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DON'T 'JUMP THE GUN' ON EARLY SPRING GARDENING TASKS
There have been springs when I've golfed one day and cross-country skied the next. I thought it might happen again in early March but, despite the cold, not enough snow fell to cover the ground.
Our string of record-breaking warm days sure confused plants. Buds on trees swelled and daffodils and tulips popped out of the ground thinking it was late April.
Cool weather through April will probably be best for most plants, since hard freezes are common during most Aprils and that means buds that formed prematurely, and perennials that popped up too early, will suffer die-back or even plant death if temperatures get too cold.
In 1995, I wrote a column in late May about what I thought was a case of oak wilt in my century old bur oaks. While many trees and shrubs in my yard that year were bursting with leaves and flowers, the bur oaks stood bare as skeletons. After a visit by a DNR forester and many phone calls, we eventually traced the problem to the morning of April 5 that year when the temperature plummeted to -5 degrees.
The best behavior for gardeners in March and early April is generally to do nothing, even if unseasonably warm, sunny days compel you to grab rakes, garden hoses and seed packets and attempt to rush the season.
Trees, shrubs and perennials will simply have to fend for themselves in these quirky years, explains Deb Brown, University of Minnesota extension horticulturist. If you have mulch covering your bulbs, roses and perennials, Brown advises leaving it in place for another couple of weeks. Uncovering plants now will make them more vulnerable to hard freezes that are sure to come in the weeks ahead. Roses, for example, suffer frost damage whenever temperatures fall below 20 degrees.
It's still a good time to prune many trees and shrubs, Brown says. With no leaves to get in your way, you can thin out stems of woody plants and improve the plant's form with some careful cutting.
Raking lawns should be postponed until late April. Crabgrass chemicals shouldn't be applied until early May because crabgrass seeds won't begin germinating until mid- to late May and the idea is to apply the chemical just ahead of seed germination.
Don't get carried away too early with thoughts about fertilizing your lawn. Remember that the University of Minnesota recommends no more than three lawn fertilizer applications a year, with the two most important applications occurring in late summer and late October or early November. Early spring applications of nitrogen cause a surge of top growth in grass, which makes the lawn look nice but depletes the plants' energy reserves.
One gardening activity that is perfect for March is starting vegetable and annual flower seeds indoors and growing them under fluorescent lights until danger of frost is past (about May 20).
Various seed-starting kits and soil mixes are available at garden centers. Key considerations include using a sterile soil mix that contains a wetting agent, adhering to planting instructions on seed packets, timing planting so seedlings will be at the right maturity stage when you're ready to transplant them outside, watering often enough but not too often, and placing young seedlings within four inches of fluorescent tubes that are turned on for at least 16 hours a day.
One common mistake made by many indoor seed starters is to water seed trays from above. If a soil mix contains a wetting agent, the container should be filled with the soil mix, then the seeds, and then placed in a tray of water to soak up water from underneath. This method of watering should continue throughout the indoor growing period.
This year I started begonia seeds in late January because they grow very slowly. I started impatiens, petunias and hot peppers the first week of March, and I'll plant marigolds and tomatoes in early April. I don't have room under my four basement shop lights for too many other plants, so if my outdoor gardens require more plants in June, I'll have to shop at the garden centers.
Most seeds germinate best at 70-75ƒF and grow best at 65ƒF. Since my basement is cool, I like to germinate seeds on the dining room table, then move containers to the basement when seeds germinate. As I write this, half of my dining room table is covered with seed containers. This procedure works great for germinating seeds but it definitely cuts down on entertaining dinner guests this time of year.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
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by Cliff Johnson |
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