Garden Calendar for February

Pruning

Deciduous plants like forsythia, spirea and other early spring flowering shrubs should be pruned a little later, after they have finished flowering.

Basic Pruning can help to improve the shape of your plants. Cutting out any decayed branches, or winter-damaged branches will improve air circulation, and get better sun exposure. Any suckers, or crossed branches should also be removed.

Prune Broad leaf evergreens March – May, or in early summer after any new growth has hardened off.

Prune Junipers, Arborvitaes and Yews anytime from mid April – mid August.

Fertilizing

Deneweths carries a full line of fertilizers, the full line of Miracle Grow Products, Osmocote Fertilizers and other specialty Fertilizers

Use a fertilizer for evergreens like Miracle Gro Acid Food on your Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Junipers, and Conifers.

Use an all-purpose fertilizer like Miracle Gro Plant Spikes on your fruit and flowering trees, and other deciduous trees and shrubs.

If you use a fast release fertilizer – either early spring or late fall application is the most effective, when roots are growing but plant is dormant. Do not use a fast release fertilizer application, as it may cause new growth to become damaged from frost. A slow release fertilizer may be applied anytime during the growing season.

Read manufacturers directions before using fertilizer on your plants.

The most effective method of applying nutrients to the entire root system is broadcasting – spread granular fertilizers evenly over the entire root zone.