Spring starts early in San Diego gardens. Fall planted bulbs are flowering. Native plants are blooming. Many plants are growing and fruit trees are starting to show blossoms. Here are some February gardening tips for a beautiful spring garden.
Feed New and Established Plants
Feed ground covers, roses, shrubs, perennials and trees this month or in March. Sprinkle an all-purpose granular fertilizer before a light rain so the rain can water it in, or try a slow-release food like bone meal, manure or cottonseed meal. If a heavy rain is forecast, wait until after the rain so the granules don’t get washed away.
Citrus also needs to be fertilized this month. Use a high-nitrogen fertilizer and feed citrus every 4 to 6 weeks until early summer. If new leaves look yellow but still have green veins, they may need zinc or iron.
Weed Your San Diego Garden
There was a decent amount of rain in December. With the rain come the weeds. If you stay on top of the weeds and remove them before they set seed, next year’s rains won’t bring you as many. If you want to figure out which weeds are loving your San Diego garden and find out how to manage them, UC Davis has a weed photo gallery and identification tool with lots of information on how to control them.
Buy Winter Blooming Shrubs and Perennials
Look for camellias and azaleas in nurseries. You can plant them now as long as the soil isn’t soggy. Also look for Erica canaliculata which is called Christmas Heather or Pink Scotch Heather, Geraldton waxflower (Chamelaucium uncinatum) and New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium).
If you want even more winter color in your San Diego garden, take a look at my October garden post where you’ll find many winter blooming perennials, bulbs, annuals, succulents and vines.
San Diego Garden Tips Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardening Tips comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.