Spring Gardening “To-do” List
All over town, lawns are greening up and gardens are awakening. Golden sunshine, daffodils and forsythia cheer us on as we recover from last week’s deluge. Is it safe to say that Spring has finally sprung?
A maintenance review is in order in preparation for the Spring rush. There is much to be done, and we know you just can’t wait to get started. So get out those rakes, gloves, and pruners.
Here is your To-Do List:
You can ease in slowly by just walking around and observing. Be ready to clean up debris that has accumulated on your lawn and in your garden. Fallen branches, random sticks, persistent leaves trapped in the garden and throughout your foundation plantings . . . all this junk needs to be picked up and disposed of.
1. Cut back ornamental grasses, making room for new growth. The easiest way to accomplish this is to tightly tie up the plant before you chop it down. This way, the resulting pile of debris is easier to handle and dispose of.
2. Cut back any perennials that were left standing over the winter season. Prune back rosebushes to eliminate dead branches (bush roses should be cut back to three good outside buds.) Move away the mulch that has protected your roses and perennials all winter.
3. Resist the urge to prune your flowering shrubs (i.e., azalea, rhododendron, hydrangea). If you prune them now, you will lose the flower buds for this year’s bloom season. Remove only those dead or broken branches resulting from winter burn or storm damage.
4. Apply compost or dehydrated manure over the top of your gardens for added nutrients. Turn them into the soil after the weather has warmed up.
5. Mulch planting beds.
6. Feed your evergreens. Hollytone* and Ironite* are both beneficial.
7. Prepare your lawn with a good hard raking to remove dead material and thatch. You can rake vigorously by hand (good exercise) or have the lawn power-raked by a professional.
8. Test your soil (lawn and garden) to determine acidity and amend accordingly, usually with an application of lime.
9. Rototill or turn over your garden soil 3 times before planting. This guideline allows your soil to warm up and facilitates even distribution of your soil amendments (lime, peat, fertilizer, gypsum, compost) which you will apply following results of your soil test.
10. Apply fertilizer and/or pre-emergent crabgrass control to your lawn once the soil temperature has reached 55 degrees. Our best timing indicator of the 55 degree soil temperature is forsythia bloom. Observe the forsythia bushes in your neighborhood. Fallen petals and new leaves emerging indicate that the soil temperature is up to 55 degrees. This is the proper time to apply fertilizer and crabgrass control.
11. Be aware of the various methods available for crabgrass control. Crabgrass is an annual weed. Seeds have a 20-year life span. Traditionally, we have utilized pre-emergent weapons for control. TEAM* is a combination product specifically formulated to last 90-120 days which prevents all seed germination. If you’ve seeded your lawn, you’ll have to use TUPERSAN*, the only crabgrass preventive capable of controlling germination in a newly seeded lawn area.
12. If deer are feasting in your neighborhood, protect your valuable specimens with a deer repellent. Alternate usage of several different products currently seems to be the best method of control, although the battle rages on. Realize that with all the new construction going on, deer have been displaced and they are looking for alternate feeding grounds to replace the areas they’ve lost. Also, this is the time of year when the population increases as the babies are born. Hungry newborns need to be fed. Protect your plant material now before feeding patterns are established.
13. Don’t rush the season by planting your annuals and vegetables too early. This is New England, and weather is very finicky. Resist premature planting even though you may find material available. Recommended planting time for annuals and vegetables is AFTER all danger of frost has passed. In our area, this is typically April 20th. Keep in mind, though, that we have had frost as late as Memorial Day! If you have planted and a frost is predicted, cover your new plants overnight with newspaper or paper grocery bags (NOT PLASTIC!). If you just can’t wait to plant something cheerful in the garden or in those empty containers, choose pansies, violas or alyssum. These are cool season annuals and will provide plenty of color until the time is right for seasonal material.
14. Have a plan, preferably on paper. Don’t use up all your available garden space with the earliest material offerings. Gardening is an ongoing activity. Leave room for additions as the season progresses.
15. Relax a bit, despite the pressure of the NO TIME ZONE within which we all struggle to exist. Get outdoors, and leave the phones in the house. Living was easier before the “communications revolution” provided instant accessibility. Nature doesn’t need bells ringing. Listen instead to the birds singing.
