|
|
Gardening Calendar
Bulbs
The growing season is fully upon us now. The soil temperature should now be
warm enough to plant the summer bulbs. Spring flowering bulbs may be ready to be
cut back, but it all depends on when they finished blooming. If the bloom period
has been done for at least six weeks, cut away. Some of the later tulips may not
yet be finished replenishing themselves, so let them grow as long as possible
before the foliage dies back. Spring flowering bulbs can be left in the ground
year-round, or you can lift and store them and then replant in the fall. Summer
bulbs offer a lot of seasonal interest both in foliage and in flowers. Canna
bulbs and elephant ears are perennials for us in Arkansas, but caladiums are
annuals. They prefer warm growing conditions, and should kick in and grow
quickly now. Other summer bulbs include tuberose, dahlia, crocosmia and
gladiola.
Shrubs
Spring blooming shrubs should be pruned as needed after bloom. Some of our
early spring blooming shrubs had a quick decline in their bloom period when the
ice hit, while others took a hit from the dry conditions. Some folks have
complained that their azaleas were not as pretty this year, and we have seen
considerable dieback on plants that were not watered. Try to prune as soon as
possible after bloom. With azaleas we prefer to do selective pruning, instead of
shearing. Shearing cuts encourage all of the new growth to be at one level. What
is preferred is a more full growth habit with foliage throughout the plant - and
thus more flowers. Fertilize with an azalea fertilizer at the same time. This is
also the month to be on the lookout for lacebug damage. Lacebugs begin their
feeding in May on the underneath side of the leaves. At first you will see a few
spots on the upper surface of the leaves. If left alone, there will be multiple
generations and severe damage. It is too late for the preventative insecticides,
but you can use Orthene now. Some spring blooming shrubs like deutzia or mock
orange may still be blooming, so wait for flowering to end before pruning. We
want to give them ample time to recover from pruning before the heat of summer
hits and growth slows down. All spring blooming plants set their flower buds in
late summer through early fall. By now all winter damage should be pruned off of
your shrubs and new growth filling them back in. Many folks are going to have
huge hydrangeas this season. Winter damaged plants lead to few to no flowers on
Hydrangea macrophylla - the big blue and pink plants. In a season with no
flowers they have rapid new growth. This would be a good time to thin out some
excessive twigs. Do not prune any hydrangeas that were not winter damaged, as
flowers should be intact and ready to bloom in a month.
Vegetables
Harvest season is beginning for the early cool season crops. We should have
ample harvests of lettuce, greens, onions, broccoli and spinach. If you planted
some of the early crops in January or early February they went through extreme
temperature changes and are more susceptible to early bolting. Bolting is simply
the process where they go into bloom earlier than normal. Once your onion plants
form a flower stalk, their season is over - you will see no increase in bulb
size. Many folks think they can cut these bloom stalks off and reverse the
process, but that isn’t so. Harvest and use when you see them begin to bloom.
Broccoli may also be setting smaller than normal heads. The weather is the
culprit there as well. Many gardeners did replant some of the cool season crops
in March and early April, and they should be fine. Dividing up your planting of
the cool crops is a good idea in every season, as it extends your harvest
period. May is the ideal time to plant all of the warm season veggies. From
tomatoes and peppers to eggplant and okra, they should kick in and grow in the
warm weather. Make sure you mulch your garden to conserve moisture and keep the
weeds down. Hoe regularly to keep the weeds from taking over. Water early in the
day to allow the moisture to get into the soil before the heat builds up. You
will lose less water to evaporation and help to dry the foliage as quickly as
possible. Watch for insects and diseases.
Fruits
Strawberry season is still going strong. Avoid fertilization of your
strawberry beds until after you harvest. If you fertilize too early it can
result in extra foliage which can lead to more fruit rots. More foliage means
more shading of the fruit and cuts down on air circulation. Watch out for slugs
which like the berries as much as we do. Mulching can help to keep the fruit
cleaner, but it also tends to be a haven for slugs. Once your season is over,
renovate the beds. This is something you need to do every year or your beds
become a tangled mess of strawberry plants. This cuts down on production. Thin
the beds back to the original plant spacing then fertilize.
Lawns
Winter weeds were a mess again this year. We had quite a few "blooming
lawns". By now most of those weeds should be on their way out or gone until next
winter. Try to do a good job of lawn maintenance this growing season. This is a
great time to apply an application of slow release high nitrogen fertilizer. All
lawns are really getting into prime growing mode now. Mow often enough so that
your lawn doesn’t appear brown in between mowings. Water as needed. A thick,
dense turf is less likely to have weed problems.
Container Gardens
All houseplants and tropical flowering plants can be safely moved outdoors
this month. If your tropical plants have small containers or have been in the
pot for more than one year, you may need to repot. They thrive in our humid,
warm environment outdoors and can quickly get root bound. If there roots are
constricted, they won’t put on much new top growth. If they don’t grow well,
they won’t bloom as well in subsequent years. Hibiscus, mandevilla, and most
other summer tropical bloomers, bloom on new growth. You want to encourage as
much new growth as possible to have the best potential for blooms. Fertilize
monthly and water as needed.
|
