Early April:
• Apply Espoma® Holly-tone to your Hydrangeas now for beautiful blooms later
• If you need our help with a landscape design, make your appointment now! Early planning will avoid delays when you want to be in the yard & garden
• An application of Bonide® All-Seasons Oil as directed to all trees and shrubs will kill most insect eggs & scale insects waiting to hatch & come alive. Spray only when plants are dormant and when temperatures will remain above freezing for a minimum of 24 hours after spraying
• Start seeds indoors
• Plant cold weather flowers such as Pansy, Primrose & Violas for some early spring color
• Repel deer with Liquid Fence® or another repellent
• As Spring bulbs emerge, fertilize them with Espoma® Bulb-tone
• Keep deer & rabbits from eating emerging spring bulbs by spraying the foliage with Bonide® Repels-All
• Kill broadleaf weeds with Speedzone® or Weed Free Zone® – the best weed killers during cool temperatures (they’ll kill the weeds, but not your lawn!)
• Keep ants & other emerging insects out of your home by spraying all thresholds with BioAdvanced® Complete Insect Killer & sprinkle Ant Killer Granules around the foundation
• Cut back Perennial Grasses to 4″ above the ground
• Put Peony cages in place to support Peonies & other tall perennials as they grow
Mid April:
• Apply Jonathan Green Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food.
• Re-seed or over-seed your lawn. (Grade, seed, rake in, cover with a ¼ inch of soil, use a starter fertilizer or slow release fertilizer without weed control & finally, water)
• Prune to remove any suckering growth, water sprouts, crossing, weak or damaged limbs
• Prune Roses & Hydrangea down to the uppermost bud that develops, removing any plant parts that died over the winter
• Prune Clematis that blooms on NEW growth to 6-12″ from the ground
• Prepare soil: Begin preparing garden beds by loosening the soil and adding compost or other organic matter to enrich it. Additionally, incorporate organic fertilizer to provide essential nutrients for plant growth. Mixing compost & organic fertilizer into the soil helps improve its structure, fertility & ability to retain moisture, creating a healthy environment for plants to thrive
• Apply Espoma® Tree-tone to established trees
• Walking on wet soil will cause it to compact. After the spring thaw, wait until the ground dries to start working in your flower & vegetable beds. To test the moisture level squeeze a clump of dirt in your hand, if it breaks apart when you open your hand, it is dry enough to work
• After spring flowering bulb (daffodil, tulip, hyacinth, etc) blooms have faded, snap off the blossoms before they go to seed, and make sure you leave the foliage for at least
8 weeks to recharge the bulbs. Feed your flowers with Espoma® Bulb-tone. Just sprinkle a couple of tablespoons at the base of each daffodil, but avoid spreading it on the leaves of the plants
• Spring frosts may zap emerging foliage, but the plant will rebound. You can remove the wilted leaves, but wait to do any pruning on woody perennials, shrubs & trees until new growth emerges later this spring. To decide where to make the cut, scratch stems to check for green tissue beneath the bark
• Divide most perennials now as new growth begins or just before it begins, except spring bloomers like Iris or Peony
• Why spend another summer fighting with your garden hose? Before the growing season gets underway invest in quality hoses that won’t kink, crack or misbehave
• Apply a thin layer of mulch (1-2 inches) over existing mulch to freshen it up. Apply mulch after the soil warms to 55 to 60 degrees F. Do not over mulch or create mulch volcanoes!
• Don’t forget to use Root & Grow® when planting your trees, shrubs & perennials
• Plant onion sets, peas & lettuce seed as soon as the ground is workable
• For vegetables & annual flowers that require a longer growing season, start seeds indoors to transplant later
• Plant summer bulbs like Gladiola, Dahlia, Elephant Ear etc. indoors about 6-8 weeks before you want to plant them outside
• Apply Aluminum Sulphate as directed in early April to blue Hydrangeas to ensure a sky blue color in summer. Repeating this application in mid to late May is advisable. For pink Hydrangeas, Aluminum Sulphate will turn the flower color to dark purple