General February Garden Tasks
• Remove all dead flowers from summer flowering perennials like Agapanthus, dietes and Liliums. And if you are looking at deviding your plants, Wait for the cooler days of March and April.
• Sweet peas can be sown now. Prepare a trench with well-rotted kraal manure and add a lot of compost, bonemeal and an organic fertiliser to the soil. The key to success with sweet peas is enriched and well-draining soil. Soak the seeds overnight in warm water before sowing directly in the trench.
• Look at giving your summer flowering shrubs a light prune to tidy them up – and if you’ve experienced hail damage through some of the summer storms, you can cut away damaged leaves and flowers to allow for fresh new blooms to be produced.
• Also look at Deadheading your summer annuals regularly and feed them fortnightly with a liquid fertiliser. You acn also start to sow winter-flowering annuals from seed available that you can find available in our seed section now.
• Dead head flowering bulbs, like Dahlias, to extend their flowering time. Feed bulbs that have finished flowering with a good quality bulb food ask our staff to help pick one out for you– now is the time that they store these nutrients in their little bulbs for winter dormancy and to ensure you have beautiful blooms in the next season.
• Be sure to check and spray all susceptible plants for aphids, powdery mildew, black spot, rust and redspidermite – our friendly staff are always willing to assist with suggestions on what products you can use.
• Be on the look out especially in the early evening for snails and slugs and put out an organic bait of your choice.
• Water plants deeply when it’s not raining in order to encourage roots to grow deeper in search of water; this keeps roots cooler and improves the plants’ ability to withstand drought. This also applies to your potted plants, Let the water start to flow out the bottom before moving onto the next pot plant.
• Top up mulch in garden beds where needed to keep the soil cool and retain moisture during the hotter months.
• Water your roses deeply 3 times per week and maintain a thick layer of mulch, keeping the area around stems free. Fertilise with a balanced rose food to boost the their last flush of flowers.
• Feed Azaleas and Camellias with an acid-loving plant food now. Mulch with acid compost and water well to give them a yearly growth boost and to help them set full buds.
• Look at feeding all your plants that are in containers and hanging baskets with a liquid fertiliser every fortnight, this will help with the plants overall health, and encourage beautiful blooms.
• Mow your lawns more regularly on a higher setting to protect roots from the heat. Water well if needed and feed with an organic, slow-release lawn fertiliser. Be sure to Check for lawn caterpillars, mole crickets and lawn fungus and treat appropriately.
In the Food Garden
• Remove your spent summer veg that have finished bearing. A final planting of tomato, brinjal and green pepper seedlings can still be made. Now is the time to start preparing your soil for winter vegetable sowing and planting. Work a generous amount of good quality compost into the soil in preparation.
• Start sowing your choice of winter vegetable and herb seeds available in the seed section at Tuingenoot now. Rather sow in seed trays while the weather is still so hot and keep the young seedlings under 30-40% shade cloth or in the dappled shade of a tree, helping them with a great start to life.
• Cut back herbs to encourage fresh new growth. Freeze or dry the snippets of summer herbs for use during winter. Bunches of herbs can also be used as insect repellents in your home. Mints deter most insects, including ants. Basil, rosemary and lavender keep flies at bay. Lemon-scented herbs such as balm, lemon grass and scented geraniums are great for keeping mosquitoes away. Tansy is good as a flea repellent.
• Prepare your beds for strawberries in late summer by digging a layer of compost, bone meal and organic 2:3:2 fertiliser into the soil.
• Water vegetables and herbs more frequently during hot weather, especially those planted in containers. Feed fortnightly with an organic, seaweed -based fertiliser.
• Keep a look out for pests like aphids, redspidermite and white fly thrive in this hot weather. Check plants regularly and spray with an organic pesticide if they cannot be controlled manually.
• You can also look at doing a last planting of fast-growing annual herbs, like basil, dill and coriander now. Still available at our vegetable section.
• Its a good idea to top up on mulch layers around your citrus trees and water twice a week, if needed. Feed with an organic 3:1:5 fertiliser along the drip line of the tree. Check for aphids and psylla and treat appropriately.
• Now you can harvest garlic and onions you will know when the time is right by the flower heads toppling over and the leaves starting to yellow, but be sure to do it before they dry out completely.
• Once deciduous fruits have stopped producing, shape your trees lightly and remove any diseased branches, in their entirety. Be sure that all fallen fruit are removed from around the tree – this is a breeding ground for fruit fly. You can look at feeding with a general 2:3:2 fertiliser and water well, any organic choices are ideal.
• Pick the last of your granadillas and feed them with an organic 2:3:2 fertiliser, to help boost the vine for the next seasons crop.
• Water all your berry plants well at this point of the season to ensure a good autumn crop.
For the Love of Bees and Bugs…
Look after your beneficial insects in the garden – they help to keep your garden pest free, and keep a healthy biome. Only look at spraying pesticides only when it’s really needed and also spray during the late afternoon when they are less active.
