Question: I want to create a bed for a slow-growing Zinnia. Can I start them with seeds?
Answer: Grow now to prepare Zinnias in your garden in about 6 weeks. Many varieties are available, growing approximately 12-18 inches tall and wide. Perhaps the most durable one is from the Fusion and Zahara series. There is a wide range of colors. Try planting one seed in a small container filled with cell packs or potting mix. Seeds usually give good germination. Place in a warm, damp, sunny place. Start the photofertilizer application one week after germination. The Garden Center also offers low-growing Zinnia transplants. They may offer the above or different varieties equally suitable for local flower beds. It requires a type that resists leaf spots and mold that can grow into spring and summer.
Q: I think winter is late for the warm weather these days. I want to start a warm seasonal garden. What do you think?
A: Many prophets predict the end of winter, but Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning six weeks of winter. Nevertheless, the Florida era could begin to continue to warm up by mid-February by the date of the last average frost date for most of the state. Planting a garden in the warm season is a bit dangerous, but it is worth taking the chance to get an early harvest. Go ahead and sow seeds such as cucumbers, beans, squash and other seeds, and add tomato, peppers and eggplant transplants to your garden, but keep a protective cover on hand until at least mid-March.
Plant Doctor: Help! I’m confused about the correct way to prune palm trees
Q: My bananas didn’t freeze and had some green leaves. Will you get crops this year?
A: Yes, if the temperature remains quite warm for the rest of winter and early spring, there may be bananas. Bananas do not like temperatures below 40 degrees, but remember that stems can survive until freezing. Some green leaves mean that even if there is a bit of yellowing and healthy shoot in the center of the plant, you can get new growth a few months ahead. Your banana plant can flower from early to late in the summer and bear fruit to harvest by autumn. Moisten the soil at the planting site and maintain a 2-3 inch mulch layer. Common garden products become lightly bloated from spring to autumn, but become fertile every month.
Q: The grass is brown, but I can see it starting to green. When do you apply fertilizer to your St. Augustine lawn?
A: Gardeners and local residents can start feeding now. As soon as you purchase the desired fertilizer, it can be applied to St. Augustine’s lawn and decorative planting. Usually, once the grass begins to grow new, it is ready for the first feeding of the year. If you apply the product on a warm day and plan to water. St. Augustine’s lawn fertilizer is usually applied again from mid-February to mid-March, and again at the end of May. Bahia lawns may be a little later, so fertilizer applications are often delayed until March. Centipedes and Zoisia lawns usually do not fertilize until the green growth increases during the end of March or April.
Q: I’m watching the decorative grass coming back. Is this the time and the right way to do the pruning?
A: Now is the time to mow the decorative grass. Low-growth varieties such as mulliegrass and fountains are pruned within 8-12 inches of the ground. Tall types such as Pampas grass remain 18-20 inches. Like most grass species, spring feeding can bring them to a great start. Lawn fertilizer is applied now and in May at lawn speed.
Q: This year there is a lot of grapefruit and it’s delicious. Now the tree is blooming with fruits on the tree. Do I need to remove the remaining fruit?
February in the gardens in Central Florida
A: Keep the grapefruits in the tree until they are ready. Many citrus trees bloom and produce fruits that are ready to eat at the same time. It is not unusual to place edible grapefruit on a tree more than May while new crops begin to grow. Next year’s crops may be a little less in numbers due to tree stress, but you will probably not notice any differences in fruit production.
Q: I bought some small rosemary plants for Christmas. Do you want to put it in a container or add it to your garden?
A: I grow rosemary plants in containers and ground, but please make sure the drainage is good. Foot wet after inhaling summer rain or water is a common reason for the decline in rosemary plants. When planted in a garden, this perennial may grow in raised beds or covered soil. Otherwise, choose well-drained, loose potted soil for the container. Rosemary grows best in perfect sun with good air movement, but can withstand light shades. Container plants can be moved as needed to capture the sun during seasonal changes or when there is excessive rain.
Tom Maccubbin is an honorary urban gardener at the University of Florida Cooperative Expansion Services. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, PO Box 2833, Orlando, Florida. 32802. email: tomac1996@aol.com.
