What To Do Now To Get Your Garden Ready For Spring, Summer

Q. Do I have to do landscaping and gardening in February?

A : When we take a break from the rain, it's time to prepare the trees and shrubs for spring. The end of winter is the best time to prune vines, roses, crepe myrtles, and fruit trees that haven't bloomed yet.

Do not prune olives or apricots at this time of year as there is a risk of Eutipa apricots rotting on olive trees and olive nodes. Both of these plants are harvested in late summer.

It's time to put the last spray to bed. For detailed information on dormant tree sprays, visit the UC home garden website at homeorchard.ucanr.edu. The rule of thumb is to spray all fruit and nut trees, if not in January, before bud break.

This is also a good time to paint the trunks of newly planted trees and young trees to avoid holes and protect the plants from the sun. Sunburn is the main cause of tree damage in the Redding area. Use white or other light-colored interior latex paint with an equal amount of water and apply liberally.

Now is the time to control slugs, earwigs and bugs with bait or traps before planting young sweet plants or houseplants. By controlling the population now, you will not lose plants to these pests next season. Make sure you are using non-toxic animal bait.

Remove and discard old flowers from stems and camellias to reduce petal swelling. Pruning around these bushes after flowering will help control fungal infections. Apply a layer of fresh mulch to reduce the spread of fungal diseases. Roses also benefit from such care in combating the spread of fungal diseases, especially black spot.

Separate perennials such as asters, lilies, perennial phlox and chrysanthemums. Dividing will rejuvenate the plants and give you plants to share with gardeners in other parts of your garden.

In February, plants such as daphnia, citrus fruits, asparagus, strawberries and reeds are fertilized for the last time. For citrus fruits and cane berries, we recommend dividing the recommended annual amount into three applications: late winter, mid-spring and mid-summer.

Control spring and summer weeds before they emerge by applying a fresh layer of mulch and/or a pre-emergence herbicide. Now is the time to plant deciduous shrubs and open-rooted trees, which are now available from local nurseries. Bare root planting is an inexpensive way to add larger trees and shrubs to your landscape.

The Shasta Master Gardeners Program can be contacted at 530-242-2219 or by email mastergardener@shastacollege.edu . The Gardening Bureau is made up of volunteers trained by the University of California to answer questions from gardeners using research-based information.

This article originally appeared on Reading Record Searchlight; What to do now to prepare your garden for spring, summer