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Gardening Jobs for February

Re-invigorate your houseplants by removing the top 1/4 inch of soil and top-dressing with fresh potting soil.

Spider mites are apt to thrive in warm, dry houses. Frequent misting under the leaves of houseplants will discourage them. A solution of 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup buttermilk, and a gallon of cool water, applied in a mist, is a good organic deterrent.

Houseplants will be sensitive to overfeeding at this time of year. Provide lots of sunlight, fresh air, and frequent bathing for plants that seem a little worse for the winter.

Forced paper-white narcissus will bloom more quickly now than earlier in the season.

Shop early for seeds from catalogs and garden stores. The early shopper gets the best choice of seed varieties.

Want colorful salads this summer? Order seeds now for red iceberg lettuce, ruby Swiss chard, and purple pod beans.

Plan some window boxes. Good choices for plants: zinnias, nasturtiums petunias, geraniums, begonia. Edible choices: cherry tomatoes, lettuce, kale, and herbs.

Test the germination of last year's surplus seeds before ordering new ones. Place ten seeds between damp paper towels. Keep them consistently damp and in a dark place. Check germination rates to determine how many seeds to use for your real planting.

Take an inventory of your preserved foods--in the freezer, in cans, or the root cellars. This should help you decide your seed order for the upcoming season.

Spread wood ashes around lilacs to benefit growth and bloom in the spring.

Test buds of peaches and other sensitive fruits for freeze damage. Bring in a few twigs cut from the trees and place them in a vase of water. If the twigs bloom in a week or two, expect blossoms in the spring and a crop next fall.

Set up birch branches that may have been bent by snow or ice, as soon as possible. If neglected, the branches will permanently adopt their leaning position.

Cut poles for peas, beans, and other climbers now. Peel off the bark and set them in a dry area until they are needed.

Keep this in mind while pruning. Fruit usually grows on the horizontal branches, rather than the vertical ones. Vertical branches may be trained to become horizontal by weighting them down for a few weeks. This may also be done in the summer.

A barrel or other covering placed over rhubarb plants will hasten the spring crop.

Start onions from seed now. They'll be ready for setting out in April. Onions from seed are generally firmer and longer lasting than from sets.

Start parsley indoors now. You may think you have successfully wintered over the plant, but it is a biennial and will soon go to seed.

Take cuttings of wintered-over lantana, coleus, fuchsia, and begonia for plants to be set in May or June.

Finish ordering vegetable seeds. Share seed orders with a friend.

Look for good locations to plant flowers, shrubs, or place container flowers in your yard.

Continue providing fresh water and food for birds and wildlife.

Avoid walking on lawn during winter thaw.

Order perennial plants and bulbs now.

If you are storing any bulbs for summer planting, check them to make sure they are not rotting or damaged. Throw away any bad bulbs.

Wash and sterilize seed-starting containers in 1-part bleach to 9-parts water.

Grow some herbs in containers, such as fresh parsley.

Repot rootbound houseplants.

Finalize your garden plans on paper.

If you want to give your vegetables an early start, use season-extending devices such as cold frames or hot beds.

Begin pruning fruit trees, grapes, and blueberries.

Fertilize established fruit trees after the last frost.

Apply fertilizer to houseplants as soon as they begin to show signs of growth.

Most bare-rooted trees and shrubs as well as bare-rooted deciduous fruit trees can be planted now.

Do not prune spring-flowering plants until after they bloom. When pruning, never remove more than 1/4 of the total plant.

Finish pruning your roses. Begin fertilizing.

You can begin planting perennial garden crops, such as blueberries, blackberries, and grapes.

Continue to sow cool-season vegetable seeds, such as beets, carrots, cabbage, peas, and potatoes. Continue to transplant artichokes, asparagus, chard, lettuce, and onions.

Finish pruning fruit trees and grapes this month; fertilize deciduous fruit trees with nitrogen when they leaf out; prune frost-sensitive citrus after spring growth.

Many insects can be found in the garden during the winter months. To help control them, spray your plants with a dormant horticulture oil.

Control the weeds in your garden while they are young and tender, or before they sprout. Remove weeds before they seed.

Water lawns and gardens deeply once to twice a week, depending on the amount of rain. Do not overwater.

Watch out for frost damage. Protect trees and plants if temperatures drop to the 20s for more than an hour.