All of a sudden spring is here and the lawn and garden chores have begun! I can’t believe how fast the grass greened up and started growing.
Below is a list of all of the chores that can be done in the landscape and garden at this time:
- It's time to put down the first application of lawn fertilizer. If you have a thin turf and have had crabgrass issues in the past, use a combination fertilizer/crabgrass preventer product. Don't delay if you are using crabgrass preventer. Crabgrass seeds germinate when the soil temperature is 56F for several nights in a row. A reading of soil temperature Monday, April 13 showed that we are at 54F.
- Start mowing your lawn! I don't have to tell you this — it's pretty obvious that the grass is taking off with all of the rain and warmer weather. Make sure your mower blades are sharp. Ragged mower blades leave a ragged cut on the grass blade. This in turn results in a brownish appearance in the lawn. Don't remove more than one-third of the grass blade at a time. Continual removal of more than one third of the leaf surface results in a stress grass plant. Come summer, the plants struggle.
- Don't worry about the broadleaf weeds that you are seeing now. The best time to control them is in mid- to late-May. If you only have a few, spot treat instead of using a blanket weed control application. Dandelions are best controlled at the puffball (white seeds) stage.
- In the perennial garden, all of last year's remaining foliage should be cut back; this includes any dead wood on roses. It's also time for the first application of fertilizer in the perennial garden, if you plan on fertilizing your plants. There are some plants that don't like to be overfertilized (Baptisia is one) and there are others that do quite well with what's already available in the soil (coneflower, Rudbeckia).
- If you haven't finished your pruning chores, try to wrap them up this weekend before new growth begins. It's a lot easier on deciduous plants when you can see the branches before they are covered with leaves.
- In terms of pruning evergreens, some people prefer to wait until they completely leaf out in order to shape them up. Remember - don't prune pines until the candles (new growth) begins to emerge. This is usually done in June.
- Take care of those pesky winter annual weeds such as henbit, hairy bittercress, chickweed, etc. that are showing up in flower beds and the vegetable garden. DON'T let them go to seed.
- These plants are tricky little devils. They die back in the heat of the summer, making you think that they are gone and that you don't have to worry about them! HA! That's not the case. This fall, when temperatures begin to cool again, the seeds germinate, sit quietly during the winter, and take off with a vengeance again next year. Eliminate them now!
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