| |
TIPS FOR PREPARING YOUR YARD AND GARDEN FOR SPRING
If you're like me, there are so many gardening chores to do this time of year it's a challenge deciding which to do first. Here are some springtime tips and suggestions from Deb Brown, University of Minnesota Extension Horticulturist.
Keep off those parts of your lawn that feel moist and spongy underfoot. You run the risk of damaging grass crowns and roots by walking on them in the spring.
Lawn care begins with a brisk raking with a lightweight, fan-shaped rake to break up snow mold mats and remove potentially dangerous debris before it can be run over by a power mower. If you have patches of snow mold, allowing oxygen to reach the grass crowns is usually all that needs to be done to eliminate long term damage.
Hold off fertilizing until grass is growing rapidly enough to require mowing. If you fertilized twice last fall, wait until early June, or skip spring fertilization altogether.
Crabgrass typically sprouts around Memorial Day. Pre-emergence herbicides that prevent seed germination need to be applied and watered into the soil about two weeks before weed seeds are expected to sprout. If it doesn't rain, water the product in.
Most of these products are a mixture of fertilizer and herbicide. Even the all-natural corn gluten meal pre-emergence products are, by their nature, ten percent nitrogen. This means you rarely need to apply additional lawn fertilizer if you use a pre-emergence product this spring.
Plastic and kraft paper wrappings on the trunks of young trees should have been removed in early April. While there's controversy among tree specialists as to whether tree wrap is beneficial, everyone agrees that it must come off in early spring before weather warms for good. Tree wrap makes trunks moist in warm weather, which encourages rotting and decay.
Prune those shrubs now that aren't grown for their attractive spring flowers. Wait to prune spring-flowering shrubs (e.g., lilacs) until right after they've finished blooming. Mature, overgrown lilacs, by the way, can be cut off at the ground and they'll regenerate from the roots and bloom two years from now.
Don't prune oak trees during April, May, or June. Wait until later in the season, or better yet, next February or March, to have them pruned.
Protective mulch from roses, perennial flowers, spring-flowering bulbs, strawberries and roses should have been removed by now, although stems of tender roses can still be killed by temperatures that drop below twenty degrees.
Pull out any large weeds or stubble from last year's plants that still remain in the garden. Except for seedy weeds, plant debris may be composted. Small plants may be turned back into the garden soil with a little additional fertilizer.
Turn soil over using a garden fork or tiller. If your garden is large enough, you can save back-breaking labor by hiring someone to come out and rototill for you.
Have your soil tested if it's been several years since you've had it checked. It's the only way to know for sure which type of fertilizer, and how much, to use. Call the Yard & Garden Line for instructions (612-624-4771 or 888-624-4771) or contact the University's Soil Testing Lab directly at 612-625-3101. You can also visit their website at http://soiltest.coafes.umn.edu.
Add organic material to sandy or clay-like garden soil. Completed compost, packaged aged manure, and peat moss all work well. You can add a thin layer of dry leaves, too, but be sure to add more nitrogen to help them break down without "robbing" nutrients from young plants.
If you plan to grow watermelons or other plants that take a long time to mature, or you just want to get a jump on the season and put out tomato and pepper transplants as early as possible, spread dark plastic over the soil to heat it faster. Clear plastic actually is most efficient, but it acts like a little greenhouse; before long a crop of weeds will be growing vigorously beneath it.
Frozen orange juice cans and similar containers can be used as collars around tomatoes, peppers and other transplants to ward off cutworms. Cut the bottoms off and remove caps from one-gallon plastic milk jugs and use them as "hot caps" over transplants when they first go into the garden.
If you haven't already done so, sit down and make a garden plan. Take into account which plants will come back from last year, and which plants you want to try this year. It's too easy to go to a great garden center, then come home loaded with more plants than you possibly have room for.
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
 |
| |
PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
 |
 |
| |
|
