Monthly Gardening Tasks - January

Set Pansy, Dianthus and Snapdragon transplants out this time of month. They need a sunny, well-drained site with a regular supply of moisture.

As you prune this winter, be sure to avoid pruning your Wisteria. Pruning this or any other early spring flowering plant now will cut off the flower buds and eliminate their bloom later in the season.

Keep newly installed woody plants well watered this winter, especially if freezing temperatures are predicted. These plants are better able to deal with cold temperatures when the soil is moist.

Plant Petunias (Heavenly Lavender, Fantasy Pink Morn).

Apply a light application of fertilizer to established pansy plantings. Use one-half pound of ammonium sulfate per 100 square feet of bed area. Repeat the application every 4 to 6 weeks, depending on rainfall. Dried blood meal is also an excellent source of fertilizer for pansies.

Now is an excellent time to transplant mature or established trees and shrubs while they are dormant.

When buying plants, the biggest is not always the best, especially when dealing with bare-root plants. The medium to small sizes (4 to 6 feet) are usually faster to become established and more effective in the landscape than the large sizes.

Pruning

When pruning shrubs, first prune out any dead or damaged branches; then thin out by removing about one-third of the canes or stems at ground level, removing the oldest canes only; and last, shape the rest of the plant, but do not cut everything back to the same height.

Clip out 1/3 of the tallest canes of your Nandinas to ground level this month. This special type of pruning keeps these plants full and bush, while also limiting their height.

Roses

Transplant roses that need to be moved. Any that did poorly last year due to a lack of sun should be moved carefully now before the weather warms up.

Water your roses every two weeks if it has not rained regularly.

Climbing roses should be trained but not pruned. Weave long canes through openings in trellises or arbors and tie them with jute twine or plastic/wire plant ties. Securing canes now prevents damage from winter winds, and contributes toward a more refined look to the garden when roses are blooming. Wait until after the spring flowering period to prune climbing or once-blooming shrub roses.

Evergreens

Check junipers and other narrow-leaf evergreens for bagworm pouches. The insect eggs overwinter in the pouch, and start the cycle again by emerging in the spring to begin feeding on the foliage. Hand removal and burning of the pouches are ways of reducing the potential damage next spring.

Herbs

GROWING HERBS INDOORS ---- WHAT DO YOU WANT TO USE?

Even if your climate kisses the herb garden goodbye for the winter, it does not mean you must do without fresh herbs for your hearty winter dishes. An indoor herb garden is only as far away as your windowsill. Basil, chives, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, tarragon, and thyme are especially well suited to growing in containers. Here are some tips for cultivating your windowsill herb garden.

CHOOSING THE PLANTS

Purchase herb plants or sow seeds into pots filled with sterile potting soil. With few exceptions, herbs require excellent drainage. When roots are confined in a pot or planter, water and air cannot move easily. To improve drainage, add sharp sand, perlite or vermiculite to a good, sterilized, compost-based mix.

PLACING YOUR PLANTER

If You have the space for an indoor window box, place the individual herb pots inside the larger box and fill it with soil up to the rim of the pots. This helps maintain higher humidity and promotes better growth. Most herbs are sun worshipers so choose a location that receives at least 4 hours of direct sunlight daily. Grow-lights can boost the light levels if you don't have the ideal spot.

FERTILIZING AND WATERING

In garden soil herbs don't need much fertilizer, but in a pot feedings with liquid fertilizer or organic fish emulsion are necessary. Feed herbs once a week when plants are growing. When soil is dry, add water until it drains at the bottom. If water does not drain out the pot may be blocked. You may have to repot in a larger container.

Vegetables

Set onion transplants out early to give them the long growing season they need to produce large bulbs. Look for transplants the size of a pencil. Those that smell bad, or are slimy or slick should be AVOIDED. Choose plants with dry leaves and firm bulblets. Onions need a sunny, well-drained site, preferably in sandy or silty loam soil. Plant onions 3 inches to 4 inches apart in rows 12" to 15" from one another.

Fruits

Plant Brison Blackberries. They need full sun and good drainage. Plant blackberries 3 feet apart in rows 12 feet from each other.

Trees

Plant Peach trees in a well-drained spot; poor soil drainage can severely limit the number of peaches they produce.

If you only have room for one Plum tree, plant the Methley Plum. They are self-pollinating and are adapted to a variety of growing conditions.

Plant fruit trees early to allow them to develop new roots before the leaves appear. This will result in easier establishment and more vigorous growth. Set fruit trees at the same depth they grew in the nursery.

Don't fertilize your fruit trees at planting time; it may burn tender new roots. Prune carefully, removing week and poorly placed branches.

Don’t fertilize newly set out trees or shrubs until after they have started to grow, and then only very lightly the first year.

Lawns

Your lawn may not be growing much this month, but it still needs to be watered. The roots will be protected from cold weather damage by the moist soil around them.

Rye grass lawns can still be planted this month, but be sure to loosen the soil prior to planting your rye seed.

Lawn Mower Care - Sharpen the blades to your mower, and change the oil and spark plugs. Generally, just tune up your mower.

Seeds

Start your seeds indoors now.

In Central and South Texas, the following flower seeds may be sown directly without protection in well prepared flower beds in February or March: nasturtiums, annual phlox, California poppies, coneflowers, and larkspur. Petunia plants may be set out in sunny, well drained locations, with little chance of cold damage except in far North Texas.