General Tips

General Tips & Links

Preparing for Spring

It’s time to get ready for walking barefoot and enjoying the smell on a newly-mown lawn.

· Our last frost date is April 22. If you recall the surprise freeze we had last spring it was actually before that date, so don’t underestimate Mother Nature’s willingness to drop one last winter surprise on us. You may be tempted to start working in your yard, but don’t yet! Walking on wet soil will compact it, forcing out the tiny air molecules that plant roots need to live.

· If you notice your spring bulbs having trouble coming through your mulch or leaf cover, gently loosen that up so the bulbs can grow and bloom. Don’t take off too much though, or the bulbs run the risk of drying out from the continuing winter winds.

· If you start your own seeds for growing indoors you should have already begun your pansies, geraniums, petunias and hardier perennials. Now you can sow things like impatiens, snapdragons, tomatoes and peppers. Remember to keep checking the weather report so you’ll be able to harden your little plants off appropriately.

· Did you notice a lot of Japanese Beetles around your yard last year (large parties in your roses, heavy damage to hollyhocks or canna lilies…)? If so, now is a good time to find some Milky Spore and plan on when you’ll apply it. This natural disease attacks the grub of the Japanese Beetle, and lasts a good long while in your yard. It can take up to two years for Milky Spore to grow to sufficient levels to control JB grubs, but much preferable to using strong insecticides. While insecticides will kill the JB during its various growth stages, including August-September when the beetle is at its most voracious, those chemicals kill indiscriminately –so any bugs visiting your yard will be killed along with the JB, including butterflies, praying mantis, and honeybees. To test if you have a grub problem peel back a foot of turf, and dig down for a bit. If you find more than one or two grubs in a cubic foot, then you have a grub problem and should deal with it as soon as you can.

· If you have taller perennials that require staking (such as peonies and delphiniums) now is a good time to go through all your plant supports and be sure they are in good shape. Make a list of any new ones you’ll need to get before your plants start growing and make it too difficult to support them properly.

· Venturing into vegetables this year? Remember that some are what gardeners refer to as “heavy feeders”, like tomatoes. It’s wise to provide sufficient nutrients for all your plants so they don’t suffer, but for the heavy feeders you need to do a bit more. The first thing is to plan a rotation. Move your tomato location to a new spot every other year or so, and give the soil a rest with some plants that don’t require so much from the soil. Also take advantage of interplanting – mix up your veggies to take advantage of all the space you can. If you have a fence you aren’t sure what to do with, try growing cucumbers on it this year – support the vines as they grow and don’t let the fruit get too heavy, and you’ll have expanded your vegetable garden without tilling up any soil.

· If you must, you can plant deciduous shrubs and trees now – as long as the ground isn’t frozen and you can dig a hole. Most of these are still in their dormant stage, so moving them now won’t hurt them, and they’ll be all set to put out new roots when the temperature goes up. You can also spray your fruit trees with dormant spray, as they shouldn’t have started any growth yet. If they have, it’s too late to spray!

Contact me to begin planning for this coming year!

Below are links to some tips that you may find handy.
Rose Care
Perennial Care
Spring Bulb Care

Check out the links below for information from other sites.

Indiana Master Gardeners - Provides details about how to become a Master Gardener, and other valuable information about gardening and gardening resources.
Dave's Garden - a place for gardeners to connect, with garden forums, articles on gardening, directories of nurseries, gardens and gardening organizations: information on a wide range of topics, by gardeners - for gardeners.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - The most visited botanic garden in the United States, their site provides a wealth of information not only on the BBG, but general tips as well
Chicago Botanic Garden - The second-most visited botanic garden in the United States, the CBG provides a wide range of classes and seasonal tips.
Garden Guides - Gardening information and resources including articles by top garden writers, seasonal tips and advice and guide sheets on hundreds of plants.
Plant Amnesty - thrives to reduce the amount of artificially pruned and shaped plants, working for more natural environments.
Purdue University Consumer Horticulture web site provides a wide variety of links for information ranging from turf tips to gardens to visit.