Horticulture Guy

Peter takes a look at the strawberry runner he started rooting late last summer and then shows you how to prune your grapes. (Feb/March 2004)

Peter takes a look at the weeds you may find in your garden beds in the spring and how to remove them. (Mar/Apr 2004)

Learn how to collect and store seeds from your own garden plants. (Oct/Nov 2003)

Peter shows you how to perform a perc (percolation) test in your garden to find out how well your soil drains. He also provides tips on how to improve your soil based on the perc test.(April/May 2004)

Peter looks at forcing Narcissus Soleil d’Or and growing sweet peas indoors during the winter to help you out of the winter doldrums. (Jan/Feb 2004)

Peter shows you how to grow holiday cacti (Zygocactus) and how to make sure they bloom each year. (Nov/Dec 2003)

Learn how to propagate your strawberry plants. (Aug/Sept 2003)

How to find out how much clay, sand or silt is in your garden’s soil.

An overview of the most common organic fertilizers and their properties.

Additional Floating Garden Row Cover Information

Floating Row Covers can provide protection from low temperatures, provide additional warmth for heat loving plants and protect plants, especially vegetables, from the larvae of egg laying flying insects like carrot rust fly, leaf miners, and other root maggots as well as marauding birds. Here is the floating row cover seen in this video.

Additional Insect Pest Barrier Information

Get the Tanglefoot Combo Pak which includes everything you need to band your trees and protect them from insect pests as shown in this video.

Requires Windows Media Player.

Additional Composting Information

• Composting is a way for us to become a part of the soil building process. Since we manage it the process is intensified.
• When we garden we disrupt the pattern of returning organic matter to the soil. Composting completes the cycle.
• Composting also makes the handling of such things as manure and refuse easier to handle. This is because the process (when done correctly - aerobically with plenty of nitrogen) is intensified by concentrating decomposition. The heat created cooks the smell out of manure and garbage.
• Also soil microorganisms responsible for decomposition temporarily bind up nutrients essential to plants.
• “Finished compost” is still only partially decayed organic matter but it is rich in nitrogen and other elements that have been released. It contains humus and provides the materials necessary to improve soil structure.
• Two types of bacteria that are responsible for initial decomposition of organic matter. Anaerobic bacteria breakdown organic matter without air and produce foul smelling byproducts at certain stages of decomposition. (Advantage is that it preserves more of the nutrients) Aerobic bacteria break down organic matter using oxygen from air and do not produce foul smelling byproducts. (but some nutrients are lost in the process).
• Microorganisms use nutrients of the organic matter as a part of the process - Nitrogen Phosphorus and potassium are used but often Nitrogen is limiting. This slows the decomposition process down.
• It is the relationship between nitrogen and carbon (building block of all organic matter - sugars, starches cell walls e.g. cellulose) that determines how quickly a mixture of organic matter will decompose and how hot the temperature of decomposition will get. Different bacteria work best at different temperatures. The most efficient work at high temperatures between 120 degrees F.
• Sawdust and leaves (brown material)is at the one end of the spectrum - low Nitrogen high carbon - decomposes slowly but result is high in humus. Lawn clippings (green material) contains higher nitrogen and lower carbon - decomposes rapidly but result is lower in humus .

How to put together your own indoor plant growing station on the cheap. This segment shows how to select fluorescent bulbs and put together a grow light system for your plants using materials you can find at your local hardware store. If you are not a DIY (Do-it-yourself) person you can still buy a Fluorescent Grow Light System

How to build a structure to train bramles like blackberries, raspberries and other brambling vines. Materials available at local hardware stores.

Tips on how to grow flowers and vegetables in containers.

Growing your own tropical plants on your deck or patio. Example: Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta).

How to grow this frost resistant bean over the winter for an early spring harvest.

Grow your own Fava Beans

Follow up on the invisible trellis and starting tomatoes. How to start cool weather crops from seed like lettuce and spinach in late summer heat.

How to make an invisible trellis against a fence line for growing climbing plants.

How to prepare your tools for winter storage and keep them in good shape throughout the year.

Information on weeds and specialized weeding tools for the garden.

As seen in this segment:Diggit Weeder

Watch streaming video of Horticulture Guy’s gardening segments through Windows Media Video. Requires Windows Media Player. Each gardening segment is approximately 5 minutes in length. Each page has topic info and links to the video for dialup and cable/modem connections.

There are two other ways to watch Horticulture Guy’s gardening segments on Comcast Cable!

1) Comcast Video On Demand (VOD) Channel 1:

1. Select Get Local
2. Select My Town
3. Select Home & Garden

2) The gardening segments run as a part of regular programming throughout all of Pierce County and North Thurston County (Yelm & Rainier) Washington on Channel 76 as a part of the “Around Here” Program and on its own.

Here is when Horticulture Guy’s gardening segment will appear in the “Around Here” show:

Mon. 4:30PM; Tues. 3PM; Wed. 5:30PM; Thurs. 8:30PM; Sun. 9PM. Show is repeated each week all month long.

Other Segments (separate from “Around Here”): Fridays at 9:25 PM and other randomly assigned times.

• Repot cacti and other succulents and other indoor plants into larger containers. If the containers are as big as you want then remove the top two inches of soil and replace with new potting soil. A good cacti potting mix can me made using ½ perlite ¼ coco peat and ¼ earthworm castings or compost.
• Check pots more frequently for drying and fertilize plants.

• Cut back artemisias before they flower. The flowers are not particularly noteworthy and the plants can become leggy and flop when they do. Cut back 1/2 to 2/3 of top growth. Cuttings can be rooted with rooting hormone and placed in damp perlite or coarse sand. Place in a spot with indirect sunlight for first month or two until the roots begin to form.
• Root cuttings of geraniums (Pelargonium) to bring indoors for the winter. This is particularly useful when the plants have gotten too large for the space you have indoors. Cuttings should be about 6 inches long stripping off all but the top 4 leaves. Treat cuttings as artemisias above.
• Divide Oriental poppy. Oriental poppies do not take well to division at other times of the year. After they finish blooming they are quasi-dormant. You can also take root cuttings to propagate new plants as well.
• Divide Iris. This is a good time particularly for bulbous Iris as they are now dormant. Fibrous rooted as well as rhizomatous Iris can also be divided now. Wait until fall or spring to divide Siberian Iris.
• Fertilize roses. Roses are heavy feeders and usually require both a spring and summer feeding. Now is a good time as later feedings may encourage soft growth late in the season that can be damaged by a cold snap. A top choice of many rose growers is alfalfa meal. It is usually available where organic fertilizers are sold. If you need large economical quantities buy alfalfa pellets from a animal feed store (without vitamins). Scratch the meal or pellets into the top 2 inches of soil around the root zone of the roses. I also like to use bothorganic fish fertilizer as well as kelp fertilizer since they compliment each other quite well providing balanced plant nutrition.
• Order bulbs for fall planting now! You can often get early bird specials when ordering bulbs through the mail. You can often find a wider selection of varieties through mail order than you can locally. Bulbs are delivered at the optimal time for planting in the fall.
• Continue deadheading spent flowers unless you plan on saving seeds.

• Prune firs and spruces now. Unlike other evergreen trees these form buds on outside of branches rather than at the tip.
• Last time to trim deciduous hedges for the season. Their growth will be slow until next spring.
• Root hardwood cuttings of shrubs.
• Prune water sprouts, trunk suckers, and crossing or rubbing branches from trees.
• Conserve water by letting grass go dormant. Lack of water and higher temperatures will trigger dormancy. Grass will begin to grow again when you water increases and temperatures cool. Don’t do this on high traffic areas as they will wear more easily.

Insect Alert
Hopefully your diligence against last months most wanted list, aphids, leaf miners, and whiteflies is paying off. Keep a watchful eye because they continue to pose a threat to plants.

• This month be on the lookout for an increase in the population of scale insects. There are many species of scale so they come in many shapes and sizes. They are generally ovoid in shape and often will be a color that helps them blend in with their host plant. There are soft scales with more pliable wax like outer coatings and hard scales with harder outer coatings. The insect excretes this coating to protect itself from predators. The coating also makes it resistant to many insecticides. The insect taps into the plant and extracts the sugary sap. The mobile young that hatched out earlier in the season have since hunkered down. They may be getting large enough to be noticeable At this stage I recommend against spraying as the spray may also damage beneficial insects that may control the population. Manual removal is best during the summer. This is accomplished by scraping off the scale with an old credit card, nail file or on woodier plants a non-scratching kitchen scrubbing pad. Otherwise I suggest you wait until the dormant season to spray with horticultural oil which will smother the insect within. Scale can attack many evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs. Some examples of susceptible plants are roses, fruit trees, currants, grapes, raspberries and Euonymous.
• Damage from apple maggots will begin to become apparent this month. The flies emerge late June through July and lay eggs just below the skin of the fruit. The larvae tunnel through the fruit until it drops to the ground. The best thing to do now is to put a tarp down below the tree. Collect infected apples that fall and destroy them. This prevents the maggots from reaching the soil where they will overwinter. The larvae may live in the soil for more than one season so you may need to continue this procedure for a few years. Be prepared early next summer with Phermone based apple maggot traps to catch the flies before they lay eggs. Beneficial nematodes and neem oil drenches applied to the soil below the Apple trees may also help reduce the apple maggot larvae population.

Diseases alert
Continue to be on the lookout for Black spot, Botrytis blight and Verticillium wilt. As we move into the middle to end of summer be on the lookout for these additional diseases:

• Powdery Mildew spores have been active since the spring but the disease may only become a problem this month. This is because stressed plants are more susceptible to the disease than heathy plants. Lack of water during our dry season will stress plants. So the first line of defense is maintaining healthy plants. If the disease grabs a foothold you can spray the plants with neem oil, or a baking soda/summer oil spray. Cornell University recommends 1 tablespoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), 2 = teaspoons of summer oil (a natural oil based insecticide used on plants) mixed with 1 gallon of water. Some plants you may find powdery mildew on are zucchini/squash/pumpkins, beans and peas, lilacs, roses, delphiniums, zinnias, apples, pansies, rhododendrons and azaleas, strawberries, grapes, tomatoes/potatoes as well as maples, sycamores and oaks.
• Late Blight can ruin a potato, tomato, eggplant or pepper crop faster than you can say “potato famine”. Watering methods that wet the leaves of these plants will encourage the disease. If you must water from above do it in early morning so the leaves dry as quickly as possible. Copper based fungicides work well and preliminary research has indicated that neem oil is also an effective control.

• Cut back poinsettia plants that you brought outside for the summer (2 inches from the soil) cuttings can be rooted.
• Keep an eye out for pests and diseases that may be introduced to plants that are brought outdoors.
• Check, mist, and water and fertilize plants more frequently.

• Plant seeds of biennial and perennial flowers that don’t need a winter chill to germinate for flowers next year: Delphiniums (from seeds of existing plants - best when really fresh), English daisy and most other daisies, forget-me-nots, pansies (for fall/winter/spring bloom), lupines, dianthus (including carnations, pinks and sweet William), wall flowers, catchfly, poppies, columbines, snapdragons, yarrow as well as evening primrose and sundrops (Oenothera).
• Deadhead old rose blooms (if harvesting hybrid teas cut stem just above five leaflets and not three, which promotes future blooming as well as fuchsias and other annuals.
• Prune wisteria back hard. You can cut them back to a foot from the main stem.

• Early in the month you can still plant bush beans, beets, Carrots and cucumbers. You can also get fall crops started like kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, greens, Winter radishes and other root crops like turnips, parsnips and rutabagas.
• Plant seeds of biennial and perennial herbs that don’t need a winter chill to germinate: chives, lovage, fennel, anise hyssop, bee balm catmint, catnip, lemon balm, oregano, sage, thyme, winter savory (a perennial relative of annual Summer Savory, salad burnet, rue and valerian.
• Don’t let weeds get ahead of you. Pick a weeding tool that matches your personality like the Dutch Disc Weeder, the Nejiri Gama Hoe, or the Hori Hori Knife

• Irrigation - Unless you know your garden very well which is the case if you have been tending to it for many years it is always a good idea to gauge your water usage. You can use a water meter - or soil core sampler in less rock areas in addition to water gauge. Best time is early in the morning unless using drip irrigation.
• Suppress weeds, as they will use precious water and nutrients. Hand pulling cultivating or mulching and combinations of these are the most environmentally sensitive controls.
• Keep the compost pile turning. Add additional organic matter and turn the compost pile to aerate it and encourage aerobic bacteria to become active.
• Staking and tying - keep an eye out for leggy plants like delphiniums and stake them before they flop over and bend their stems. Also build supports for fruits like trailing blackberries and raspberries to keep the branches and fruit off the ground.
• Continue to prune hedges. Evergreens main growth spurt will be ending this month so this will be the last major prune for the season. Remember to taper shrubs so that the base is slightly wider than the top.
• Feed water plants like water lilies and monitor the water for pond weeds and algae.

• Aphids still active - Keep your eye out for aphids on your veggies, flowers fruit trees and other woody plants. Even if you think you have gotten them under control keep in mind that a single female can lay hundreds of eggs that can hatch into more female aphids without being fertilized. The warmer weather shortens the time needed for the egg to hatch and the nymph to become a reproductive adult Use a strong stream of water to knock them off plants or use an insecticidal soap spray (neem based insecticidal soap offers additional protection.
• Leaf miners - These tiny larvae burrow inside the leaf leaving irregular tunnel tracks on the leaves of its host. The larvae can be from tiny black flies (most usual on vegetables) or from various moths and beetles. Unfortunately external sprays won’t reach these pests. Catch them early and remove infected leaves when possible. There are native wasps that will parasitize them. On smaller plants live beets and chard use a floating row cover (light floating fabric of spun polyester called Remay) before damage is apparent. Also Keep an eye out on columbines, Camperdown elms, evergreen hollies, poplars, oaks, rhododendrons,and locust trees.
• Spider mites - The adults of these can be seen with the eye but may go unnoticed when the populations are small as the insects can be from 1/75-1/150 of an inch. Larger populations become more evident when the leaves become discolored yellow white or bronze or the insects fine webbing becomes apparent (in some species) can be found on vegetables like beans, cucumbers, eggplants, melons peppers, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes and zucchini. Many house plants and annuals like impatiens, geraniums, zinnias, perennials like iris, lilies, hollyhocks, delphiniums, dianthus (carnations pinks, sweet William), gladiolus, phlox, violas. As well as shrubs and trees like roses, cherries, plums, apricots, lilacs, willows, western red cedars, jasmines, and hemlocks. Spider mites prefer warm dry conditions so the first line of defense is spraying the undersides of the leaves (where they congregate) with cold water. The next line is insecticidal soap, horticultural oil (summer oil) and neem oil.
• Whiteflies - Although they usually won’t overwinter outdoors here (occasionally they can) the usual source of these insects is infected plants grown in greenhouses. They may appear clean but there may be eggs present which are not susceptible to most spray controls. My favorite method of control is a shop vac and a long extension cord. I shake the leaves and suck up those fast moving sap suckers. They can attack many plants but seem to favor strawberries, many annuals rhododendrons (and azaleas) grapes, squash, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. There are many natural controls already in your garden like ladybugs and parasitic wasps. You can also control the wingless nymphs with insecticidal soap, horticultural oil (summer oil) or neem oil.
• There is a second generation of codling moths emerging in mid-July. Trap adults with Codling Moth Traps and control feeding larvae with neem oil.
• Black Spot - Roses and some relatives like photinia will be showing sings of this fungal disease. First line of defense is keeping water off the leaves and grow plants in areas with good air circulation. Avoid overhead spraying of susceptible plants. Another first line is removing all infected leaves that appear. You can also spray with an appropriate fungicide like Rose 3-in-1 (neem oil) weekly into the fall.
• Botrytis Blight - Another fungal disease that is promoted by high humidity conditions so similar to black spot avoid overhead watering and areas with poor air circulation. It can attack just about any plant especially those that have been injured or wounded. Remove all infected plant parts and keep flowering plants deadheaded as the fading flowers can be attacked.
• Verticillium wilt - a soil borne fungal disease that overwinters in the soil and in plant debris. It will attack many cultivaated plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, chrysanthmums, strawberries, roses, ornamental fruits maples, cherries, and peaches as well as other ornamentals. The virus usually enters through the roots and infects the vascular tissue. The result is water and nutrients cannot move freely in the plant and it slowly yellows, withers and dies. The fungus can remain in the soil for over 10 years so control includes rotating susceptible vegetables and planting resistant species of plants in infected soil.

• Indoor plants can safely make their way outdoors in lightly shaded areas. Plants that respond well to going outdoors in the summer include gardenias, Madagascar periwinkles, star jasmines, wax plants, fuchsias, princess flowers and cyclamens.
• Plants staying inside can be moved to cooler rooms for the summer.

• Fuchsias and other flowering plants can be transplanted into hanging baskets. Best plants are tender perennials and annuals with shallow roots. E.g. ageratums, browallia, coleus, marigolds, zinnias, dusty millers, impatiens, annual lobelia, sweet alyssum, verbenas, vincas (major and minor) and wax begonias.
• Divide spring flowering Bearded Iris and Oriental poppies after they bloom when they slow growth. Usually necessary every 4-5 years. A Hori Hori Knife is a useful tool for dividing perennials. Prune back top growth to by 1/3.
• Test soil around spring flowering plants with a soil tester and fertilize if necessary. They need adequate nutrients to set next years flower buds.
• Keep roses clean from diseased wood and unhealthy canes. Pick off faded flowers and keep petals and leaves from the ground reducing disease problems. Spray with natural 3-IN-1 Neem Oil to control fungal diseases as well as mites and insect pests.

• Mow your lawn regularly keeping the length between 2 and 2.5 inches. For a healthier lawn do not allow the lawn to get taller than 3 to 3.5 inches long between mowings. The lawn should receive 1″ water per week. In areas where the soil is very porous as in Lakewood the watering should be 1/2″ every 3-4 days. Early morning is the optimal time to water the lawn. The same watering regime can be used for other landscaped areas of the yard.
• Post flower prune early spring flowering plants that bloom on old wood like azaleas, forsythias, lilacs, mountain laurel, pieris, quince, rhododendron and spiraea. Rejuvenation can be achieved by completely removing older stems or cutting to 6″ to a foot from the ground. Subshrubs and perennials like rockcress, evergreen candytuft, Moss pinks (dianthus) should also be cut back strongly after flowering.
• Thin out shade trees. The best time for this is when there are leaves on the tree so you can increase a view or allow more light below them.
• Mulch broad-leafed evergreens with an acidic mulch like oak-leaf compost, wood chips, pine needles etc. Do not allow mulch to build up against the base of the plants.
• Deadhead rhododendrons, azaleas mountain laurels Pieris. This reroutes the energy that would have been used to make seedpods to new growth and next years flower buds.
• Last call to plant containerized or ball and burlap woody trees, shrubs, groundcovers and vines before the summer weather makes establishment more difficult.

• Apple Maggot larvae have been in the dormant pupae stage over the winter and are in the process this month of emerging from the ground as adult flies. The Adults superficially resemble houseflies and are about 1/4 inch long. They have a black and white banded pattern on the wings and a white spot on the body. They have many hosts but apples, crabapples and hawthorns are the most common in the PNW but sometimes they can be found on plums, apricots, pears, Asian pears, Sweet and sour cherrries, rose hips, cotoneaster, mountain ash and pyracantha. Monitor and control with Apple maggot traps and lures. They do not emerge all at once but instead emerge in waves throughout the summer until early fall. There is an organic spray made from kaolin clay (used in the food industry for its anti caking effect) and sometimes goes by the trade name Surround WP Crop Protectant. You can also control the adults using either the sticky apple traps or the yellow sticky traps in conjunction with apple maggot lures. None of these controls are 100 percent effective so I always suggest protecting some of the fruit with plastic bags. Tie them around the fruit to prevent the flies entry. Be sure to leave enough room for developing fruit. This is an insurance policy for some larvae free eggs. The first line of defense starts in the fall when you should lay out tarps under the trees to prevent infected apples from reaching the ground and releasing the larvae. Another option is to use a specific species (Steinernema feltiae ) of beneficial nematode which is sometimes found under the trade name Scanmask has been found effective for control of larvae in the soil. These beneficial nematodes are available online and sometimes can be ordered through garden centers.
• Spittle bugs - foamy masses found on your strawberries, peas or flowering plants and herbs are the protective coating of small sap sucking insects. They are easy to control with a strong blast of water which breaks up the foam and knocks the insects from the plants.
• Cabbage loopers (cabbage worms) - If you have seen the pretty little white butterflies hovering over you cole crops like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower you should be on the lookout for the eggs that it deposits on the underside of the leaves. Left unchecked they will hatch into hungry caterpillars that will chew holes in the foliage and into the florets of the broccoli and cauliflower. Control by rubbing eggs off of the foliage and then by using BT DIPEL 150 DUST.
• Carrot rust flies - this quarter inch fly with yellow legs and yellow head is seldom recognized or seen by gardeners. But after they lay their eggs at the base of the carrot the damage of the white maggots is very evident. If you have this pest the best control is growing carrots under a floating row cover (Remay) to prevent the fly from laying its eggs.
• Aphids - This sap sucking insect has been around since earlier in the spring and may have gone unnoticed until now. The populations in June increase dramatically and can be green, red, black and yellow in color. Use insecticidal soap, APHID CHASERS or APHID & WHITEFLY STICKY YELLOW TRAPS to control them.
• Slugs - continue to be a nuisance particularly in shady parts of the garden. Use organic bait products with iron phosphate like Sluggo.
• Rhododendron Lace Bugs - The “lace” of the adult insect’s wings can only be seen under a microscope since the adults are only about 1/8 of an inch long. What are usually most visible on the underside of the leaves are the insect’s excrement and the nymph’s shed exoskeletons, which are shed at each stage of growth. Symptom include yellow to brown speckling on the surface of the leaves and activity below the leaves where the lacebugs and their juvenile nymphs are feeding. They feed like aphids with piercing sucking mouthparts. Often a large infestation of Rhododendron Lace Bug is a sign that the rhododendron may be under some stress. Sometimes infestations are exacerbated by drought, to high a pH (they prefer to be somewhere between 4.5 to 6.0) or too much direct sun. Both insecticidal soap and neem oil will control Lace Bugs. Or you can use the best of both worlds and use a new neem soap, which is derried from the neem oil,
• Beneficials - Benefical insects are also emerging now since lagging slightly behind their prey. In particular Lady bugs and their alligator looking offspring have appeared. Be very careful since the black (often with orange spots) lady bug larvae are often unfamiliar to many gardeners and are often sprayed as pests. The young eat even more aphids and soft bodied pests than the adults do. You can help attract and keep aphids in your garden with LADY BUG HOUSE and LADY BUG LURES Hover flies (Syrphid Flies) have black bodies with yellow bands much like a bee. The adults can be seen hovering around flowers and feeding on the nectar and pollen. Their larvae have small fangs that feed on soft-bodied insects like aphids.
• Wasps hornets and yellow jackets : Increase activity and nest building begins in June. These insects are beneficial preying on many garden pests. They can be a problem when nests are too close to human activity.Poison Free Wasp and Hornet Killer is an organic control in these situations.

• Bring plants overwintering indoors back outside slowly now that the last frost has passed.
• Many houseplants can be brought outside onto shady decks later in the month.
• Fuchsias can be brought outdoors in partial sun areas or on decks in containers or hanging baskets.

• Plant Asparagus roots and Potato and Sweet Potato Tubers, Strawberry plants.
• Plant seedlings of frost sensitive warm weather vegetables like: Cucumbers, Melons, Pumpkin, Squash & Zucchini, Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants. Use a row cover or cloche to increase growth rate.
• Plant seedlings of frost sensitive warm weather herbs like Basil, Sweet Marjoram, Dill, Summer Savory, Perilla, and Cilantro. Use a row cover to improve germination and growth.
• Plant seeds or seedlings of perennial herbs like lemon balm, anise hyssop, chives and bee balm.
• In the middle of the month sow directly the garden cool weather crops from seed to extend harvests or plant overwintering types (like sprouting broccoli)of vegetables like Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots & Parsnips, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Radishes, Leeks & Onions, Greens, Beets, Spinach & Swiss Chard.
• Sow directly to the garden warm weather crops like Beans (pole and bush), Corn, Cucumbers and Squash &: Gourds when soil temps get above 60 degrees F. Check temperature with a soil thermometer.

• Check your irrigation systems now before they are needed this summer. Don’t wait until natural rainfall requires supplemental irrigation.
• Monitor weekly rainfall using a coffee can and measuring stick or buy a rain gauge at your local garden center. When weekly rainfall is less than 1 inch supplemental irrigation may be necessary. When in doubt dig down 8-12 inches and see if the soil is uniformly moist.
• Weeds are becoming more active so this is a good time to use mulches to smother them.
• Visit local public gardens this month. Mother’s Day is a favorite day to visit a garden. Bring a notebook to jot down ideas and plant combinations for your garden.
• Deadhead Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Mountain Laurels and Lilacs as the blooms fade. This directs more of the plants energy to new growth and flower buds for next year.
• Prune early blooming woody plants that bloom on previous season’s growth if necessary. Prune these plants right after they finish flowering: Cherries, Magnolias, Lilacs, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Dogwoods, Mountain Laurels, Forsythia, Flowering Quince , Flowering currants,Pieris.
• Prune late blooming woody plants that bloom on current season’s growth. Glossy Abelia, Butterflybush , Beautyberry , Shrub Althea, Oakleaf, Goldenraintree , Hybrid Tea Rose.
• Last call to transplant small trees and shrubs. Take advantage of the natural rainfall and cooler weather.
• Pinch back new soft growth of needled evergreens if you wish to control their growth and keep them compact and bushy.
• Last call for spring lawn feeding and pH correction. Test your soil for Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potash and pH with a soil test kit before fertilizing or liming for best results. Lawn mowing begins in earnest. Check length weekly and strive not to cut more than 1/3 of the existing growth at a time.
• Plant tender summer bulbs like Calla and Canna Lilies, Dahlias and Gladiolus.

Continued vigilance is necessary on slugs and aphids, which appeared last month. Both can reproduce without having to find a mate so their populations can build quickly. Aphid females can lay fertile eggs without the benefit of male input (called oogenesis) and slugs, like snails are hermaphroditic enabling them to fertilize their own eggs. Use a natural slug bait to control slugs. To control peach tree aphids on roses and other plants use the aphid chaser. On other plants you can use yellow sticky traps or spray the aphids with a neem based insecticidal soap.

Later in the month you may see Tent caterpillars. The population of this moth can fluctuate over a 3-10 year cycle. The tell tale sign is the large tent like silk web spun by the caterpillars as they feed on trees and shrubs. The caterpillars hide in the tent during the day and feed at night. The eggs started hatching out later in the month and so it is the best time to control them before they damage plants. Tent caterpillars will head down to the ground to pupate in July. The adult yellow-brown moths emerge next spring and lay eggs for next years generation. The first line of defense is physical removal of the nests. The best time to catch the caterpillars in the nest is when they are not feeding from dusk to a few hours past dawn. Soak the tent, caterpillars an all in a jar of rubbing alcohol. The second line of defense is to use a highly selective insecticide that won’t hurt potential predators. Spray trees and shrubs with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki). If you can reach put the spray nozzle inside the tent as well. The caterpillars must ingest the spray that coats the plants leaves. Another good organic control when the tree or shrub is not blooming is neem oil. In addition to spraying it is a good idea to apply sticky tree bands (on single trunk trees) that will catch any remaining caterpillars as they move down to the soil to pupate

• Plant perennials, flowering shrubs and vines now appearing in garden centers like Artemesia, Baby’s breath, Balloon flower, Bee Balm, columbines, coreopsis, daylilies, delphiniums, foxglove, lupines, bleeding hearts and roses just to name a few.
• There is still time to plant summer flowering bulbs like gladiolus, iris, and crocosmia as well.
• Transplant cool season annuals like snapdragons, pansies, English Daisies, calendula, sweet alyssum, stock, violas. Hold off on tender warm season annuals like marigolds and gazanias unless you provide protection.
• Start hardy warm season flowers from seed outdoors like nasturtiums, feverfew, baby blue eyes, Love-in-a-mist and flax.

• Last call to start warm weather vegetables and herbs indoors during the first week of April. Start tomatoes, peppers, basil, cucumbers, Cantaloupe, watermelon, squash (including zucchini), eggplants and potatoes from true seed.
• Transplant perennial and biennial herbs like parsley, chives, lovage but wait until after the last frost for tender herbs like basil and marjoram.
• You can still plant herbaceous (e.g. strawberry) and woody fruits (eg. Grapes, raspberries) out but avoid bareroot stock. Buy container grown plants this late in the season.
• Transplant cools season vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, onions (sets and transplants).
• Directly sow into the ground beets, Swiss chard, carrots, dill, endive, Jerusalem artichokes (tuber), radishes, parsnips, turnips, peas, bunching onions, leeks and potato tubers. If you are growing potatoes from “true seed” treat them like their warm weather relatives the tomato.

• Trees shrubs and vines can be planted but avoid bareroot stock now. Stick with container grown plants at this late date.
• Weather is still ideal for laying sod, patching bare areas by overseeding or starting lawns from seed.
• Lawn mowing will begin as cool season grasses respond to ideal temperatures and spring rain. Most lawns will need to be mowed weekly. Keep lawns between 1-2 inches in the spring and don’t allow to get higher than 3 inches before you mow it again if possible.
• Test soil and fertilize lawn and adjust pH if necessary. Use a SOIL TEST KIT or the MINI 4-IN-1 GARDEN TESTER. Spring lawns are growing fast and will most likely need a fertilizer with a 3-1-2 (Nitrogen-Phosphours-Potash) ratio.
• There is still time to prune late flowering woody plants that bloom on this season’s growth like trumpet vine (Capmsis), Cross Vine (Bignonia), Glossy Abelia, Butterfly Bush, Bluebeard, Wild Lilac (Ceanothus), Hardy Fuchsias and Hydrangeas.
• Transplanting and hardening off plants. In all areas of the garden you may be transplanting plants both large and small. If plants have been grown in a sheltered area either indoors at your home or somewhere else in a greenhouse it behooves you to adjust the plants slowly to the outdoors. The plants will fare much better and grow faster if they have been allowed time to adjust to the increased light levels, wind as well as cooler temperatures. Ask you garden center if they know the history of the plant you are buying. If it has been grown outdoors,already outdoors for over 2 weeks at the center, or is a dormant/bareroot plant then you can forgo hardening them off. Otherwise before transplanting bring them into full outdoor exposure slowly. Bring them outside for about 4 hours during the warmest part of the day (noon to 4) during the first week and increase up incrementally to 8 hours and then in the second week leave it outside in a sheltered spot and then finally into a fully exposed spot similar to where you will be planting it.

Insect Alert

• Increase fertilization and water of indoor plants. This increase in water and fertilizer coincides with the increased light levels as the sun moves southward and more directly into windows. This increases the plants transpiration of water and increases their growth rate.
• Repot root bound plants. If plant lacks vigor, roots are coming out of drainage holes or if water drains through the plant before it can absorb the water it is more than likely time to transplant. Move up 2 inches in pot size.
• Pinch and prune houseplants. Just like outdoor plants the best time to prune is in early spring just before new growth starts.

Pest Alert | General Landscaping | Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit
Flower Garden | Indoor Garden

• Start seeds of annuals (and plants grown as annuals) indoors: Ageratums, annual asters, celosia (cockscomb), Chinese lanterns, annual chrysanthemums, tuberous begonias, cornflower (bacchelor’s buttons), cosmos, annual dahlias, gazania, globe amaranth, annual hollyhock, marigolds, nasturtiums, flowering tobacco, petunias, annual phlox, portulaca, annual salvias, annual scabiosa, snapdragons, statice, stock, strawflower, sweet allysum, verbena, & zinnias.
• Plant sweet peas. For wonderful fragrance plant sweet peas from the middle to the end of the month. Soak seeds overnight in luke warm water to promote germination. Provide a trellis or other support for the plants to grow up.
• Begin planting Dahlia and Iris as well as other summer flowering corms bulbs and tubers. Dahlias and Iris are some of the earliest to arrive at garden centers.
• Divide perennials that flower in summer or fall now. You can tell perennials need dividing when the center becomes less vigorous or die out.
• Prune summer and fall flowering clematis. These clematis produce flowering buds on new wood and can be pruned now to the strongest canes. Spring flowering clematis should be pruned right after they flower.
• Clean up perennials and cut back ornamental grasses to a few inches above the ground to make way for new growth.
• Fertilize and prune roses. The rosarian’s organic fertilizer of choice is alfalfa. It can be found at your garden center as alfalfa meal or in bulk at a feed store. You don’t have to pay extra for vitamins added though. Prune away any cold injury to canes. Prune back to a healthy outward facing bud. Complete all your pruning activities before the buds break.

Pest Alert | General Landscaping | Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit
Flower Garden | Indoor Garden

• Early in the month is the last chance for dormant pruning fruit trees. You still have some time to prune back diseased wood, water sprouts (suckers) and crossing limbs. Don’t prune back fruiting spurs unless you are intentionally thinning them out.
• Last chance for dormant oil sprays of fruit trees. Fruit trees like apples and pears benefit from dormant oil sprays which help to control (by smothering) sucking insects like aphids, scale, spider mites, thrips to name a few. Don’t apply after any buds have broken because dormant oil spays are more concentrated than summer oil sprays and can burn new growth.
• There is still time to start spring vegetable seedlings indoors. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage cauliflower, celery and celeriac and indoors on a windowsill, greenhouse or under grow lights.
• Mid month start planting warm weather vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes (from true seed).
• Transplant fruit trees purchased from your favorite grower should be planted now as dormant bare root plants.
• Wrap early flowering dwarf fruit trees if frost threatens. If you have had years where your plums and peaches have not set fruit it could be because a late frost knocked them out. If the forecast calls for below freezing weather and the flower buds are already breaking wrap the trees in reemay (spun polyester garden cover) to protect them over night.
• Sow seeds outdoors when soil temperatures are at or above appropriate minimum temperatures: lettuce (40°F), peas (40°F), Swiss chard & beets (40°F), carrots (40°F), leeks (45°F), onion (45°F), spinach (45°F), turnips (50°F), radishes (50°F) and Asian greens (50°F). Test soil temperatures with a soil thermometer.
• Plant seed potatoes (from potato sections not to be confused with “true seed” which is started indoors like tomatoes) and onion sets, shallot sets, and garlic cloves (results in smaller bulbs then when planted in fall).
• Start Herb seeds indoors: marjoram, summer savory, chives, fennel, parsley, basil, anise hyssop, perilla, lemon balm, & sorrel.

Pest Alert | General Landscaping | Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit
Flower Garden | Indoor Garden

• Get your soil tested. It is a good idea to have your soil tested before fertilizing plants in your home landscape.  Testing for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium and pH is all that is necessary for the average homeowner.  Home test kits are available at you local garden center. But if your plants are unhealthy and you can’t pinpoint the cause you may want to consider sending your soil out to be tested.  Test for the primary nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) as well as the secondary nutrients (Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur) and micronutrients (Boron, Copper, Chlorine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, and Zinc).
• Add appropriate fertilizers.  Base your fertilizer selections on your soil tests and needs of your plants.  I prefer organic or a combination of small amounts of fast acting inorganic fertilizer in the spring as well as slow acting long lasting organic fertilizers that will continue to feed into the fall as they slowly decompose.  Organic fertilizers feed your soil first and then your soil feeds your plants. 
• Set out natural slug bait.   I prefer safe slug bait made from iron phosphate because it is nontoxic to non-target animals including pets.   You will start to see more slug activity this month as they become more active.
• Get a jump start on weeds.  You may not have been working out in the garden but the cool weather weeds have already been busy. Pull weeds like Shot weed before they finish seeding to reduce next years weeding chores. 

Pest Alert | General Landscaping | Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit
Flower Garden | Indoor Garden