To Do List - January

• January is great time for planting hedges, trees and bushes as the rainy season eliminates the need for the extra irrigation needed for the large roots to bed into the soil.
• Prune the bougainvillea, wisteria, oleander and hibiscus ready for new growth in the early spring.
• For vegetables — plant cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, onions, beetroot and broad beans.
• Trim your ornamental grasses such as pennisetums, hard and cut back all roses. Apply a general fertiliser (10-10-10) or (15-15-15) to all areas of the garden - best done before any rainfall to wash the fertiliser through the soil. Normally sold in 50kg bags but you can buy it in smaller quantities at the Co-operatives.
• For those of you who have almond trees, as they start to leaf, it’s a good time to prune the dead wood as it’s easier to see.
• For your veggies: I would start seeding tomatoes in pots. They will love this early spring-like temperatures we are experiencing.
• Gauras should be clipped and cut back to approx.. 20-30 cm high.
• If you want to seed a lawn, you can start this month, as the seed will germinate quicker especially with this warm winter sun. 
• Apply needed nitrogen to citrus trees. Buy ‘sulfato do ammonia’ from cooperative outlets, plus mix with a pelleted organic manure. Water in well and if possible cover with a mulch. The leaves of the citrus trees can turn yellow in the winter from cold soils so any mulch will help.