April Is National Gardening Month
By Bob Chapman
"April belongs to gardeners"
In 1986 it became official and we celebrated National Garden Week when a presidential proclamation created it. Eventually, the nonprofit National Garden Bureau and 23 other national horticultural organizations decided a week wasn't long enough to celebrate gardening, the number one avocation of millions, and they declared April to be National Garden Month.
And what a month it is!
There are so many things to do and it's so nice to get out and get dirt under your fingernails! Lawns need care, flowers are to be planted, vegetable beds turned and seeds sown, shrubs and trees need attention and the pests that plague us are finding that the warm sun is so nice and they want to share the bounty with us (looking at our plants with hungry eyes!).
Take a look at what you can do (and in some cases need to do) in this magical month!
- Lawns. Fertilize your lawn this month to prepare it for the summer. Use Superfine Lawn Fertilizer, the most inexpensive lawn fertilizer on the market containing the major and minor nutrients. If you haven't already done so, set your mower height to cut the grass at 2-21/2 inches. Cutting the lawn at this height shades the crown and the soil, helping to conserve precious water. Check the coverage on your sprinkler system to avoid dry spots in the lawn. Establish a watering schedule, turning the system on at 4:00 A.M. to help prevent diseases and conserve water.
- Flowers. Look at the wide variety of shade tolerant flowers just begging to brighten a dark corner of the garden: Primula malacoides (Fairy primrose), Salvia, Nicotiana (Flowering tobacco) Mimulus (Monkey flower), Lobelia, Columbine, Calceolaria, Coleus, Foxglove, Impatiens, Forget-me-nots, and the ever-popular fibrous-rooted and tuberous begonias.
- Sun-loving flowers that will give a great color splash to your garden all summer long include: Alyssum, Ageratum, Calendula, Lobelia, Pansy, Primroses, Snapdragons, Viola, Verbena, Cineraria, Nasturtiums, Petunias, Stock, Zinnia, Cosmos, Nemesia, Statice, Portulaca, sunflowers and sweet peas.
- Remove spent blooms from your flowers to promote new growth and more flowers.
- Vegetables. Early in the month is the last chance to plant broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Sow seeds of beets, carrots, lettuce, onions, corn, turnips, spinach, radishes and Swiss chard. Later in the month, when the soil warms up to 50 degrees F. or more, plant tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and eggplant.
- Bulbs. Look for the summer-blooming Asiatic lilies, Ranunculus, Gladiolus, Caladiums, Begonias and Dahlias. Their beautiful flowers will give color in the garden and also are excellent for bouquets in the house. Remove spent blooms. This forces the bulb to put more food into storage for the next season.
- Fruit trees. Thin the young fruits on the tree. The tree will produce larger fruits and more pounds of fruit per tree when the fruit is harvested. Apricots: thin to 2 inches apart after the natural drop occurs. Apples: Many varieties have heavy crops every other year. Thinning discourages this trait. Thin apples at pea size following the natural drop to 6 inches apart. Peach and nectarine: Failure to thin the crop slows branch growth, produces small, poor quality fruit and the weight can snap branches. Thin at thumbnail size. Early peaches are thinned to 6-8 inches, late bearing peaches at 4-5 inches apart. Japanese plum: Thin 4-6 inches apart, 6-8 weeks after blooming. European plum: Thin clusters to 2-3 plums per spur. Asian pears: Thin to one fruit per spur when they reach ¾ inch size (usually 6-7 weeks after blooming).
- Bugs, slugs and snails. Watch for insects just emerging and starting to attack your plants. Look for aphids, scale and mealy bugs and other not so common insects and spray them with malathion, neem oil, insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Slugs and snails are easily controlled with environmentally safe "Sluggo" bait. Scatter the pellets in areas where they might feed, including the vegetable garden.
- Pruning. After new growth appears, prune off frost-damaged wood on tender plants, such as Bougainvillea or citrus. Now is the time to shape overgrown hedges and spring-flowering vines and shrubs after they bloom.
- Weed Control. Wise gardeners control weeds before they get too large. Spot spray with glyphosate (OSH Weed and Grass Killer, Roundup) where it is safe to do so or hoe them off. To prevent weed seeds from germinating, treat your garden with Preen twice yearly, in March and September.
- Feed acid loving plants after blooming. Use OSH Azalea, Camellia and Rhododendron Food for best results.
- Mulch the soil. To save water, smother weeds and keep the soil cooler, spread 1-3 inches of bark chips, compost, wood shavings, or Gorilla Hair(shredded bark) under shrubs and trees, around flowers and vegetables and plants in pots. To prevent possible crown rot, keep mulch away from the trunks and stems.
- Replace lost plants. The cold winter has killed many choice plants. Now is the time to replace them.