|
Spring Gardening
Tips
Spring
is here and for those of you who love gardening, we've
compiled a list of our favorite Martha Stewart Living
tips. They're oldies, but goodies! Enjoy!
Survey the Yard: Make note of tree limbs that should be removed or
cabled, especially those that overhang structures. Hire an arborist to
maintain large trees.Cut down last year's perennial foliage, and toss
it into the compost pile. Rake mulch from beds planted with bulbs
before foliage appears, and refresh mulch in other planting areas after
soil warms. Check fences, steps, and pathways for disrepair caused by
freezing and thawing.
Order Tools and Plants: Tune up tools so everything is ready when things start
growing. Make note of what is missing, and order tools for the new
growing season. Choose new plants for the garden. Order perennials,
trees, and shrubs for spring planting.
Get Ready to Mow: Send the mower and leaf blower for servicing, or if you
have the right tools, sharpen the mower blades yourself. Refill your
mower with oil, install fresh spark plugs, and lubricate moving parts
if necessary. Clear the lawn of winter debris, and look for areas that
need reseeding before mowing.
Prune Trees and Shrubs: Remove dead, damaged, and diseased branches from woody
plants. Thin and trim summer-blooming shrubs such as butterfly bush,
hydrangea, and most roses, except for old-fashioned once bloomers.
Prune cold-damaged wood after plants resume spring growth. Prune spring-blooming
shrubs and trees after flowering.
Take a Soil Test: Check soil pH with a home soil- test kit, taking several
samples from different planting areas for an accurate reading. Enrich
soil as necessary: Add dolomitic lime to raise the pH or elemental
sulfur to lower the pH.
Prepare New Beds: Clear the planting area as soon as soil can be worked,
removing sod or weeds and debris. Spread a 4-inch layer of compost or
well-rotted manure and any amendments over soil, and cultivate it to a
depth of 10 to 12 inches with a spading fork.
Plant: Plant
bare-root trees, shrubs, and perennials such as hostas and daylilies by
early spring. Choose a cool, cloudy day if possible. Transplant
container-grown plants anytime during the growing season except
midsummer; be sure to water them thoroughly. Sow seeds of cool-season flowers
like sweet peas, poppies, and calendula, and vegetables such as
lettuce, parsley, and spinach.
Fertilize: Apply
balanced fertilizer (6-6-6 or 8-8-8), fish emulsion, or other soil
amendments recommended by soil-test results around trees and shrubs
when new growth appears. Spread high-acid fertilizer and pine-needle
mulch around acid-loving shrubs like azaleas and camellias. Begin
fertilizing perennials when active growth resumes.
Start a Compost Pile: Start a compost pile, or use a compost bin, if you don't
have one already. Begin by collecting plant debris and leaves raked up
from the garden. Chop these up first to speed decomposition. Add equal
amounts "brown" (carbon-rich) materials like dried leaves and
straw and "green" (nitrogen-rich) materials like grass
clippings and weeds in even layers with water and a compost
bioactivator. Turn regularly. Continue adding to the pile throughout
the season for rich, homemade compost next spring.
Clean Bird Feeders and Baths: Disinfect the feeders by scrubbing with weak bleach
solution (1/4 cup bleach: 2 gallons warm water). Rinse and dry the
feeders thoroughly before refilling them. Scrub birdbaths with
bleach solution, then rinse them thoroughly and refill, changing water
weekly. Clean birdbaths and feeders regularly throughout the season.
**Tips provided from Martha Stewart Living, March 1996**
|
No comments:
Post a Comment