Gardening Tips for January 2007
by Thea Fiskin, UC Master Gardener

Get out those pruning shears and shovels! This is the month for pruning and buying bare-root trees, roses, and vegetables. This is also the time to prevent having crabgrass this next summer.

WHAT TO PLANT
Bare-root fruit trees: When choosing fruit trees there are several requirements for success: check chilling requirements and whether a cross pollinator is needed. We typically have around 800 chilling hours each winter. If you choose a fruit tree requiring 1200 hours, you will have few, if any, fruit. Most cherry trees and even a few plums require two trees to produce fruit, and the second tree must be chosen with care. If you have questions about your choice, do some research in a good gardening book, ask the nursery or give the Master Gardener offices a call.

Bare-root roses: January is the perfect time to add roses to the garden. Hundreds of varieties of hybrid teas, floribundas, climbers, miniatures, and shrubs, should be available. If you have a favorite rose in mind, then be sure to call around, most are available locally.

Speaking of roses: Visalia's own Ralph Moore, the world renowned rose breeder respectfully called the "Father of the Miniature Rose" celebrates his 100th birthday this month. Congratulations to Ralph Moore! Let's all celebrate the occasion by planting one of his many beautiful miniature roses in our own gardens.

Bare-root berries: Plant cane boysenberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, grapes and kiwis.

Ornamental shrubs: Clematis vines, flowering quince, forsythia, lilacs, spireas and other bare-root perennials can also be planted now.

Seeds: Seed catalogs will start arriving. Check them out for new varieties. Many seed companies have early bird specials, so get your order in early.

Vegetables: Artichokes, asparagus, leeks, onion sets, seed potatoes, and rhubarb can all be planted now.

GARDEN CHORES
Algae and moss in the landscape: These are usually caused by poor drainage, soil compaction or poor air movement. There are chemicals to solve the problem, but most only work temporarily. Try improving drainage, aerating the soil and improving air circulation in planted areas. Check the shelves for some new products that work on cleaning up sidewalks and walkways.

Dormant sprays: Spray roses and deciduous flowering and fruit trees thoroughly with horticultural oil to smother overwintering insects like spider mites, scales, mealy bugs, and peach twig borers. Spray the branches, crotches, trunk, and ground beneath the tree's drip line. Postpone spraying if rain is forecast or if the temperature is below 45°F. Never spray oil on walnut trees.

If you haven't yet sprayed your peach and nectarine trees for leaf curl, then spray trunk, branches and ground underneath trees with a copper-based fungicide, a Bordeaux mixture, or a synthetic fungicide.

Lawns: The very end of January is the time to prevent the crabgrass problem you had last summer. All those little crabgrass seeds are getting ready to germinate when the weather warms up (sometimes as early as mid February). You can prevent this by applying a preemergence herbicide for crabgrass control in lawns or flowerbeds. Several brands are available in garden centers and nurseries.

Bermuda lawns are dormant now, but fescue lawns require some winter mowing. Keep fescues thick and healthy by mowing to a 2" height. Don't "scalp it" which will prevent deep root development and allow weeds to break through. Remember to never mow when grass is wet or frozen.

Perennials: It's time to cut back herbs and other straggly perennials. I leave an inch or two showing above ground, so I don't forget where they are planted.

Pruning: Prune dormant deciduous landscape and fruit trees, roses, grapes, and cane berries after leaf drop and before buds swell (in other words NOW). The exception is apricots; they require summer pruning to avoid eutypa canker disease

When pruning large, heavy tree limbs, do it in three steps for safety and for the health of the tree:

Cut #1: Always undercut first, this means cut from the bottom up. About 4-12 inches away from the trunk make an undercut stopping about one-third to one-half way through the branch. The undercut keeps limbs from splitting and tearing the bark down the trunk of the tree.

Cut #2: About 1-2 inches away from cut #1 (and further away from the tree trunk) make a cut into the top of the limb and keep cutting until the branch breaks off. This removes the bulk of the limb so you won't be fighting all that weight when you make your 3rd cut.

Cut #3: This final cut is to cleanly remove the branch stub, which is a normal cut made just to the outside of the branch collar. Do not cut flush with the trunk.

Two easy-to-find books on pruning are Sunset's "Pruning Handbook" and Ortho's "All about Pruning". Master Gardeners strongly urge you to PLEASE FOLLOW GOOD TREE PRUNING RULES.