Gardening This Weekend: December 26, 2019

Here’s our short-list of big responsibilities for this weekend between the holidays.

PLANT:
• Pansies, pinks and other annual color to spruce up your entry and patio.
• Fruit trees, grapes and bramble berries, but stick with varieties recommended by Texas A&M.

PRUNE:
• Begin pruning peach and plum trees to remove strongly vertical shoots.
• Grapes to remove 80 to 85 percent of cane growth. You’ll have better clusters of higher quality fruit as a result.
• Do NOT top crape myrtles! We’ll give more details later, but if you’re about get out the saws and start whacking, just wait!

FERTILIZE:
• Newly transplanted trees, shrubs with liquid, high-phosphate root stimulator monthly.
• Pansies and other annuals with diluted, high-nitrogen food each time that you water them.

ON THE LOOKOUT:
• Remove mistletoe as you see new clumps developing.
• Apply broadleafed weedkiller spray to non-grassy weeds. (See related story this issue.)
• Weakened branches that could break should your area have an ice or snow storm.