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May 2013 |
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- Delphiniums, phlox, daylilies, carnations, candytuft, basket of gold, coral bells and other summer flowering perennials may all be set into the garden any time.
- Break off wilting tulip or daffodil heads but continue to feed and care for the plants until the foliage has died naturally. Old plantings of daffodils may be divided and moved when they have finished blooming, but treat them as growing plants and use care to protect the foliage and roots. Water them thoroughly after transplanting. It is best not to dig or move other spring flowering bulbs until their foliage has ripened and died.
- Annuals like: salvia, zinnias, marigolds, lobelias, pansies, snapdragons, dianthus, petunias, geraniums, fuchsias and impatiens, should be ready to plant by mid month.
- Lightly, side dress perennials with *EB Stone All-purpose 5-5-5 fertilizer. Avoid spilling the fertilizer on the plant and use care not to damage the shallow roots when cultivating it into the soil.
- Setting the stakes next to your taller flowers early in the season, will help to support the plant against winds.
- Promptly remove spent flowers from any plant unless your intent is to harvest the seeds. It consumes the plants energy to produce the seeds and in many species of plants (especially annuals), removing the dead flowers will promote further blooms.
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- Don't neglect watering your plants. Most flowers and shrubs need about an inch of water each week to perform well and newly planted seedlings will perish if their roots are allowed to dry out.
- It's not too late to fertilize your trees and shrubs. Use *EB Stone Azalea, Camellia & Gardenia Plant Food to feed evergreens and acid loving plants like rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and junipers. Use an all-purpose fertilizer like *GreenAll Multi Purpose 16-16-16 fertilizer to feed roses, deciduous shrubs and trees.
- Early flowering deciduous shrubs such as forsythias, weigela and spiraea should be pruned back as soon as they have finished blooming.
- Remove the wilting seed heads from rhododendrons and azaleas, so that the plant's energy can go to foliage growth and next year's flowers.
- Add *EB Stone Agricultural Lime in the soil around your hydrangeas to produce pink flowers or *GreenAll True Blue Aluminum Sulfate for vibrant blue color.
- Remove any sucker growth from fruit trees as soon as they appear.
- Keep roses sprayed with *Safer 3-in-1 Garden Spray for aphids and other pests and diseases such as black spot.
- Pines and other conifers can be kept to a compact size by pinching off the new growth.
- Lilacs should be pruned lightly after they finish blooming, removing sucker growths and dead blooms. Feed lilacs with *GreenAll Multi Purpose 16-16-16 fertilizer after they have finished blooming. If your soil has an acidic pH (potential Hydrogen), work a little *EB Stone Agricultural Lime into the soil as well.
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- Carrots, lettuce, corn, beans, peas can be seeded or planted into your vegetable garden at any time now.
- Plant crops like tomatoes, squash, cucumber, pumpkins and peppers.
- Plant strawberries and blueberries, but don't forget to provide some protective netting over them. Newly planted strawberries should have the blossoms picked off until they become well established.
- Gourds like cucumbers and squash may be planted now.
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- Check to see if your houseplants are root bound. Water them thoroughly and carefully remove them from their pots. If the roots have compacted around the outside of the root ball, it is time to re pot.
- Carefully examine your houseplants for pests. It is much easier to fight an insect infestation or disease in its early stages than to wait.
- As the growth rate of your houseplants increases with the seasons, adjust your feeding schedule to provide additional food. Feed your plants *Maxsea All Purpose Plant Food to accommodate growth spurts.
- Mist your plants regularly. This adds to the humidity, keeps the leaves cleaner and healthier and helps to prevent spider mites.
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- May is a good month to repair your lawn. Fill in the bare spots by slightly loosening the surface of the soil and sow a good quality lawn seed over the area evenly. Tamp the seed in gently and water. Keep the patch moist by covering with light mulch of lawn clippings.
- This is the time to eliminate lawn weeds by hand pulling or with the application of a weed and feed fertilizer like *Scotts Weed & Feed Fertilizer, before they go to seed.
- Setting your mower for a higher cut during the spring months will help the grass to grow in fuller and help choke out the weeds.
*These products are available at Flowercaft
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