- Visit our booth at the 2015 CT Flower and Garden Show, February 19th-22nd, at the Connecticut Convention Center. Bring ½ cup of soil for a free pH test and your gardening questions for free advice.
- Provide houseplants with increased humidity by misting often or placing plants over a tray of moist pebbles. Clean the leaves of smooth-leaved plants like dracaena, philodendron, and ficus of dust.
- Purchase seed flats, containers, and peat pellets. Make your own seed starter mix by combining equal parts of sphagnum peat moss, perlite and vermiculite.
- If you start your seeds under fluorescent lights check the ends of the tubes for dark rings. This is a sign of aging and they should be replaced. Dispose of the used tubes properly.
- Start slow growers such as celery, leek, or onion transplants. This is also a good time to start petunias and begonias. Consider using pelletized seed.
- Check any plants that are being overwintered in the cellar or garage to see if they need water. If the soil is frozen they may need to be moved to a slightly warmer location.
- Birdwatchers – if you missed Cornell’s Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb 13 – 16th, visit http://gbbc.birdcount.org – you can still enter data through February 28th.
- Look for tan gypsy moth egg masses on tree trunks and branches. Scrape or brush off the masses to remove them and then destroy them.
- Check on perennials, adding mulch if needed.
- Turn the compost pile during any stretches of mild weather.
For more information visit the UConn Home & Garden Education Center.