JANUARY GARDEN TASKS

Please remove the withering Poinsettia from your porch.

• Prune hybrid-tea roses  Cut back canes one-third (about 18” long.)  Always cut above a swelling bud that is facing outward, away from center of plant.  Remove dead wood and suckers.  I also like to remove one to three of the oldest canes if there is plenty of newer canes.  Old canes are thicker in diameter, typically thornier and have become woody or partially so.
• Prune climbing roses  Remove twiggy growth and awkward or weak-looking shoots.  Prune the rest of the branches/canes to three or four buds.  If you are a patient and neat type you’ll want to remove the dead wood for a cleaner, less dense shrub.
• Spray dormant, deciduous fruit trees, berries and roses with dormant oil spray...this protects plants from insects and their eggs by smothering them.  Be sure to clean up any leaves and fruit on plants and ground.  
• Harvest citrus when ripe.
• Frost watch  If frost is predicted, water frost-sensitive plants like citrus and Bougainvillea.  If plants are not in a protected spot, young and/or have suffered frost damage before think about covering with a frost blanket, old sheet, burlap or paper.  It’s best if the material doesn’t touch leaves by propping it up with stakes.  Remove cover during the day.  Or try a string of electric lights (non-LED)- it will look festive and keep the plant warm.
• Purchase bare-root plants like fruit trees, strawberries and roses from nurseries and mail-order companies.  Bare-root form is less expensive than in a pot.  Get them into ground asap.
• Rake up leaves from surfaces (soil, hardscape and lawn) and remove leaves from the top and inside of plants.
• Weed  Pull up weeds before they flower and set seed.  Avoid stepping on clay soil...soil compacts easily when wet.