February What To Do Now Calendar

Care for houseplants – Clean foliage, water regularly and fertilize. Repot as necessary. For more information on caring for houseplants, go to the Bayer Advanced houseplant page. To feed and protect from insects, use Bayer Advanced™ 2-in-1 Insect Control plus Fertilizer Plant Spikes – no spraying, no mess. Just push the spikes into the soil for up to eight weeks of nutrition and protection. To control existing insects, use Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer Ready-To-Use.

Check landscape trees – Examine lower trunks for chewing damage from mice and other rodents. If necessary, protect with plastic trunk guards available at nurseries and garden centers.

Control indoor pests – To control pests like spiders, fleas and ants, use Bayer Advanced™ Home Pest plus Germ* Killer Indoor and Outdoor Insect Killer Ready-To-Spray, the only non-aerosol home pest killer that kills bugs and reduces up to 99.9% of the germs bugs may carry. For easier-than-ever control of roaches, use Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Roach Killer Power Pen® Ready-To-Use. For more information, visit the Bayer Advanced Home Pest Control Web page. If just outdoor ants are your problem and you prefer to use a granule, use Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action Ant Killer Granules.

*Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter aerogenes on hard, non-porous, non-food contact surfaces. No residual sanitizer action. Not for primary use as a sanitizer.

Plan for the spring – If you're planning to plant a new lawn or renovate an old one this spring, do your homework now. Visit state cooperative extension Web sites or go to your local offices, and look for recommended varieties of turf grass. Consider newer, pest-resistant varieties or unthirsty, native grasses, such as buffalo grass. Find sources and place orders for seed, sod or plugs for spring delivery.

Plan new landscapes – Draw out new landscape plans. Review garden books, Web sites and magazines for ideas.

Prepare equipment – If you haven't done so, prepare mowers, trimmers and edgers for the coming season. Sharpen blades, change oil and perform other maintenance according to label instructions.

Prune – As weather allows, prune deciduous trees, shrubs and vines. Wait until the coldest weather is past before removing winter protection and pruning roses.

Sow seeds – Start cool-season vegetable and flower seeds for transplanting outdoors later.