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    Become garden savvy with these springtime tips
    Franklin County, News, Z - TOP HOME
     By  Staff Reports Published 
    2:50 pm Wednesday, March 16, 2022

    Become garden savvy with these springtime tips

    Courtesy of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System

    MARCH

    Fruits and nuts
    • Continue strawberry and grape plantings.
    • Bud apples and peaches.
    • Start planting blackberries. If weather conditions prevent prompt planting, heel the plants in by placing the root system in a trench and covering the soil.
    Shrubs
    • Fertilize shrubs, except azaleas and camellias, according to a soil test.
    • Late plantings can be made, particularly if they are container grown.
    • Monitor shrubs for harmful insects.
    Lawns
    • Soil test and add limestone as recommended.
    • Fertilize fescue lawns at 1 pound slow-release nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
    Roses
    • Watch new growth for aphids.
    • Begin a spray or dust program.
    • Begin fertilizing.
    Annuals and perennials
    • Check garden centers for bedding plants such as geraniums and petunias.
    Bulbs
    • Plant gladiolus every 2 or 3 weeks if a long blooming season is desired.
    • Plant tuberous begonias in pots.
    • Plant dahlias.
    Miscellaneous
    • Check and repair sprayers, dusters and lawn mowers.
    • Control lawn weeds with chemicals as needed. If weeds are deemed a serious problem, send a soil sample for testing, as weeds can indicate the lawn is unhealthy.
    • Delay pruning of fruiting shrubs such as cotoneasters, pyracanthas and hollies until after flowering.
    Vegetables
    • Seeds: Plant all hardy crops recommended for January and February, such as garden peas, leafy greens and root crops.
    • Transplants: Plant asparagus, onion sets and lettuce. Plant certified seed potatoes for Irish and red-skinned varieties in early March.

    APRIL

    Fruits and nuts
    • Continue strawberry planting.
    • Start spray program for all fruits.
    • Plant raspberries and blackberries and continue budding apples and peaches.
    Shrubs
    • Prune spring flowering shrubs after flowering.
    • Fertilize azaleas and camellias.
    • Spray all shrubs with a fungicide as new growth begins to mature.
    Lawns
    • Continue planting new lawns.
    • When daytime temperatures are consistently above 70 degrees, apply fire ant bait. Read the label carefully for best control.
    • Start a mowing routine as spring growth begins.
    • Monitor the thatch layer in bermudagrass and zoysiagrass lawns. Dethatch if thicker than 1⁄2 inch. Wait until active growth.
    • Monitor for fungal disease in wet, cool weather.
    • Fertilize warm-season lawns after fully green.
    Roses
    • Watch for insects and diseases.
    • Keep old flower heads removed.
    • Plant container-grown plants from nurseries or garden centers.
    Annuals and perennials
    • Plant early-started annuals or bedding plants from nurseries or garden centers.
    • Divide mums or root cuttings.
    • Dig and divide dahlias.
    Bulbs
    • Plant gladiolus, fancy-leaved caladiums, milk and wine lilies and ginger and gloriosa lilies.
    • Apply super phosphate to bearded iris and scout for iris borer moth caterpillars.
    • Avoid cutting foliage of narcissus or other bulbs until it has turned brown naturally.
    Miscellaneous
    • Spray camellias, hollies and others for scale insects.
    • Carefully water new plantings of shrubs and trees.
    • Pinch out tips of new shoots to promote more compact shrubs.
    Vegetables
    • Seeds: Wait until late April to plant beans, cucumbers, melons, Southern peas and squash. Plant sweet corn each week for a staggered summer harvest.
    • Plant transplants of tomato, pepper, and eggplant.
    • Plant sweet potato slips in late April.

    MAY

    Fruits and nuts
    • Continue spray program.
    • Keep grass from around trees and strawberries.
    • Peaches and apples can still be budded.
    Shrubs
    • Newly-planted shrubs need extra care now and in coming weeks.
    • Do not spray with horticultural oils when the temperature is above 85 degrees.
    Lawns
    • Start new lawns from seed.
    • Call the Master Gardener Helpline at 877-252-4769 to learn more about seasonal fertilizer use and proper mowing. Over-fertilizing and over-watering lead to lawn problems.
    • Wait until warm-season lawns are fully green before applying any fertilizers.
    • Mow often, every five to 10 days, removing a third of the grass height at each mowing
    • Apply 1 pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet to all warm-season lawn types: bermudagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass and zoysiagrass, or wait until after dethatching.
    • Dethatch warm-season lawns if needed. Check thatch layer, as in April. Water and fertilize after dethatching, 1 pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
    Roses
    • Spray or dust for insects and diseases.
    • Fertilize monthly according to a soil test.
    • Plant container-grown plants in flower.
    • Prune climbing roses after the first big flush of flowering.
    Annuals and perennials
    • Late plantings of bedding plants still have time to produce.
    • Watch for insects on day lilies.
    Bulbs
    • Summer bulbs started in containers may still be planted.
    • Do not remove foliage from spring flowering bulbs.
    • Do not let seed heads form on tulips and other spring flowering bulbs.
    Miscellaneous
    • Mulch new shrub plantings if not already done.
    • Monitor new landscape plantings of shrubs, trees and turf. To establish healthy root systems, prevent them from drying out and water deeply.
    Vegetables
    • Continue plantings of all April seeds.
    • Add okra and Southern pea seeds to your garden.
    • Continue plantings of April transplant crops.
    • Plant certified sweet potato slips.

    For more information call the Master Gardener Helpline at 877-252-4769. A Master Gardener Extension volunteer is always on call.

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