
How To Wake Up Your Garden For Spring
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Spring is an important time for plants. Their stored energy is almost used up. They are about to put on a burst of new foliage. Many plants will also be blooming and developing fruits and seeds soon. You can help guarantee that your plants grow well by following these spring maintenance tips.
Soil test
The best thing you can do for your landscape is test your soil. You should do one for the front lawn, the back lawn, and each flower bed you have. If you do a soil test every two or three years and follow the recommendations on the soil report, your plants will get what they need, and you won’t waste money on fertilizer you don’t need. For vegetable gardens, we recommend testing your soil every year.
Audit Your Irrigation For Your Garden
When you start using your irrigation system in the spring, make sure you check the backflow valve, pressurize the system, and check every sprinkler head. The sprinkler heads should pop up properly. Make sure they are aimed properly so you do not water the driveway or sidewalks.
Use empty tuna or cat food cans to time how long it takes your sprinklers to put one inch of water on the ground. When the cans have that in them, stop the timer. That is how long each cycle should be. If you do not have a rain sensor, add one now. They save you money because they shut off the irrigation when it rains. This also conserves water and with more frequent and longer droughts, water conservation is crucial.
Remove Spent Foliage and Plant Debris
Now is a good time to remove dead foliage and other plant debris. Sweep the leaves out of your landscape beds unless you are using them as mulch. Insects and other pests overwinter in plant debris. Removing the accumulated debris gives your plants a head start on the pests. Prune ornamental grasses now.
Divide Fall-Blooming Bulbs
If your fall-blooming bulbs are crowded and not flowering as well, or the flowers are small, dig them up and divide them. Replant some and give any extras away to friends and family. Some bulbs will change color when they are crowded. For example, purple bearded iris will start having white flowers when crowded. Once divided and replanted, the purple blooms return.
Spread Pre-emergent
In landscape beds and lawns, it is time to spread pre-emergent to keep weeds from becoming a problem. Do not spread pre-emergent in areas where you plan to plant annuals or vegetables as it will keep the seeds from germinating properly.
Fertilize Plants In Spring For Your Garden
Plants do better if you give them some fertilizer in the spring. As mentioned, they have used up most of their stored energy and will begin a burst of growing. Lawns should be fertilized once in the spring and once in the fall. Many people fertilize them too much and have to mow them often. Lawns that are growing fast also need more water and are more vulnerable to pests and diseases. Over fertilizing lawns can also cause problems for trees and shrubs, who get too much fertilizer if the grass around them is fertilized frequently.
Most perennials appreciate some fertilizer in the spring to kick off their growth. Native plants probably need a little fertilizer in early spring but should grow fine after that. They are adapted to the area’s soils and the nutrients that are available in them.
Be sure to follow the label directions on the fertilizer bag. It is helpful to buy a new bag of fertilizer each spring instead of using stuff left over from last season. Fertilizer breaks down and will not provide what plants need if it is too old. Be sure and store the new bag securely so pets and children cannot get into it.
Mower Maintenance
If you didn’t drain the gasoline and oil out of your mower and other gardening equipment, do so now. Oil and gasoline break down over time and may harm, or at least not protect, your gasoline powered machines if used after that happens.
In addition to new gas and oil, put a new sparkplug and a new blade on your mower. Most manufacturers sell kits with the correct sparkplug and blade in them for a reasonable price. Sharp mower blades slice grass rather than rip them. The cleaner cuts heal faster than ragged tears, reducing the chance of a disease entering the wound.
Start Mowing
When your grass gets to be about 4 ½ inches, mow it down to 3-3.5 inches. Letting your grass get a little taller before mowing it conserves water and saves you work. When you mow, do not cut off more than 1/3rd of the blade each time you mow. Cutting more than that is stressful for the plant and effects the ability of the plant to make energy. Scalping your lawn is not a good idea for this reason.
Renew Mulch
Add an inch of mulch to your landscape beds and around trees and shrubs. Mulch decomposes about an inch a year. Since you are supposed to keep 3-4 inches of mulch around your plants, the new mulch adds enough to make your mulch that deep overall. In addition, fresh mulch makes the landscape beds look sharp in the spring.
Time To Plant Bareroot Plants In Your Garden!!
While fall is the best time to plant bareroot plants, early spring is a good time to plant them, too. If you are planting new plants, try some that are native to your area. In general, native plants need less fertilizer and water than nonnative plants. Every area has some native plants that will look nice in your home garden. After they are established, plants like blanket flower, purple coneflower, and other prairie plants need less water than turfgrass and are prettier. If you live in a wooded area, try forest dwellers such as Virginia bluebells. The Native Plant Society has lists of native plants for most areas in North America that you can choose from to fit any plant need.
Order Your Plants
At Garden Plants Nursery, we can help you find the right plant for the right spot. Call our sales line at 931.692.7325 for advice and to order plants.