Spring tips from Doug Wagner owner, Wagner Nursery; serving the Tri-States Since 1946. Early Spring Tips Light raking of yard eliminating dead grass and matted patches of grass that are stuck together. This helps ariate and wakes up the grass to start growing and will help control thatch build up and help control diseases like snow mold. Lighter fertilizing is usually recommended more in spring, especially early, a slow release is an excellent choice. Too much fertilizer early could lead to diseases and weed problems. Let the grass wake up and get some growth going. Applying pre-emergent crabgrass control is a good idea at this time of year. Timing is the key to this. In are region the best rule of thumb is around the time the forsythia bushes are blooming and before the crab apples bloom. An average would be around may 1. Next would be to check out landscape beds. If wood mulch is used check to see if mulch has thawed. Lightly rake and undercover perennials and flowers that may be trying to get through. Same goes with rock mulched beds, get rock away from plants to give room for growth. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide like preen to landscape beds to help with future weed control, then applying again in late spring. Pruning back shrubs at this time helps rejuvenate them. All shrubs that bloom on their new wood can be done at this time, which include most summer flowering bushes. Shrubs that bloom in early to late spring should be left alone and trimmed after done flowering, these are plants that flower on their old wood. Check deciduous trees and evergreen trees for winter damage. If branches damaged or broke properly trim and remove to prevent future diseases and issues. Planting and transplanting of new trees and shrubs can start as soon as the frost comes out of the ground, make sure all plant material is still dormant, if not frost can damage newly planted material. Planting perennials,annuals and vegetables should not be done until the last frost date has past. Good rule of thumb is around Mothers Day. This past winter has caused a lot of winter damage on evergreens,the browning of the needles. Which is due to the combination of many factors, desiccating winds, extended cold temps,fluctuating temperatures, and the dry conditions that have prevailed over iowa the last couple of years. Not a whole lot you can due about. The dead needles should fall off, and the new growth should appear and make things look much better by June. However if the spring is dry, periodically water to encourage new growth and speed up the recovery. Wildlife damage also was a major factor in the tri-state area and the Midwest due to the cold and snow cover. Again not a whole lot we can do, be patient let the growing season come and then in early summer trim out the dead areas that did not rejuvenate.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 02:10:11 +0000
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