Never cut more than half the stem length from your plants. This keeps the remaining plants strong. Remove leaves from the bottom area of the cut stem and immediately place it into a vase of water. Also, cut in early morning rather than in hot mid-day. You’ll be amazed at how well your home grown flowers do compared to store bought.

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Damaged plants should be removed during normal growing season. This promotes a longer blooming season for the garden, creating a more attractive disease-free appearance and character. Grooming can be as little as pulling away wilted flowers or pruning stems where blooming is finished. This encourages new flushes of growth for a longer blooming season.

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Though not necessary, most garden perennials should be subdivided every few years. This is done so yields can increase exponentially on many plants. If you have plants that at one time grew well, but now do not, this may help with their future growth. That’s so you can share any abundant plants with your friends and family in early spring after threat of last frost.

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Most fruit-bearing trees, shrubs, and perennials require fall or spring pruning. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, figs, citrus, and other woody-type or shrub-type fruits can take pruning in either the fall or early spring. Grapes like heavy pruning in the springtime. Always use a clean and sterilized tool.

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New fruit plantings usually require at least one full season to produce their first crop. Future yields increase as plants mature. Some fruits require a male and female plant, while others simply require another plant nearby so pollination can occur. Although pollination can happen from a distance, it’s best to plant companions near each other.

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Most shrubs, bushes, and woody perennials require yearly pruning to promote solid new growth. Spring pruning often works best since winter damage can easily be seen and removed. Always sterilize your pruning tools before and after each job. A weak solution of bleach and water (10 parts water to 1 part bleach) works well. Soak your blades for 10-15 minutes and wipe dry. This prevents bacteria and disease from spreading from one plant to the next.

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Most plants prefer deep, solid watering as opposed to frequent shallow applications. Avoid hot mid-day watering — it’s not effective because the soil temperatures have risen to a level where the plant cannot transpire well. Consequently, the plant will not pull the water up from its roots into its leaves. In addition, watering during the hottest time of the day can be detrimental if the leaves and flowers get wet. The leaves can burn, and wet flowers will deter beneficial pollinating agents.

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Even in areas where it is still cold, there are a number of things you can do right now to get a jumpstart on spring gardening. The number one priority: clean up leaf and other accumulated debris since you last raked the leaves or mowed the grass. Removing debris helps your landscaped areas warm up quicker so when it is time to plant, your job a little easier. This is also an ideal time to take inventory and make mental notes (or write them down so you do not forget) of what needs to be done in the near future as far as pruning, weeding, mulching, and planting. In most areas of the country, it is one of the best times to sow grass seed, even when the ground is frozen. The natural freezing and thawing helps the seed adhere to the soil, increasing the germination rate and getting the new grass off to a fast start.

If your ground is still frozen or very cold, now is not a good time to try and amend or turn the soil. Let nature take its course and wait until the ground warms up before disturbing the soil. There are lots of other things you can do to get ready to garden - sharpen your tools, service your lawnmower and other power equipment, and do the “what, when and where” you will plant this spring!

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When planting, never crowd plants too close together. Adequate air circulation between plants allows vigorous, disease-free growth. Most gardeners plant too closely and have to thin out and separate too soon. To prevent this, consider the spread of mature plants and plant accordingly. The same applies to potted plants —planting too many plants in the same pot leads to crowding. These plants usually don’t perform well because their roots don’t have enough air space in the soil. The exception — plants that have epiphytic or succulent-type roots.

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After the threat of last frost, pull away all shriveled, dried, and brown foliage from the previous season. If any plants perished through the winter, get rid of those, too. Remove any mulch that was applied as a winter protectant to allow rapid new growth to occur. Be careful not to step on any new growth. Spring cleaning beds is quite easy if a little fall cleaning was done prior. This is also an opportune time to apply weed control products and plan new plantings.

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For garden bulbs and bare-root plants, dig holes that are 2–3 times the roots’ width and deep enough to accommodate them. This creates a solid foundation for transplants. The best time to dig is a day or two after it has rained while the soil is still moist, but not soggy. Use a trowel for small jobs and a shovel or auger for larger ones. Remove any rocks and stones, place the plant or bulb inside the hole, and pack soil in firmly. Watering should occur right away.

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