LADYBUG SAYS ... FEBRUARY A SHORT MONTH AND ALSO UNPREDICTABLE

February is the shortest month of the year and the most unpredictable. Its name comes from a Latin word meaning "to purify", for February was the month in which the Romans were purified for religious festivals during the following months.

February usually has 28 days, but every fourth year, leap year, there is an extra one. This gives us one more day of unpredictable weather. It can be cold, snowy, with sub-zero temperatures, or it can be calm, sunny with temperatures in the upper 60's, even 70. It can be dry as it has been for the past three weeks, or it can be rainy with snow even 25 inches.

All of this fickle weather keeps gardeners guessing, and the plants in a "dither", some starting to grow long before their season, stopping growth when Mother Nature turns its ugly side, and then remaining there exposed to the elements. So what is a gardener to do?

Days are shortening and the sun is beginning to warm the earth and many things are beginning to show signs of awakening. Because of the mild, pleasant weather many gardeners have been able to get into their gardens, including farmer John.

On Jan. 30, caught up in what in other years would have been called the January thaw, he turned over a spadeful of dirt. What do you know! It crumbled. That, of course, led him on. One spade of earth was not enough, so he continued. Working an hour or so a day, he had the entire garden turned over by Feb. 4.

That wasn't all. Using a technique learned from Henry Ochs, master gardener, he covered the tilled ground with black plastic, weighted down by bricks and stones. Now, let it rain. The ground will not be soggy, and when the temperatures turn really warm, he can till, make his seed beds and plant, giving him a head start on the season. His first venture will be to grow tomato plants on Jiffy Pots, then transfer them to the garden under Wall O' Water covers for a big leap forward on the tomato season maybe.

February is an excellent month for pruning fruit trees and shade trees. Taking advantage of the mild days, the one in charge of trees here pruned a pick-up load of brush from this yard. He pruned out weak branches, water shoots, cross limbs, branches that rub together, and then headed back the flowering crab apple tree to control its height. It is important to prune most trees before the sap starts to move upward. Apple and pear trees should be pruned now. Apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach and plum trees should be pruned of dead or crowded limbs now during dormancy. Side branches should be pruned in late spring after flowering.

Authorities tell us that all raspberry and blackberry bushes should have old fruiting canes removed to ground level, and other canes headed back to about 30 inches above the ground. They also say that grapes are best pruned now to prevent bleeding which will occur if left until growth begins to start.

Since February brings many sunny days, it has been a good time to turn attention to house plants, when the days begin to lengthen and growth begins to start. Many of the plants in the garden room have had hair cuts and a bit of shaping up. This is also a good time to take cuttings. They may be made from impatiens, begonias, Swedish ivy, coleus or any other hanging basket. Give them good light and keep out of the direct sun.

Geranium cuttings may be made for planting outside in late April or May. Let them dry for about 24 hours before placing in a rooting media. It is also a good idea to put a plastic bag over them to form a mini greenhouse. This seems to help in rooting. Also, if you are lucky cuttings may root in water.

Avoid removing mulches outside too early. A few warm days will cause the shoots which flower in the spring to pop right out of the soil. In a recent column Clarissa Start said she had been asked the same question five times in one day (My count is not quite that much, but it has come quite often), "What can I do about my crocus, tulips, daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs that are coming up now?"

This question is perennial, she said, and is asked annually during January and February because here in the Midwest we always have a period of unseasonal warm weather causing nature to become confused.

Clarissa's answer is the same as mine, "Do nothing." Flowers, that bloom in the spring are, for the most part, quite hardy with a built-in resistance to these changes. They usually advance, retreat and then bloom on schedule. This year we had some blooming ahead of schedule, both crocus and snowdrops on Ground Hog's Day.

A St. Louis authority advised also to leave them alone. Extreme weather may cause them to winter burn on the tips of the leaves, but if you cover them with mulch now, this will cause the tips of the leaves to bleach and instead of green leaves, there will be yellow ones. So concentrate your worrying on other things.

February is a fickle month, but wait for March, which is even more unpredictable. Remember, this is the Midwest and we are not famous for even, mild seasons without drastic changes. Adjust!