trim day

TRIM DAY
february 14 is valentines day
but here at the country n its also called trim day
now tomorrow im not going to be doing trim stuff
since
its friday and i do my meals on wheels route
and
of course wish my wife she a happy valentines day
but
then this is the time of year to trim stuff in your yard
its when things are starting to warm up here in central texas
the warm up here is starting today


this is the time to trim roses
trim 1/2 on most roses
some say knockout roses dont need trimming
add compost and a layer of mulch and maybe some organic fertilizer


if the roses are climbing roses dont trim them until after they have
bloomed this spring
eg lady banks rose

i trim my peaches now
removing dead branches and branches going the wrong way
trying to keep a cup like look to the tree to make it easier
to pick peaches and to allow more light to them


i trim many of my native plants like salvia greggii or autumn sage
zexmenia yellow bell firebush lantana maybe plumbago to name a few

i trim those extra small branches and any crossing branches on
my crepe myrtles
but never ever do i top them off
thats called crepe murder by many gardeners

i also look at my trees for branches that are dead or that
need to be removed
consider painting oak cuts if you trim these now

i also take this time to remulch my plants and remove any weeds
looking closely at the plants and cleaning up any debris or dead leaves
or limbs

i also look at my garden and start prepping my beds for my spring
plantings of veggies
adding 3 inches of compost
sprinkling on top of this organic fertilizer
sometimes i gently work it into the top bit of soil
this then will sit until planting time


its also the time to add corn gluten
which will inhibit weed seed germination this spring
it also acts as a mild fertilizer for the yard

dont put this on an area where you plant seeds
they will not germinate

if you have weeds now they are winter weeds
nothing like the bad stuff weed and feed will work now
only mowing and digging them up
it would have helped to have put down corn gluten in the fall

having a healthy lawn is the best thing to fight weeds
you will get weeds no matter how good you are
so
deal with it
put on a hat
get some gloves
diggem up

i use the weed popper in my yard
love to pop those weeds out of the ground
and catch them in mid air
of course
i compost the weeds

so youve got a lot to do in your yard
i would wait until after valentines day though

the organicgreen doctor