Ken Holiday

Ken Holiday

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What to plant February 2024!

February Calendar

Average temperatureHigh 74      Low 51                             

Rainfall 2.35 inches

Central Florida’s average last frost date; February 15.

   

What to plant

Vegetables: Plant through mid-month; beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, endive, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, peas, potatoes, radishes, Swiss chard and turnips. After mid-month plant; beans, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, luffa, peppers, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes and watermelon.

Flowers: Alyssum, aster, baby's breath, bacopa, begonia, candytuft, carnation, calendula, coneflower, coreopsis, cosmos, dahlia, delphinium, dianthus, diascia, dichondra, dusty miller, false heather, four o'clock, gaillardia, gaura, gazania, geranium, gerbera, Johnny-jump-up, lobelia, million bells, nasturtium, pansy, petunia, rose, salvia, snapdragon, Stokes aster, sweet pea, and yarrow.

Herbs: anise, basil, borage, chives, dill, fennel, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, tarragon, and thyme.

Bulbs: African iris, amaryllis, Amazon lily, Asiatic lily, blackberry lily, blood lily, bulbine, caladium, canna, crinum, day lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, Louisiana iris, society garlic, spider lily, rain lily.

Lawn care

  • Zoysia and bahia lawns turned brown due to cold; no special care is needed at this time.
  • Mow zoysia lawn to recommended height of two inches and remove thick thatch.
  • Those brown spots in lawns are likely weeds; remove and resod when grass is available.
  • One way to control weeds is with regular mowing to reduce them to the height of the lawn.
  • Cool season weeds can also be spot treated with herbicides as labeled for your lawn type.
  • When previous brown patch disease has been noted, apply a fungicide for lawns in February.
  • Crabgrass preventers can be applied mid-month to stop weedy grasses from germinating.
  • Do not use crabgrass preventers if you plan to resod, seed or need runner growth.
  • Seeding of ryegrass for a temporary lawn is over; most permanent lawns should recover soon.
  • Tan to brown cold damaged blades can be left or raked from lawns as growth begins.
  • Delay feedings of centipede and zoysia lawns until they regreen for spring in April.
  • Inspect irrigation systems; check for clogged or broken sprinkler heads and adjust as needed.
  • Sod or plug new lawns; begin seeding after mid-month.
  • Turf is hard to establish in shady sites; consider another ground cover.
  • Take time to have a soil acidity test made and readjust the soil pH if needed.
  • Aeration can help older and overfertilized lawns with compacted soils, nematodes or hard to wet soils.
  • Service lawn care equipment before spring arrives.

Vegetable & fruit gardening

  • Frosts and freezes have ended many warm season crops; remove declining plants.
  • Prepare gardens by tilling in organic matter with sandy and previously planted sites. 
  • Hurry to plant the last of the cool season vegetables in early February.
  • Start seeds of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants immediately to have transplants by March.
  • Prune cold damage from tropical tree and shrub type fruiting plants as needed.
  • Bananas and papayas may have been frozen and need heavy pruning or replanting
  • Pineapples may yellow their leaves and need major pruning but the plants should survive.
  • Prune all deciduous fruit trees and vines as soon as possible.
  • Learn how to thin peach & nectarine trees to obtain the best production.
  • Plant container gardens to enjoy vegetables and herbs on porches and patios.
  • Fertilize, groom and harvest herbs to keep them producing, dry and store extras.
  • Warm season vegetables planted in late February are likely to need cold protection.
  • Support vining crops by tying the vines to a stake or trellis.
  • Plant additional fruiting trees, shrubs and vines.
  • Purchase new seeds for the garden early to obtain the best selections
  • Check with your University of Florida Extension office for new and better fruit varieties.
  • Pine bark fines can be used to help adjust the soil acidity for blueberry plantings.
  • Feed all fruit producing trees, shrubs and vines in late February.
  • Use fallen leaves to form pathways, add a mulch to gardens or make compost.
  • Sharpen, shovels, hoes and pruners to have them ready for spring planting and plant care.

In the landscape

  • Take an inventory of cold damaged plants that may need to be replaced.
  • Prune cold damage plants when you cannot stand seeing the brown leaves and branches.
  • Plants may continue to decline due to cold so keep the pruners handy
  • Perennials may be dead to the ground but should begin growth with warmer weather.
  • Prune all but late winter and spring blooming trees and shrubs as needed.
  • Reshape overgrown and out of bounds plantings including hedges.
  • Only remove seed heads, small stems and suckers from crape myrtles.
  • Prune ornamental grasses to within a foot or two of the ground before growth begins.
  • Remove declining fronds and fruiting stalks from palms; leave the good green foliage.
  • Give all but climbing roses a first of the year pruning around mid month.
  • Trim climbing roses after spring blooms to only remove dead or out of bounds shoots.
  • Look for Florida bulbs to plant at garden centers to obtain the best selection. 
  • Move poinsettias to the landscape on warm days and apply a slow release fertilizer.
  • Begin landscape tree, shrub and flower feedings if needed for growth and foliage color.
  • Feed container cool season gardens every other week or use a slow release fertilizer.
  • Start seeds of warm season annuals and long-lasting perennials.
  • Add a majority of hardy drought tolerant plants to the landscape.
  • Maintain a mulch around trees starting a foot from the trunks; six inches from shrubs.
  • Prepare new flower beds; add organic matter to sandy soil.
  • Replant declining container gardens.
  • Plant bare root and container grown trees, shrubs and vines.
  • Begin every other week feedings of orchids by month’s end or apply a slow release fertilizer.
  • Start compost piles from leaves and yard debris plus thin layers of soil and a little fertilizer.
  • Divide and transplant perennials.
  • Clean lily ponds to prepare for spring growth.

 

Foliage and house plant care

  • Many outdoor foliage plants show signs of decline: remove affected portions as needed.
  • Replace severely cold damaged foliage plants when the weather warms.
  • Check previous indoor plant additions for mites and insects.
  • Most holiday plants can be grown outdoors when the weather warms.
  • Give Christmas and holiday cactus a bright spot in the home; water when they start to dry.
  • Remove faded flowers and stalks from forced amaryllis bulbs; add the bulbs to the garden.
  • When indoor orchid flowers fade move the plants outside to a warm shady site.
  • Groom indoor foliage to remove old leaves, faded flowers and declining portions.
  • Trim indoor topiaries and tree like plants to control size and shape.
  • Feed all container plantings.

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