A January Gardening Checklist – Part Two

As we saw last week, even in the doldrums of winter, there are quite a few garden tasks to tackle. Herewith are some more of these to consider this month in this brand new year. 

Here in middle Georgia, colorful annuals can still be planted even if the weather is cold. Flowering cool-season annuals make an immediate impact in a bare landscape. Plant dianthus, pansies, violas, snapdragons, ornamental kale, and parsley. 

All of these prefer a sunny spot. Plant on a sunny day when the soil is more likely to be warm, and water the plants immediately. Purchase larger plants, those in 3-inch or larger pots. Plants in smaller pots will stop blooming as they try to establish roots. It is best not to install “six-pack” plants. They are too small to survive and thrive in the cold.

Don’t worry if pansy leaves look dreadful in the cold morning hours; they will recover by noon as moisture fills their leaves. Pansies protect themselves during cold weather by wilting their leaves. 

Remove faded blooms from plants periodically. This procedure, called deadheading, is especially important for pansies and violas. These produce many more flowers if deadheaded on a regular basis. 

You vegetable gardeners know that soil preparation is critical to the success of your garden. A thorough tilling of the soil is necessary each year to break up clumps of soil and old root balls. If the garden has not been cultivated for a few years, weeds and insects will have built up in the soil. Consider tilling garden beds now. This will expose to the cold any potentially harmful overwintering pests and weed seeds. It will also loosen compacted soil, improving air and water flow for plant roots. 

It is that time of year when some gardeners dream of establishing their own fruit orchards. Before you do, be aware of some very important requirements for fruit trees. In order for a plant to produce fruit, the flowers must be pollinated. Some fruit trees are self-fruitful (self-pollinating). This means that pollen from a single plant is sufficient to pollinate the flowers on it. Other fruit trees are partially self-fruitful or even self-incompatible. Follow these general pollination guidelines when deciding whether you need one of more of each.

• Apple: plant at least two different varieties
• Blueberry: plant at least two different varieties
• Bunch grapes: self-fruitful
• Fig: self-fruitful
• Muscadine grapes: plant at least two different varieties; one must be self-fruitful
• Peach: self-fruitful
• Pear: most are self-fruitful
• Plum: plant at least two different varieties
• Raspberry and blackberry: self-fruitful                                                                                            

Fig bushes that have become too large for their space can be severely pruned now. 

• Cut main branches by one-third to one-half their length     
• Cut back older, less productive branches to encourage new, fruit-bearing growth     
• Remove suckers from the base, any branches growing inward, and any crossing branches   
• Cut back to a bud or smaller branch, avoiding long, bare stubs that invite decay
• Be aggressive. Figs can tolerate heavy pruning. Don’t be afraid to cut back significantly to promote vigor

Severe winter pruning removes old fig wood, meaning you’ll likely lose the early summer breba crop and have fewer main crop figs until the new wood matures. Expect lots of new, juvenile growth, which is what produces the main fig crop in the fall. Severe winter pruning keeps the bush smaller and sturdier and easier to manage.                                                       

I trust this checklist will aid you in your gardening exploits this month.

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, and former Perry High School horticulture instructor. He can be reached at (478) 954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.