|
Spring is in the air,
and we’re all itching to get out and work in the yard right? Right! So, I
thought I’d give you a little check list of a few timely things that need to
get done.
___ Get out and rake the
winter debris from the lawn and landscape beds.
___ Rake and fluff the
existing mulch, but hold off applying new mulch at this stage.
___ Go ahead and do your
dormant pruning as needed, especially on fruits trees and grape vines.
Remember, as you’re removing lower branches on trees, remove ½ of the limb
to reduce the weight, then make sure you get a clean smooth final cut,
always making sure you leave the branch collar (the raised area where the
branch meets the trunk) which helps the tree to seal over the pruning cut.
Do not use tree paint to
cover the cut…let the tree seal itself over. And if the tree bleeds a bit,
let it bleed. It will eventually stop. But do not use tree wound dressing
or tree paint on these cuts.
___ Apply dormant sprays
as needed. That includes oils and lime sulfur sprays.
___ Be sure to apply
your pre emergent herbicides to the landscape beds to stop those weed seeds
from growing, and be sure to apply your pre emergent herbicides to the lawns
to stop crabgrass seeds from germinating. Remember to read the labels for
any restrictions, and if you have dormant seeded or plan on spring seeding
the lawn, use a pre emergent that is specially labeled for newly seeded
lawns.
___ Cut off that old
brown foliage from the ornamental grasses before the new growth begins.
___ And if you’d like to
plant some early spring colors, look for pansies, spring bulbs in pots, or
this one, Lenten Rose…all which tolerate colder temps but provide great
early spring colors.
And how about cutting
back those roses? Not yet! We’ll do that in a few more weeks. |
