Start Trimming Now!

gillnurseryTimely Tips6 Comments

START TRIMMING NOW! 

Start trimming back now your ornamental grasses (like purple fountain grass and muhly grasses), trees, woody shrubs and vines (except indian hawthorne, azaleas, carolina jasmine that bloom in early spring). I would recommend waiting on the tropicals just a few more weeks, just in case we have a late cold snap.

WAIT TO FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN. 

We all want our lawns to look lush and green all the time but it can’t be in the winter. Don’t think you can “wake up your grass” with fertilizer; fertilizer is taken up with growth, and since the grass is still dormant, it will do no good to feed now. It is best to wait until the grass comes out of winter dormancy which is usually mid March. The best way to tell when to feed is when you need to mow the grass (and not the weeds) every week or so. If you wait to feed, you will see the results you are looking for. It’s also best to attack existing weeds in warm weather (not hot) and sunshine. Since February can be our coldest month, it is usually March before we can take care of those weeds. My thought is, kill the weeds in early March and then fertilize the lawn afterwards. There is no sense in feeding the weeds.

PLANT WILDFLOWERS.

If you missed sowing your wildflowers in the fall, you can try to sow them out right
now. We also have bluebonnet plants in 6 packs ready to transplant, your favorite Ladybird Blue and Aggie Maroon. Seeds of sweet peas and nasturtiums can also be sown in the garden now for spring blooms.

Still time to apply pre-emergents Greenlight Amaze or Fertilome Weed Control With Dimension to prevent more weeds from sprouting and AllSeasons Oil Spray for overwintering insects. Spring is right around the corner and we are all ready for a little gardening therapy. See you in the dirt.

6 Comments on “Start Trimming Now!”

  1. When should we trim our peach tree. It is quite tall and limbs drag the ground when loaded with peaches

  2. I would suggest pruning in early spring before new growth starts (January). Recognize that by cutting off some branches you are removing potential fruits, but most fruit trees set more fruit than you would like to leave on the tree anyway, so you should not need to thin the fruits later since you friend. I highly recommend fertilizing with our fruit tree food in February, fertilizer makes leaves, leaves makes carbohydrate to fill out your fruit.

    1. Thank you so much for your response to my inquiry about pruning our peach tree. I am delighted to find your source for help on issues like this.

  3. We have oak trees different varieties growing in our ranch
    Vines with purple morning glory flowers are growing on some of them
    Is this a concern
    Thank you

  4. Marty, the morning glory could potentially hamper growth of your oak trees if they start covering up a substantial portion of the foliage of the oak. So I would pull or cut them.

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