Monthly Garden Care Guides For Kingwood, Texas
January
Start tomatoes and peppers from seed. Go to the “seedy” section of the Garden Center to make your selection.
Fertilize established trees and shrubs.
Do not fertilize azaleas until after they bloom in the spring. Use “Green Sand” to supplement nutrients and green plants.
Have your soil tested.
Transplant and move trees and shrubs. This is the best time to move azaleas and camellias.
Prune and groom fruit trees and crape myrtles, but don’t prune spring bloomers such as azaleas.
Prepare new beds now for roses and vegetables. See our large inventory of soil amendments.
Apply pre-emergent to lawns and ornamental beds to control annual weeds. We recommend Dimension or Barricade or corn gluten.
Plant new trees and shrubs.
Plant onion sets: 1015Y, Red Belle, Yellow Granex arriving soon.
Spray trees and shrubs with All Seasons Spray Oil to control overwintering insects.
February
Plant tomato plants in 6” pots beginning February 1 for later transplanting into the ground after all danger of frost has passed.
Spray trees and shrubs with Seasons Spray Oil to kill over-wintering insects.
Prune roses and crepe myrtles on Valentines Day (or there about).
Add lime to hydrangeas for pink blooms and aluminum sulfate for blue blooms.
Treat susceptible trees for fire blight.
Transplant woody shrubs while plants are dormant.
Give ground covers a hair cut to encourage spreading.
Divide day-lilies, daisies and other perennials.
Prepare Spring gardens by adding compost, soils, manures, and fertilizer.
Time to plant transplants: onions, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce
Seed starting time
Feed and water the birds and get ready for the butterflies.
Find a gift for your Valentine at Kingwood Garden Center
March
Give your lawn its first fertilization of the year. Most lawns haven’t been fed for months so we recommend a quick release fertilizer like NitroHos Imperial or MicroLife Hybrid.
Spray camellias with All Seasons Spray Oil to combat tea scale. Oil spray can be used on any of your plants to kill over-wintering insect eggs. Do not use if temperatures are over 90º F.
Fertilize currently non-blooming trees and shrubs with Tree and Shrub fertilizer or Jobes Tree and Shrub Spikes.
Feed established roses with ferti-lome Rose Food with systemic insecticide.. Do not feed newly planted roses until after the first blooms.
Prune and trim azaleas after flowering and fertilize with MicroLife or Nitro-Phos Azalea Food.
Divide perennials and daylilies.
Feed crape myrtles with ferti-lome Rose Food with systemic insecticide. A monthly feeding will keep off the insects, which in turn will prevent black sooty mold on the leaves.
Plant vegetable starter plants, tomatoes, peppers, squash, egg plant, and cucumbers. Use Espoma Garden-Tone for bigger abundant harvests.
Finish any rose or dormant plant pruning. Remove any freeze damage.
When transplanting or planting a new tree or shrub, use a Root Stimulator to get the plant off to a fast start.
Late March, apply a lawn fungicide such as fertilome F Stop to prevent brown patch or take-all patch. Lawn fungi flare up when the nights are cool and the days are warm.
Prune hibiscus and feed with Color Star Hibiscus Food to encourage new growth and blooms.. Hibiscus do not like a fertilizer with a high middle number. Rather they like a fertilizer with lots of potassium, the last number.
Plant perennials such as lantana, verbena, shasta daisies, salvia, plumbago, lobelia cardinalis, columbine, coreopsis, euryops, foxglove, lamb’s ear, persian shield, gaillardia, pentas, sedum, shrimp plant, wedelia, and yarrow
April
Feed azaleas, camellias, gardenias and magnolias.
Prune azaleas, and camellias, after blooming is completed, to maintain the size and shape you desire.
Plant summer annuals such as begonias, coleus, dusty miller, torenia, marigold, salvia, zinnia, vinca, pentas, scaveola, angelonia, impatiens and more.
Plant caladiums.
Plant okra, cucumbers, beans, cantaloupe, peppers, squash, watermelon and other plants that require a warm soil to get started.
Feed roses fertilome “Rose Food with Systemic Insecticide” and begin a regular regimen of spraying alternating Copper Fungicide, Bonide Mancozeb, fertilome Liquid Systemic Fungicide to prevent black spot.
Prune spring flowering trees and shrubs after blooming.
Watch for powdery mildew in particular on susceptible plants such as crape myrtles and roses. Treat with Copper Fungicide.
To prevent early and late leaf blight and other disease on tomatoes, spray with Daconil. To prevent these blights, it is necessary to start preventative treatment at the beginning of April.
Feed crepe myrtles monthly with fertilome “Rose Food with Systemic Insecticide”. This monthly feeding will keep off the insects such as aphids and white flies which in turn will prevent the unsightly black sooty mold on the leaves.
May
Prune azaleas, if required. Fertilize with Nitro-Phos Azalea, Camellia Food or MicroLife Organic Azalea Food. Feed every 3-4 weeks through September.
Spray camellias for tea scale with Monterrey’s Horticultural Oil.
Feed hibiscus every three or four weeks with Nutri Star Hibiscus Food. This plant food can be used on gerbera daisies, bougainvillea, mandevilla and other tropical shrubs and vines.
MOTHER’S DAY reminder – MAY 10th. Look for our big selection of blooming plants, hanging baskets, pottery, bird baths, and fountains.
Feed roses with ferti-lome Systemic Rose Fertilizer. Check for insects and spray for fungus. This fertilizer/insecticide is great for crape myrtles. Feed every 30 days.
Feed the lawn with a slow release nitrogen fertilizer, like Nitro-Phos Super Turf or for organics, Microlife 6-2-4.
Continue to plant annuals for summer color particularly vinca, portulaca, purslane, salvia, zinnia, begonia, coleus, impatiens, lantana, blue daze, celosia, copper plant, verbena, dusty miller, gomphrena and more.
Finish planting summer vegetable garden. Vegetables such as okra, peppers, beans, squash, melons, corn, cucumbers, and pumpkins (for Halloween) like the hot weather.
Don’t forget the 5th Annual Tomato Contest in June
June
Be alert for chinch bugs. They usually appear when weather gets hot and most likely will begin near driveways or sidewalks which give greater heat to the soil. Treatment with Nitro-Phos BUGOUT insecticide provides the most effective results. Multiple treatments are required to kill eggs and larvae.
Watch all plants for insects. In drought conditions insects crave moisture. Frequent spraying may be required.
Water azaleas and camellias by a deep soaking more than once a week. It’s not too late too fertilize azaleas.
Keep beds well mulched to insulate the plants from the heat and to discourage weeds.
Watch for powdery mildew on roses, crape myrtles, zinnias, euonymus and lantana. Treat with fungicide.
To water more effectively, increase the time for each cycle instead of increasing the number of cycles. Add “Water-In” to your lawn to improve the “hang time” of the water in your lawn/garden/containers.
July
Prepare vegetable gardens for fall planting. Remove spent plants and unwanted weeds (aren’t they all???). Check the roots of veggie plants for nematodes.
Top-dress beds with 2″ of compost and expanded shale if needed.
Planting begins in August, so stop by the KWGC for a free guide to planting dates for fall gardens in our zone.
Feed eggplant and peppers.
Spray crape myrtles for aphids and white fly. This will prevent black sooty mold from forming. Remove the old seed pods to encourage more blooms.
Be on the lookout for chinch bug damage to lawns, usually (but not always) next to sidewalk, driveway, street/curb, patio or house. Apply at least two applications of Nitro-Phos Bug Out Max for control.
Be sure to deep water larger landscape trees and shrubs; sprinkler systems often do not do the job.
First and second year stone fruits benefit from nitrogen (21-0-0) feeding in July. Apply 1/2 cup for 1st year trees and 1 cup for 2nd year trees.
August
Deep water trees and shrubs.
Prune Crape Myrtle seed pods to get another set of blooms.
Watch for grubs and Chinch bugs.
Prepare gardens beds for Fall planting, we carry soils, compost, amendments and fertilizers to maximize your harvest.
Plant fall vegetable seed and starter plants according to the guide you can pick up at KWGC.
September
Continue to make sure that your azaleas do not dry out. They are setting buds for next spring’s bloom. If the plants are yellowing and showing signs of chlorosis, treat with Greensand.
Plant Fall vegetable seed and starter plants according to planting schedule available in the store. Check out our big selection of Fall herbs.
Continue to provide quality care for your roses because October is a fantastic month for rose blooms.
Sign up for our Lawn Care Club for discounts on featured lawn care products.
October
Check out the Kingwood Garden Center lawn club for savings on lawn care products.
Watch for brown patch in your lawn. Brown patch is characterized by circular brown areas. This fungus is triggered by cool nights and warm days. To cure, treat with Ferti-lome F-Stop or cornmeal with molasses for an organic solution to lawn fungus problems.
Now is the time to “winterize” the lawn for fall. October is a great month to fertilize with NitroPhos Fall Special fertilizer. It builds strong roots making the lawn much stronger.
Check the undersides of Camellias for tea scale and spray with All Seasons Oil if required.
Check soil pH of azaleas. If the pH is above 5.5 or the leaves are yellowing or showing signs of chlorosis, side dress with greensand.
Plant spring naturalizing bulbs.
Most houseplants which have been enjoying the out of doors should be brought inside because frost/freezes could hit by the end of the month.
Plant trees and shrubs now and in November. These plants are sensitive to water requirements. Consider using a soaker hose or ooze tube to sustain water needs on only newly planted trees and shrubs.Trees and shrubs will have winter to establish their roots and be ready to take off in the spring. Treat the roots with a Root Activator for best results.
This is a great time for mulching all plants, shrubs and trees. Plants which are mulched 3 to 4 inches deep have less weed problems and do not need watering as often. Plus mulching helps to moderate extreme temperatures in the plant’s root zone. Be careful not to place mulch too close to the base of trees and shrubs.
Plant bluebonnets and wild flower seed now for spring flowers.
November
Refrigerate tulip and hyacinth bulbs for six to eight weeks. Plant hyacinths around Thanksgiving and tulips from New Years through the middle of February.
Plant wild flower seeds for spring show.
Feed roses lightly and continue spray program to prevent black spot and to kill any insects.
Prune fruit trees. Remove dead and crowded limbs. Prune tips of main branches to maintain size and shape.
Mulch for winter. A thick layer of mulch will protect roots from freezing and drying out.
Plant trees, flowering and all other types of shrubs and fruit trees.
Be prepared for early freezes. Tender plants can be protected by covering with old sheets or a special fabric call “N-sulate” which will give 4 to 5 degrees of protection. For even more protection, use more layers of “N-sulate” or plastic sheeting that can be placed on top of the fabric. Do not let plastic sheeting touch the foliage as it will burn the plant.For even more protection, an electric light or Christmas lights can be placed under the sheeting.
Pinch off tops of snapdragons, stock and calendulas to promote bushy growth.
Plant daffodils.
When mums have finished blooming, cut flower stalks to near the ground leaving a few leaves to encourage root growth.
Plant in November and December: alyssum, bluebonnet, calendula, pansy, petunia, snapdragons, stock, and viola.
December
Fertilize pansies and other winter flowering plants every three to four weeks.
Pick pansy blooms to encourage additional blooms.
Clean up beds and mulch. Mulch rose bushes to help protect their roots from cold damage.
Prepare new beds for spring planting by adding compost and any nutrients they may need before you begin planting in the spring.
Prune evergreens such as junipers, hollies, and yews