February Planting Guide

Landscape

    Plant hardy trees, shrubs and ground covers in the landscape now. This will give them time to make some root growth before the heat of summer. Fertilize Louisiana irises and calla lilies and other fall-planted spring-flowering bulbs and cool-season annuals with a slow-release granular fertilizer this month. Prune repeat-blooming roses.

Ornamental Trees, Citrus/Fruiting Trees, & Shrubs

     Prune your roses on or around Valentine’s Day and begin a preventative spray program, alternating fungicides for blackspot and powdery mildew. Fertilize spring-blooming trees and shrubs. Time to fertilize fruit trees and shrubs, including apples, peaches, citrus, figs, blueberries and blackberries. Dormant cuttings from fig trees can be taken from 1-year-old growth and stored at 40 degrees for a month or so before rooting in moist media.

In The Lawn

     Time to relax and rejuvenate. Perform lawn equipment maintenance this month in preparation for the spring and summer. Dormant sodding can be done this month if you have new construction or need to stabilize bare patches in the lawn. The warm-season turf is dormant and will be brown but will green up in spring.

Pruning

     Many hardy fruit trees, such as peach, pear, plum and apple, should be pruned in February. There often is a specific way to prune your tree, depending on the type you're growing, so do some research before pruning.  Clip ground covers back before new growth appears to remove unattractive foliage, rejuvenate the plants and control growth. 

Vegetables

     Early this month, plant cool-season vegetables, such as beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, collards, lettuce, mustard, potatoes, radishes, spinach, snow peas and turnips. Plant seeds of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in greenhouses or under lights indoors.  Plant warm-season vegetables late this month to decrease the chance of disease and insect problems. Be prepared to cover plants in freezing temperatures. Cut seed potatoes with a couple of eyes about the size of a golf ball and plant 4 inches deep and 12 inches apart. Corn planted in late this month will have few earworms.