf
lily
turf or monkey grass, don’t mow it. “Sheared mondo grass foliage
doesn’t grow back as well as liriope foliage,” Chance said.
Prune and transplant
Prune crape myrtles, chaste trees (Vitex), hollies, roses and
other summer-blooming shrubs as soon as possible. Many other
shrubs can be pruned now, too.
Wait until spring-flowering plants, such as azaleas,
camellias,
forsythias, quince and spireas, have finished blooming before
pruning them. And even then, you shouldn’t shear these plants, he
said. Selectively remove branches to maintain the beauty and
shape of the plants.
“Prune trees as little as possible,” Chance said. “Don’t give
them an overall shearing. This can ruin their shape. Instead,
remove individual branches completely back to where they’re
attached to the main branch.”
If you have nandinas in your landscape, you know they grow
like
bamboo, with long canes and leaves at the tops of the
branches.
Chance suggests pruning nandinas by cutting one-third of the
canes at one-third of the plant’s height. Prune another third at
two-thirds of its height, and leave one-third alone.
“This should make the plant bushy,” he said. “Mahonia and
Aucuba
can also be pruned this way.”
You can still transplant trees and shrubs, Chance said. But
do it
as soon as possible. “Fall is best time to transplant, but now is
OK, too,” he said. “The later you wait, the lower their chance of
survival.”
For more information on these and other lawn, landscape and
garden topics, contact your local UGA Cooperative Extension
office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1.
