Winter on the Way Says the Ground Hog

Winter on the Way Says the Ground Hog

For the past few years, the winters in Alabama have been really mild. Some freezing weather but no real harsh cold days. In fact, it has been at least four or five years since we have even seen a dusting of light snow here in central Alabama. This year has been even stranger. I cannot remember a January being so spring- like. It has felt more like March than January. Many plants have taken note of the too soon spring-like weather and are blooming or opening new leaves. The ground hog said this past week we are in for more winter; I don’t know who to believe, the plants or a rodent.

My gut feeling tells me that we will likely experience much more winter before spring actually gets here. Personally, I much prefer the warm days of spring than the nasty cold days of winter. However, I am somewhat concerned with all the plants trying to bloom early and come out of dormancy. Lawns that are greening up may get burned, leaves that are coming out may get killed, and flower buds that are swelling may get damaged. Spring flower shows like those with azaleas are sometimes affected and are just not as glamorous.

We cannot control the weather so we might as well accept what we get this month. Plants have the ability to survive the changing of the seasons and all sort of weird weather conditions. They will continue to be there for our enjoyment.

Fertilizing Fruit Trees

February is a good time to apply fertilizer to most fruit plants in Alabama. Applying fertilizer in February allows the plants to take up the plant nutrients through the roots and into the trunk and branches so that these nutrients are available when new shoot growth occurs in the spring.

In general, nitrogen is the most essential element for fruits. Nitrogen is needed annually to develop new shoot growth, to maintain healthy green foliage, and for proper growth, maturity, and optimum production of quality fruit. Too little nitrogen results in short growth, yellowing foliage, and small, well-colored, early maturing fruit. Too much nitrogen causes excessive growth, dark green foliage, late-maturing, poorly colored fruit.

Most fruits need only moderate levels of phosphorus and moderate to high levels of potassium in the soil, as determined by soil tests. One of the problems that can develop in home plantings is the excessive buildup of phosphorus in the soil. This occurs because of the constant use of fertilizers (such as 8-8-8, 10-10-10, or 13-13-13) that have high amounts of phosphorus. The soil should be analyzed every two or three years to check the phosphorus level. When it becomes high, phosphorus should be omitted from the fertilizer and only added periodically as needed.

To determine what those fruit trees need this year to be productive, take some soil from your orchard and get it tested. We will be happy to offer that service to you and explain what you need to buy and apply around those fruit trees. There is a charge of eight dollars for each soil test.

Pruning Tips

Here are a few tips to remember when pruning plants:

Plant buds generally grow in the direction they are pointing toward. Understanding which way the plant's new growth will grow can aid in your pruning strategies, like whether to leave or remove that bud.
Removing a plant's terminal bud, (the large bud on the end of the branch) and its apical dominance will always cause the lateral buds below to vigorous break. For example, removing the bud on the very tip of a limb will cause new and more growth to develop below in order to compensate for the loss.
All cuts made are "local-in-effect". This mean that the regrowth will usually occurs within 6” of the pruning cut. Numerous buds will break below the cut resulting in excessive new regrowth. Shearing is a great example of this process.
All cuts should be made ¼” above a bud or to a crotch (lateral branch).
All cuts should be made at angles away from buds to prevent standing water and diseases.
When removing diseased portions of a plant, always sterilize pruning equipment after each cut with rubbing alcohol or a water & bleach mixture (9 parts water, 1 part bleach) to help prevent the spread of diseases.