UGA Cooperative Extension

Putnam County Cooperative Extension Office:
Lake Country Master Gardener Association (LCMGA)

January Garden Tips

First Week

• Prune apple and pear trees
• Remove faded stems and leaves from amayllis and treat like a houseplant. Plant it outdoors in May
• Avoid heavy traffic on dormant lawns. 

Second Week

• Prepare beds for roses.
• Plant trees and shrubs.
• Cut English Ivy, kudsu, and bamboo to the ground.
• Be ready to apply Round-Up in April as the new leaves appear.
• It is time for dormant spraying of lime sulfur to apples, peaches, and dogwoods if the temperature is about 40 degrees.

Third Week

• Mist houseplants twice daily to prevent brown tips of leaves.   Turn plants regularly to provide adequate sunlight and to prevent an irregular shaped plant.
• Prune dormant trees and shrubs unless they will bloom this spring.
• Watch out for Poison Ivy.  It is still dangerous even if dormant.  Never burn anything that may contain poison ivy material.

Fourth Week

• Water window boxes.   Prepare beds for early spring vegetables.
• Apply lime as recommended by a soil analysis.
• Spray Round-Up or Image on dormant Bermuda grass.
• Keep pansies deadheaded.
• Plant hardy annual flower seeds such as phlox, poppies, larkspur, and coneflower.

Fifth Week

• Check houseplants for insects.  Spray with insecticidal soap or oil.
• Plant English peas.
• Water poinsettias when dry only enough to keep them moist.
• Continue feeding the birds.  They especially need suet in winter for warmth and energy.
• Feed and water the birds. Remember that birdseed sprouts in the garden, so keep out of beds or clean up beneath feeders.

For more information, contact your local county extension coordinator. HAPPY GARDENING!