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April 1: Whereıs spring?
April 8: Time To Think Lawn Care
April 15: Spring Blooms
April 22: Mulch In The Landscape
April 29: Control Garlic Mustard
April 1: Whereıs spring?
Whereıs spring? The forsythia blooms started to peak out of their winter protective buds on March 6, the last warm day weıve had. As they started to expand and open, the next few days were freezing and they said forget it.If youıve noticed, theyıve shown a slight touch of yellow and nothing more. These past few days have encouraged more color and we soon should have forsythias in full bloom.
I canıt complain too much, however, because it hasnıt been a bad winter although itıs been a long one.
Iım thinking that the worst might be over and weıll start seeing more spring blooming plants each day.
Daffodils, tulips and other spring blooming bulbs benefit from fertilizer after they finish blooming. It helps foliage rebuild the bulb for next year. Any type of bulb fertilizer works; follow the label for application rates.
Itıs also time to apply the first application of fertilizer for perennials. Again, use a fertilizer labeled for perennials and follow label recommendations. You can do this again in early June and thatıs it for perennials.
Weıre close to the optimum time for applying crabgrass control for lawns. Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures reach 56 degrees at night for several consecutive days. The recommended time for application is mid-April. If youıre going to use fertilizer and no crabgrass control, you can apply it now and again in late May.
If you havenıt started to cut the winter foliage off your perennials, roses and grasses, itıs time to begin. The problem with waiting too long to do this is that new growth begins and you risk damage the later you cut.
For hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda roses, first cut all of the weakened or broken stems; then cut out all but three to four sturdy canes that are growing toward the outside of the plant. Cut them back in height to about 18 inches.
Climbing roses donıt need much pruning unless there are broken or dead branches or some are overgrown. If the climber is overgrown, donıt be afraid to remove about a third of the older canes.
You should be finishing your pruning chores for this season. After the plants break dormancy, it becomes more difficult to make good pruning cuts.
April 8: Time To Think Lawn Care
The grass seemingly greened up overnight this past weekend and after it starts to turn green, itıs time to think lawn care.Last week, I wrote that you can start putting down pre-emergent crabgrass control products. One thing I forgot to mention is that if youıre re-seeding spots or overseeding your lawn, donıt put down your crabgrass pre-emergent herbicide until you read the label.
Crabgrass controls with the typical herbicides that prevent emergence of crabgrass seedlings will prevent grass seed from germinating. To use that type of product, you should wait until next year.
There is one product that can be used safely on newly-seeded turf and thatıs the active ingredient siduron. It wonıt prevent grass seed from germinating, but itıll help to control crabgrass.
Given the amount of turf damage from last summerıs drought and insect problems, I anticipate that this might become a problem.
If youıre going to be re-seeding, you can use fertilizer alone to boost the turf and feed the "baby," as sod grower Randy Tischer always says. Donıt use herbicides for broadleaf weed controls, however, until the new lawn has been cut at least four to six times.
Another common spring lawn practice has been to roll the turf to even out the ground and any areas that have heaved during the winter or to knock down the mole runs. Donıt do this because itıs a detrimental lawn practice.
Our clay soils donıt have much oxygen for turf root growth and to compress it more isnıt a good thing. Also, if you do this on wet clay soil you might end up with "concrete."
Although youıre going to be seeing dandelions pop up in warm weather, resist the urge to put down a weed and feed fertilizer and broadleaf weed control. For best results, wait until late-May.
You can spot-treat the weeds if they drive you crazy. A weed-and-feed should be applied with the majority of weeds that are up and they usually arenıt up until mid- to late-May.
Research has shown that the best time to permanently get dandelions is to spray them with herbicide at the "puff-ball" stage.
Iıve already seen the first lawnmower cutting grass and itıs time to remind you to raise the blade on your mower. Kentucky bluegrass should be cut at a height of 2.5 to 3 inches.
Last Saturdayıs effort at the Estel Wenrick wetland in Medway was incredible.
More than 100 volunteers showed up to clean out about 10 acres of the honeysuckle.
Iım sure the work will continue under the leadership of Terry and Judy Fredrich of Habitat Creations, Jim Campbell of National Trail Parks and Recreation District and his crew, and Bob Jurick of B-W Greenway. Thanks to everyone who participated.
April 15: Spring Blooms
Spring blooms are rapidly progressing, moving us further away from winter. I love this time of the year because each day is a surprise in the form of new flowers.This past week, Magnolia soulangiana (saucer magnolia) started to bloom, slowly at first and burst into its full beauty courtesy of Tuesdayıs warm weather.
The tulip-shaped flowers on the tree are pinkish-purple in color and last for a week or so, if the weather cooperates. The only drawback is sometimes a frost at peak bloom does them in. Each year, we hope weıll see a long bloom period.
This is a beautiful landscape plant and is considered a small tree or large shrub. It can grow between 25 and 30 feet tall and has a rounded shape. There are few pest problems and the spring blooms are spectacular.
There also are hybrids of the cross between M. stellata and M. lilliflora that are equally beautiful. These were developed at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. in 1955 and 1956. Theyıre considered the "Little Girl" series and were given girlsı names by William F. Kosar and were released in 1968.
In addition to the plantıs beautiful blooms, the flowers appear about two to four weeks after the saucer magnolia and, most of the time, miss the potential for freeze damage.
"Betty" has reddish-purple blooms that appear before the foliage. The plant grows between eight and 10 feet tall and is round.
"Ann" has large (two to four inches) purple blooms and grows to six to eight feet tall with equal spread. OJaneı has large, four-inch rosy-purple on the outside and white on the inside flowers and gets around 20 feet tall. OJaneı also is known to bloom sporadically throughout the summer season and into early fall.
Another great tree for early spring color is the kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa). This particular dogwood is not the same as the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) that most people know.
The kousa dogwood is a small tree that grows to about 20 feet tall and has a layered or horizontal branching habit. The blooms (bracts) appear about three weeks later than the flowering dogwood, are slightly bigger and held above the foliage on short stalks and are cream-colored.
In the fall, the fruits are attractive; they look like an oversized raspberry and are colorful on the plant.
The kousa dogwood grows best in moist soils, but is more tolerant of our urban soils and harsh conditions.
The flowering dogwood is an OK tree for our area, but remember that it tends to be an "understory" tree (one that you would find on the edge of the woods and not out in full sun). Keep this in mind if youıre going to plant one. They donıt tolerate direct heat and sunlight but can take the early morning or late afternoon sun.
Another issue that comes into play when selecting a flowering dogwood is to make sure you get a tree that comes from a grower in our area (or in an area with similar winter temperatures) so that the flower buds will be hardy. Dogwoods grown in the south donıt always have good flower bud hardiness in the north and you wonıt get the blooms that you had hoped for.
Flowering dogwoods also benefit from a layer (no more than four inches) of mulch to help protect the roots from hot soil conditions.
April 22: Mulch In The Landscape
Using mulch in the landscape came into the picture in the early '80s and since then its exploded into an industryy of its own.Mulch for landscape plants has its benefits, but it also has some drawbacks if not used properly.
Mulch used properly helps to maintain better levels of soil moisture during dry spells. In many instances, it will help to prevent weed seeds from germinating, although this isnıt always true. Weed seeds dropped into mulch from birds or other animals can potentially germinate.
Mulch helps to protect the roots of some plants, such as dogwood and clematis, from overheated soils.
A mulch ring around trees, especially newly-established trees, helps prevent eventual lawnmower and weed-eater damage to the trunk.
Finally, mulch has an attractive appearance and is considered by some as the "icing on the cake" of the landscape.
Used improperly, however, mulch can lead to problems. One of the biggest problems I see is too much mulch used around the base of trees and shrubs. Iım not sure how the technique of using "mulch volcanoes" evolved, but I do know that itıs not a good practice.
Piling mulch around a plantıs base increases the possibility of insect and disease problems by keeping the plantıs trunk moist for long periods of time.
The most troubling problem Iıve seen in the past few years is that in some plants, especially those planted too deep, a secondary root structure develops in the mulch.
This secondary root structure has more of a potential to girdle the trunk of the tree, basically cutting off nutrient flow in the vascular area, leading to girdling or eventual trunk death.
Pull the mulch away from the treeıs trunk and use no more than two to four inches of mulch around trees and shrubs. Use about two inches of mulch around herbaceous plants, such as annuals, roses, and perennials.
The typical practice is to add new mulch around plants each spring. By doing this, more mulch sometimes is added than is decaying leading to more than four inches of mulch on the ground.
If this is the case, remove the old mulch and either add new mulch or freshen up the top layer with a light layer of new mulch.
If you have a tree thatıs overmulched, spread the mulch out and get back to that four-inch layer (rather than the volcano-like appearance).
Wildflower walk
If you like wildflowers or you like to hike, donıt miss their display in some of our parks, such as Clifton Gorge, Glen Helen, and George Rogers Park.
This year, my favorite haunt for wildflower-watching has been Clifton Gorge, along the river. Last week, Dutchmanıs breeches were covering the hillsides in spectacular fashion.
By now, theyıve faded and the trillium, both large-flowered and toad, are in full bloom as are the anemones with their soft, tassle-like blooms (as pointed out by my daughter, Allison), phlox, Virginia bluebells and Jack-in-the-Pulpit.
Penny Dunbar of National Trail Parks and Recreation District and I will host a wildflower walk on Friday, April 28, from 9 to 11 a.m. at George Rogers Park. To register, call 328-4607; space is limited. We will begin the walk at the Demint Shelter.
April 29: Control Garlic Mustard
I love the smell of spring thanks to heavy morning dews, the smells of fresh-cut grass and freshly-plowed soil was incredible. Crabapples have been wonderful, too.Along with the spring aromas, of course, come the agony of allergies with oaks in full bloom being one of the main culprits.
Spring also is the time that garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), an invasive and problematic plant, is in full bloom. Control of this weed is important to the environment because it has the potential to change the environment of a woodland area by preventing desirable plants from blooming. Garlic mustard probably was brought to the U.S. for use as a cooking herb. When small, young leaves are crushed, it has a strong garlic-like scent. Itıs native to Europe and has spread from its original range to North Africa, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S.
Garlic mustard produces large numbers of seeds and theyıre likely dispersed by humans and animals. Itıs a biennial plant with a two-year life cycle. This means that the first-year plant produces a rosette of dark purple to green, kidney-shaped leaves with scalloped edges.
In its second-year, the rosette shoots up into a two-foot-tall stem with clusters of white flowers at the tips.
The plant is capable of dominating the forest under story. It has crept into backyard gardens, too.
Once established, it maintains a strong foothold, eventually crowding and displacing native plants changing entire ecosystems.
Eradicating garlic mustard is a multi-pronged approach. All management efforts should strive to reduce soil and vegetation disturbance. Any time you disturb the soil, you risk encouraging more seed emergence.
In areas where garlic mustard isnıt established, focus on eradicating new infestations before the seeds develop.
After garlic mustard is established, try to prevent further seed set until the seed bank (dormant seeds in the soil) is exhausted; this may take up to five years. Each year, as it germinates, get it out before it flowers.
Another issue that comes into play when selecting a management option is that there might be sensitive plants close to the garlic mustard. Care must be taken to prevent damage.
In areas of small, minor infestations, pull up the newly-emerging rosettes and second-year plants prior to flowering.
Where there are large infestations, use a weed eater. To be successful with this method, cut the plant as close to the ground as possible.
If theyıre in flower, clean up and bag all cut plants. At this stage, they can continue to develop seeds after being cut.
Herbicides such as glyphosate (e.g. Roundup) can be used. Remember this is a non-selective herbicide; be careful where you apply it.
Research has shown that the most optimum time to apply a non-selective herbicide is October and November when the majority of desirable plants are dormant and garlic mustard is going strong.
More details about control options can be found at this Web site: ipm.msu.edu/garlicMge.htm.
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