Monthly Horticultural Calendar

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Horticultural Calendar for San Antonio, Austin
and Surrounding Areas

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Plant Recovery Instructions If you had not been watering regularly the trees and shrubs in your landscape during last year's drought, the ones with mostly brown leaves, or no leaves, are probably dead or soon-to-die. The best way to determine if they are dead, or not, is to cut the severely drought-damaged ones to 1 inch high in late February. If the root system is still alive, recovery could occur this spring, BUT ONLY IF YOU SOAK THEM DEEPLY TWICE EACH MONTH, in the absence of rainfall. The possibilty of recovery is almost nil if you do not cut them back.

If you do decide to replant, DO NOT REPLACE WITH MORE OF THE SAME. Instead, look for plants with greater drought-tolerance. If you need guidance hire an expert.

February
Week 1-
Any Impatiens, Purslane and Madagascar Periwinkle you see now at big box or corporate clone nurseries
     are just for display purposes. You shouldn't buy and plant them until mid-April.
Sow: Beets, Carrots, Mustard Greens, Peas, Radish, Spinach, Swiss Chard and Turnip in well-prepared
     beds in full sun.
Finish pruning Grape vines. Learn the different methods for Munson hybrid grapes and vinifera grapes.
     When your vinifera grapes start declining, replace them with 'Bailey', 'Brilliant', 'Champanel',
     'Lomanto' & 'Valhalla'.
Collect, bag and refrigerate material for grafting or budding this spring.
Till composted organic matter and shredded Cereal (Elbon) Rye into vegetable garden soil.
Week 2 -
Palms with stippled, yellowed leaves have a magnesium deficiency. Apply annually a solution of one to
     two cups of epsom salts in 10 to 20 gallons of water in a three foot radius.
Apply pre-emergent herbicides now to stop germination of warm-season weeds in lawns, beds and
     landscaped areas.
Water and fertilize all winter annual bedding plants.
Prune Roses (except Climbers) on St. Valentine's Day.
Transplant: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale and seed Potatoes.
Remember to re-apply dormant oil before buds open on fruit and nut trees.
Buy small transplants of Tomatoes and Peppers and grow them in larger pots until the end of March.
     Protect them from temperatures below 50 º F.
Week 3 -
Finish pruning Red Oaks and Live Oaks. Follow applicable local codes & regulations enacted by municipal
     corporations. While these are not actually laws, be careful since Big Sibling might be watching!.
It is still time to prune fruit trees, even if buds have begun to expand. Seal cuts with exterior latex paint
     or a tree-wound dressing.
Burn all remaining Red Oak and Blackjack Oak firewood to reduce chance of spreading Oak Wilt.
Feed strawberries with an acidifying fertilizer.
Week 4 -
Mow Asian Jasmine beds, feed with 21-7-14, 18-6-12 or 15-5-10 slow-release lawn food and water it in.
Make first sowing of Sweet Corn. Sow more in 10 days.
Side-dress (feed) Onion transplants with 21-0-0 every two weeks during growing season.
Protect fruit trees while they are blooming from bacterial diseases. Use Kocide for Apple and Pear;
     and Agri-Strep for Peach and Plum.
Remove winter-killed foliage from Bermudagrass, Zoysia and Buffalograss lawns. Use clippings as a
     mulch under shrubs or add to your compost pile.
Start removing winter mulch around sub-tropical perennials. Failure to remove that deep of a mulch
     keeps the soil cold, retarding their recovery, and increases their risk of rotting.

January
Week 1-
Prune out all tree and shrub growth within two feet of the house or roof.
Have your lawn mower and chain saw serviced and their blades sharpened. Replace old mowers with
     mulching models.
Sow Tomatoes and Peppers indoors, with supplemental heat and light, if you intend to produce your
     own transplants.
Remove soil and rust from shovels, hoes, etc. Sharpen as needed and oil them. Store them in a dry place.
Clean up your vegetable garden and till in more organic matter. Do not compost diseased or infested
     plant remains.
Prune dormant trees and shrubs, except those that bloom in spring. Fruit trees are pruned as their
     buds are expanding.
Week 2 -
It is normal for Hibiscus and Bougainvillea to lose their leaves when brought indoors. Consequently,
     water them less.
Buy recommended varieties of fruits, nuts & berries and plant in well-drained, sunny sites. Plant two or
     more varieties if cross-pollination is required. Use sulfur to suppress cotton root rot.
Water your St. Augustine grass lawn deeply if temperatures below 24º F. are forecast.
This is a good time to divide and replant ornamental grasses. Keep them moist, not wet, while they
     re-root.
Add acidifying iron-rich supplements to acid-loving plants and replenish their pine bark or pine needle
     mulch.
Week 3 -
Apply dormant oil to scale-infested plants, as well as fruit and nut trees twice during winter.
Wear old clothes when handling frozen banana stalks. Their oozing sap stains everything.
Protect Ranunculus flower spikes from temperatures below 24º F.
Tulips could start flowering between now and mid-February.
Week 4 -
Trench around clumps of running Bamboo to find and remove any rhizomes that are escaping.
     Replant or share them.
Spray a selective grass herbicide in wildflower patches to remove cold-season grasses.
Restock bird-feeders regularly and provide a source of liquid water when temperatures are below freezing.
Open temporary greenhouse for tender citrus & young Mexican Avocado plants on warm days.
Plant "Texas Grano 1015y" onion transplants. Protect them from extreme cold. Begin feeding them
     with 21-0-0 in three weeks.

Before you irrigate, see if storms are approaching from the west.

Or, see if storms are approaching from the east.