Let me start this week by reminding you to be careful when planting spring flowers to early.

I went to one nursery this week that said they have been selling lots of flowers like petunias, marigolds and begonias. These will work well indoors if well cared for now, but outside a night or two like this past week will have you purchasing more and redoing your planting efforts.

It is OK to buy early and often recommended, just make sure you have plans to protect if you are planting outdoors.

Q. What is the best way to deal with winter weeds?

A. Mid-February is the time to start applying pre-emergence herbicides. These are the herbicides we apply before the weeds become active or growing.

There are four factors to keep in mind when using herbicides; timing, rate, coverage and activation. Pre-emerge herbicides must be applied prior to weed seed germination.

Many seeds will begin to germinate when soil temperatures reach around 58 degrees. Even though it may feel awfully cold right now it doesn’t take but a few sunny days to raise the soil temperature to this level, and looking at the forecast, this week may provide that.

The herbicide label will provide a list of the weed species the active ingredient will control and at what rate. If there are several weed species that you are targeting use a rate that controls the most difficult weed while staying within recommended rates labeled for your specific turf species.

Pre-emergence herbicides create a thin weed control barrier on the soil surface. This barrier must provide complete coverage at a uniform rate to prevent any voids that would allow weed escapes.

Finally, once the herbicide is applied it must be activated, this varies with different products. Some will require approximately one-half inch of rainfall or irrigation shortly after application to move the herbicide down through the leaf canopy to form the thin herbicide barrier at the soil surface.

With any pesticide you should always read the label carefully and completely before applying.

I will write about post-emergence herbicides next month for those of you that prefer to wait until spring to fight the weeds.

Q. When should potatoes go in the ground?

A. Potato growers should be getting the garden ready. If you start planting now this may allow you to harvest them for several weeks and to boil them along with the green peas you planted last month. Bury potatoes at least four and preferable six inches below the surface. If you have raised beds this is even better. It makes digging potatoes easier and will keep the new potatoes from rotting if we have a wet spring.

Q. When and how much do I fertilize my pecan trees?

A. Now is the time to fertilize your pecans. Measure the diameter of your tree about 18 inches above the ground. Then apply 2-3 pounds of a complete fertilizer (13-13-13) for each inch of trunk diameter. When applying fertilizers be sure to broadcast around the whole tree all the way out to where the outer branches reach.

David Carter is the director of the Adams County Extensions Service. He can be reached at 601-445-8201.