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February Gardening In The Low Desert

© Pat Kolb

Gardeners, do you know where your seedlings are? Hopefully, you have ordered, or bought locally, most of the seeds you will need. It's time to start seeds of warm weather loving plants so they will be ready to set out when the danger of frost is past, about March 8, earlier if you have a warm, protected spot in which to put them.

Try out some new things as well as your old tried and true plants. Even with limited planting space, there are many things that you can grow. If your space is very limited, try the dwarf varieties of trees and other plants. You can grow many things in containers, including some full size tomatoes developed especially for containers. Other veggies available in small sizes or adaptable to containers are eggplant, squash, peppers, cucumbers - even onions, garlic, carrots, lettuce and many others. Grow things 'up' to conserve space, pole beans instead of bush beans and vining cucumbers, etc.

Now is the time to finish pruning all deciduous trees, shrubs, shade and desert trees, and roses - as soon as possible. Deciduous trees and shrubs should be fed with nitrogen. For shrubs and 2 year old trees, ½ cup of ammonium sulfate; for older trees, 1 cup per inch of trunk diameter, and water well. Maintain soil moisture by watering every 10 days to three weeks, depending on rainfall.

Citrus trees should not be pruned until warmer weather when new growth begins but they should be fertilized this month. Use ½ cup of ammonium sulfate for 2 year old trees; for older trees, approximately 5 pounds of ammonium sulfate, 3 pounds of ammonium nitrate, or 6 1/2 pounds of calcium nitrate. Half should be applied now and half in May, spread out to the drip line of trees and watered in well (1 pound equals about 2 cups).

Container roses can be planted at any time and bare root roses can still be planted this month. Buy only #1 roses with green, viable canes with a good vase structure. Keep suckers cut off from roses and other bare root shrubs and trees; sucker are the sprouts that grow below the graft on the main trunk. Feed established roses with a complete fertilizer and water in well. Iris needs the same treatment. Prune roses in late February.

Prune grapevines by cutting back all but four to six fruit-producing canes. Leave 12 to 15 buds on each cane. Save four short spurs bearing two buds each. Bareroot grapes, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries can still be planted.