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Spring Lawn Care Chores
Now is the time to have your lawn aerated. This is more beneficial than power raking. It helps improve the root zone by relieving soil compaction while controlling thatch accumulation. Watering the lawn area well the night before aeration helps the machine pull the plugs out. If you did not apply a fall fertilizer last September to November than now is also the time to apply a spring fertilizer (in the amount of ½ to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn area). If you did apply a fall fertilizer than the March-April nitrogen application may not be needed. If spring green-up and growth is satisfactory, delay fertilizing until May or June.
In general, the object of pruning is to remove all dead or diseased wood; to remove old, weak or undesirable wood; and to shape the plant. The main job of pruning is made easier by removing only the dead portion of the winter killed canes in early spring. Delay the job of close or low pruning until about two weeks before the average last spring frost date since this usually stimulates new growth that if done too early would be more likely damaged or killed in our typical late frosts.
Now is the time to prune some the summer-flowering shrubs. Examples of these would be; Blue Mist Spireas and the Russian Sages. These shrubs bloom on the current years growth so pruning now is essential for achieving blooms this year. Both of these shrubs can be pruned back to the crown (or about 6” above the ground). Do not prune your spring blooming shrubs now since that would result in cutting off this years flower buds. They bloom on one-year-old wood, their buds develop mid-summer through fall for the following spring. It is recommended to deadhead spent blooms to conserve the plant’s energy.
Early Spring Perennial Garden Chores
Now is the time to get to the chore of spring cleaning the perennial gardens. The plants have had their spring cue and are putting on new growth, waiting too long to clean out winter dieback can result in damaging the new growth that is coming on now. It is also a good opportunity to notice any disease or pest problems that may be present and dealing with them early before they get out of hand. Another important spring chore is weeding the beds. Eliminating these hardy perennial weeds now, before they bloom and go to seed, can make maintenance of the garden later a much easier task. Ornamental grasses should be cut back now also. Cut grasses back to about 3-4 inches above soil level, this exposes the base of the plant to sunlight allowing this years growth to come on and eliminates over accumulation of dead old-growth which can cause plant decline and at very least, delay the new spring growth.
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