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FeedMay 2007 Garden Tips
- As soon as you have cleaned out your annual and perennial beds of winter cover (i.e. leaves or mulch), be sure to apply weed preventers such as Preen. The earlier these products are applied, the greater the chance of having a weed free garden.
- If you grow vegetables in a garden, plan to plant a few in containers that you can move around on a deck or patio to maximize sun exposure as the season progresses. Often container-grown plants will yield fruit several weeks earlier than plants in the ground.
- Renew old container soil mixes with peat, humus, or manure. If you fertilize containers often, remove the old soil and start with new soil mix every year.
- Call or visit online to find your city’s proposed water restriction for this growing season. Many cities will be more stringent than in past years because of our general dryness and low aquifer levels.
- Let tulip and daffodil foliage die back naturally so the leaves have time to manufacture food for next season.
- May is a great time to apply crabgrass preventer. In Minnesota, a good rule of thumb is to apply it when the lilacs are blooming.
- In May, you will want to spray for apple scab. It is important to use a fungicide that is used for fruit trees. Do not apply this when trees are blooming; it will kill bees that are necessary for pollination.
- Remember to water all new trees 20 minutes twice a week at a slow trickle. All other plants should receive at least an inch of water during the course of a week.
- To encourage cut lilacs to hold their bloom, cut early in the morning, and place in a solution of 8 ounces of water, 8 ounces of 7-Up, and 1 teaspoon of bleach.
- Stock bird feeders to encourage nesting. Birds eat many harmful insects and weed seeds and are welcome additions in your yard.
- If your work schedule only allows you to enjoy the patio in the evening, plant a “moon garden” of white or pale-colored flowers. Fragrant plants will also add to the nighttime experience.
Web Exclusive Tips
• Visit local garden centers and find out what's new in both pottery and plant material. And check out your garden center for upcoming seminars and events. They are a great resource for informational and fun sessions. • Plan your container gardens by checking out the newest fashion magazines to find out what colors are hot for this year. Oddly enough, what's hot for clothing color is also hot for pots.
• Did you take pictures of your garden and containers last year? Get them out and study them. Do you want to repeat them for this year, or make some changes?
• Grab your camera and take pictures of your backyard. Bring the pictures into your garden center and allow its staff to create some new outdoor areas for your enjoyment.
• Make sure damaged branches from late winter ice and snowstorms are pruned before trees bud out fully. If you lost a tree, use this opportunity to re-design your shade garden into a sun-loving garden.
• If you mulched your perennials or roses before last winter, that mulch should be removed as soon as possible. Excess mulch is now preventing the soil from warming up, delaying growth in your plantings.
• Accomplish early spring weed control for creeping charlie, clover and other broadleaves in the lawn with the next generation of herbicide. Look for product containing carfentazone as the active ingredient. Apply it in late April to early May.
• Annual and tropical plants you purchase in the spring vary with regard to their tolerance of cold temperatures. Some will not tolerate temperatures in the upper 30s or low 40s very well and others can take temperatures below freezing. Be careful with what you buy and when you plant it outside.
• Plant up your rosemary, chives, thyme, and other herbs into containers. Look for a few new recipes to try using some of your favorite herbs or try a few new herbs.
• Plant pole and snap beans, corn, and onions in mid-May.
• Don’t rush to set out tomato and pepper plants. They dislike cool temperatures and are best transplanted after the weather has consistently warmed.
• Burying a plant’s stem will usually cause rot or even the death of the plant. As a general rule, a plant should be replanted at the same depth it was growing initially. This holds true whether you’re transplanting flowers, shrubs, or trees.
• If possible, do transplanting on a cloudy day to lessen plant shock.
• Remove protective tree wrap on deciduous trees on Mother’s Day. Remember to protect young trees again in late summer if they are a target of deer antler rubs.
• In animal-prone areas, protect your landscape investment by applying an anti-deer/rabbit product to your plants. This will allow plants to reach their full potential above and below the soil.
• Check evergreens for sawfly larvae. These 1-inch-long striped caterpillars can quickly consume a great many needles before they are noticed.
• Put an empty tuna can out in the planting area. Continue your irrigation or sprinkler regimen. When the can has an inch of water on the bottom the plants will be satisfied.
• Don’t mow lawn until it has grown at least 2 inches. The best height for mowing is between 2½ and 3½ inches.
• Apply lawn food in later May after you have mowed a few times. Grass does not respond to fertilizer if the soil temperature is too cool. Experts recommend fertilizing three times per year in late spring, late summer, and fall.
• After your spring blooming shrubs have flowered, it is a great time to prune them. This is especially true for lilacs and forsythia.
• In order to bloom, lilacs need a minimum of six hours of sun each day. Too much nitrogen can be a problem, so avoid using lawn fertilizers high in nitrogen. And prune at the right time; remove any dead or damaged wood in early spring. After the flowers fade, it's OK to do more major pruning. Just be sure to complete pruning before midsummer. If you wait too long, you risk removing some of the next season's blooms.
• Deadheading any spent flowers in your perennial garden will encourage your plants to produce more flowers.
• Do not remove unattractive foliage from spring bulbs until it has turned yellow, withered, and can be removed with a slight tug—usually about six weeks.
• May is actually one of the best months to attract birds into your yard. They are breeding, nesting, and their plumage is very colorful, so it is fun to see them up close. It is also a good time to attract migrants and other returnees like orioles with fruit slices and grape jelly.
• Check herbs and vegetables frequently for signs of insect damage, weeds, and disease.
• Rabbit damage on shrubbery is characterized by either removal of the bark on woody stems, or diagonal cuts across branches. If the bark has been chewed on your shrubs, prune them back below the damaged area. Branches cut diagonally will likely grow out from that point.
• Use deterrent sprays and inexpensive fencing or mesh to protect bulbs, perennials, and smaller shrubs from spring animal browsing. Often the protection may be removed after animals learn a new eating trail.
• Remember to work some aluminum sulfate into the soil to keep all acidic-loving plants happy, and water it thoroughly. Give it some time and watch your Endless Summer Hydrangea go from pink to blue!
• Food always tastes better outdoors, so consider adding a fire pit or barbecue island to your backyard patio plans.
Resources
All Seasons Garden Center701-746-7777
America’s Best Flowers
608-222-2269
Beds and Borders Landscape Design, Inc.
612-396-2014
Dundee Nursery and Floral
952-894-8740
Hy-Vee Garden Center
515-223-8151
Lotus Lawn & Garden
952-949-0726
Outdoor Excapes, Inc.
952-926-6899
Pahl’s Market
952-431-4345
Sargent’s Landscape Nursery
507-289-0022
Sargent’s on 2nd
507-289-6068
Villa Landscapes
Burnsville • 952-894-1553
Maple Grove • 763-425-9277
Oakdale • 651-773-7440
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