February Monthly Garden Reminders

Guide
Authors
Paul Larson
Laurie Vance
Deborah North
Publication Date: January 2025

February is an active gardening month for gardeners in Tucson and the low desert. Days get a bit warmer but be prepared for occasional cold snaps as some of our coldest nights have occurred in February. There are still many cool season vegetables to plant this month, and you can prepare for your warm season veggie garden or plant perennials for summer color. This is a great time to be in the desert!

 

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Maintenance

  • Prune any dormant deciduous trees and shrubs you missed in January. Although no pruning is necessary for citrus trees, remove dead and diseased wood as well as crisscrossing limbs if the danger of frost has passed. Refer to Pruning Deciduous Shade Trees and Pruning Citrus.
  • Watch for cold temperatures—both night and day—and protect plants as needed. Refer to Frost Protection and Protecting a Citrus Tree from Cold. 
  • Leave frost damage on plants until the danger of freezing has completely passed. Pruning too early exposes vulnerable plants unnecessarily and may encourage new growth that is even more frost-sensitive. Check your irrigation system for leaks caused by freezing temperatures and repair them. Refer to Drip Irrigation: The Basics. 
  • If you did not prune established roses earlier, do so early in the month. Discard all potentially diseased, dropped leaves and cuttings—do not leave them under the plants or compost them. Healthy leaves are OK to compost. Refer to Diagnosing Problems of Roses in the Landscape.
  • Cut back native grasses, such as Muhlenbergia species (Muhly grass), to about 4 to 6 inches high before new growth starts. Cutting to this height removes dead and brown blades of grass and allows for new green growth. Native grasses also do not require soil amendments or fertilizer.
  • Plan and prepare your summer garden layout, and rotate the location of certain vegetables if needed. Keeping a garden journal can help track these details. Refer to Planning Your Vegetable Garden.
  • Successful vegetable and annual flower gardens require amending the soil each planting cycle. The goal is to have loose, fertile, well-drained soil for these specialty gardens. 
    • Prepare garden soils for spring planting of vegetables and annual flowers. Improving soil structure creates favorable conditions for seed germination and root growth. Refer to Ten Steps to a Successful Vegetable Garden.
    • Recommended amendments include compost, composted manure, and worm castings. These add essential nutrients and promote beneficial biological life in the soil. Adding perlite and vermiculite improves aeration and drainage.
    • Do not add wood ash, crushed eggshells, or gypsum to the soil. Wood ash raises soil alkalinity, crushed eggshells are unnecessary, and gypsum is not recommended for local gardening conditions. Refer to Fertilizing Home Gardens in Arizona.
  • Winter rains bring weeds, so begin scouting for and manually removing them as soon as they appear.
  • Look for aphids—they thrive in cooler temperatures and on new growth. They may also appear on plants other than roses. Refer to Aphids and Diagnosing Problems of Roses in the Landscape.
  • Now is a good time to plan or install active or passive rainwater harvesting. Refer to Harvesting Rainwater for Landscape Use and Landscape Management Practices to Optimize Passive Rainwater Harvesting and Plant Health.

Planting

Fertilizing

Watering

  • February rainfall is normally about an inch. If your yard receives significant rain, adjust the amount of water you are supplying your plants. Change only the frequency—not the duration.
  • Test your irrigation system for leaks and problems.
  • Do not irrigate cacti, agave, yucca, and desert trees and shrubs through the end of the month.

Resources