An Early Spring? North Escambia Weather Ducks Miss Shadow
February 2, 2014
On Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil, the world famous groundhog, saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. But our local weather guys, the NorthEscambia.com Weather Ducks, missed their shadow Sunday morning and predicted an early spring.
Forklore says that if the groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, it means six more weeks of winter. We did not have a groundhog handy for a photo, but we did have the NorthEscambia.com Weather Ducks (pictured above).
And unlike like their more famous Pennsylvania weather buddy, our weather ducks also did not see their shadow Sunday morning here in North Escambia.
For those that might be a little unsure as the weather ducks’ ability, we offer the two photographs below showing the weather ducks predicting six more weeks of winter on Groundhog Day 2010 and 10 days later with their snowman in Atmore.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: February Tips
February 2, 2014
Here are gardening tips for the month of February from the Santa Rosa Extension Service:
Flowers
- Re-fertilize cool season flowerbeds, using a liquid or granular form of fertilizer. Be careful not to apply excessive amounts and keep granules away from the base of stems.
- Prepare flowerbeds for spring planting by adding and incorporating soil amendments like mushroom compost, manure or homemade compost. Till or spade the bed to incorporate the amendments with the existing soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Allow the prepared bed to lie undisturbed for 3 to 4 weeks before planting. This provides time for some important biological activity to take place, and new plants are less likely to suffer from stem and root rots as a result. Have a soil test done. Sometimes lime is needed. However, a lime application should be made only if the need is revealed by the test.
- Replenish mulch in flowerbeds.
- Prune rose bushes.
Trees and Shrubs
- February is possible the best month for rejuvenation of old, overgrown shrubs. When pruned now, plants have an entire growing season to recover.
- Prune summer flowering deciduous shrubs such as Althea and Hibiscus. Since they flower on current season’s growth, flowering can actually be enhanced by proper pruning
- Do NOT prune the spring flowering shrubs yet. Azaleas, Spiraeas and Forsythia flower during early spring because buds were formed last summer and fall. Pruning in February would therefore remove most of the flower buds.
- Cold damaged trees and shrubs should NOT be pruned until new growth appears. You want to preserve as much healthy plant material as possible.
- Replenish mulch in shrub beds
- Finish planting ornamental and fruit trees.
Fruits and Nuts
- Fertilize established pecan trees. Use a “special pecan fertilizer” that contains zinc. Use 2 lbs. for every year of age of the tree up to a maximum of 55 lbs. Broadcast the fertilizer evenly beneath the tree.
- Fertilize established peach, plum, pear, persimmon, apple and fig. Apply about 1 ½ lbs of a 10-10-10 (or similar) fertilizer for each year of age of the tree until a maximum of 10 to 15 lbs. per tree is reached.
- Blueberries are very sensitive to nitrogen and can be killed easily, particularly when they are young. Fertilize only if your goal is to increase yield or berry size. An annual application of 2 ounces of a special “azalea/camellia” or “special blueberry” type fertilizer per plant in February is ample fertilizer on 2-year-old plants.
- Prune muscadine grapes between mid-February to mid-March. A standard method is to allow 2 to 4 node spurs spaced every 6 inches of cordon. You may notice that pruning cuts bleed, but there is no evidence that this is injurious to the vine.
- Grapes (bunch and muscadine) should be fertilized at the rate of 1 ½ lbs of 10-10-10 for each year of age with a maximum of 5 lbs per plant applied in late February.
- Last call for planting fruit trees! Most fruit trees such as pecans, plums, persimmons, figs, peaches and nectarines are shipped bare roots and should be planted during the dormant season.
- Apply a spray containing horticultural oils emulsion to dormant fruit trees and ornamental shrubs. Follow label directions carefully.
Vegetable Garden
- Several winter vegetables can still be successfully grown by starting them this month. Plant beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, parsley, English peas, radish and turnips.
- Plant Irish potatoes. Purchase certified seed potatoes rather than using the grocery store kinds. Use 2-ounce seed pieces with eyes and plant them 3 to 4 inches deep.
- Prepare spring vegetable and herb beds for planting by adding and incorporating soil amendments like mushroom compost, manure or homemade compost. Wait 3 to 4 weeks before planting.
Lawns
- Hold off on fertilizing the lawn. It is still too early for an application of nitrogen containing product. Cold temperatures and lack of plant response would likely result in wasted fertilizer. However, your winter weeds would benefit greatly.
Eat Out Tuesday Night, Help The NHS Band
February 2, 2014
Mark your calendar to eat out Tuesday night and help the Northview High School Tribal Beat Band.
Whataburger in Century will donate 20 percent of their sales from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday to the band. There will also be games and a drawing for a free Whataburger each week for an entire year.
Plus, some Northview High School band members have been invited to help serve food.
(Due to the winter storm, this event was postponed from last Thursday.)
Photos: Yes, Even More Reader Ice, Snow Photos
January 31, 2014
NorthEscambia.com readers submitted literally hundreds of snow and ice storm pictures. We’ve included almost 500 of those photos in the galleries below.
- For a photo gallery of Thursday snow/ice storm photos, click here.
- For a photo gallery of more photos, click here.
- For a photo gallery of Wednesday snow/ice storm photos, click here.
- For more photos, click here
- For a photo gallery of Tuesday night ice storm and snow photos, click here.
- For photos from earlier Tuesday, click here
Picture this page: NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
For The Kids: Cookies With The Characters
January 31, 2014
The Flomaton High School Drama Club will host “Cookies with the Characters” Saturday afternoon in the school’s auditorium.
Characters scheduled to appear include Cinderella, Bealle, Tinker Bell, Sleeping Beauty, Spiderman, Elvis, Airel, Tom and Jerry, Clifford and Curious George. After a time of refreshments and photo opportunities with the characters, the movie “The Little Mermaid” will be shown in the auditorium.
Admission is $5. The event begins at 1 p.m.
Pictured: Tom and Jerry will make a special appearance Saturday afternoon at Flomaton High School. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Hundreds Of Reader Ice, Snow Photos
January 30, 2014
NorthEscambia.com readers submitted literally hundreds of snow and ice storm pictures. We’ve included about 400 of those photos in the galleries below.
For a photo gallery of Wednesday snow/ice storm photos, click here.
For more photos, click here .
For a photo gallery of Tuesday night ice storm and snow photos, click here.
For photos from earlier Tuesday, click here
To submit your photos, visit our NorthEscambia.com Facebook page, or email news@northescambia.com
Pictured top: Welcome to Florida, looking closed for business and nothing like the Sunshine State. Pictured inset: Harley Tagert of Jay plays in the snow. Pictured below: A postcard like scene from Bluff Springs. Reader submitted photos for NorthEsambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Ice 2014
January 29, 2014
For a photo gallery of Tuesday night ice storm and snow photos, click here.
For photos from earlier in the day, click here
To submit your photos, visit our NorthEscambia.com Facebook page, or email news@northescambia.com
Frozen Cityscapes: Atmore, Flomaton
January 29, 2014
Here’s a look at a frozen downtown in Flomaton (above) and Atmore (below) Tuesday night. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos; Freezing Rain, Sleet, Icicles
January 29, 2014
Here are some ice, snow and freezing rain photos from across the North Escambia area. For more photos, click here.
To submit your photos, visit our NorthEscambia.com Facebook page, or email news@northescambia.com
Reader submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Braun Awarded $180K NJROTC Scholarship
January 27, 2014
Northview High School Cadet Kasie Braun has been award the Navy’s four-year Reserve Officer Training Corps College Scholarship. Braun’s goal is to attend Yale University in the fall. The scholarship is valued at $180,000 over the four-year period. NorthEscambia.com file photo.