Here's what you need to do for your garden in April
April is a great month for gardeners because there is so much to be done outdoors.
But if you are like me, you may sometimes have difficulty deciding where to start. I hope the following tips will help you get started.
Monkey grass (Liriope) needs to be cut back each year. Old growth is prone to the fungus anthracnose, which can leave unsightly dead spots on the leaves. Liriope can be cut back to one or two inches using scissors, hedge shears, string trimmers or even a lawn mower. The key is to avoid scalping the ground, which will destroy the plants' growing point.
Ornamental grasses can create winter interest when left uncut, but for best re-growth you should cut these back this month also. You can cut grasses back just above the crown of the plant, usually four inches from the ground, with hedge shears or a trimmer with a metal blade. To make clean up easier, use string to tie the mass of leaves into bundles before you make your cuts. Then, you will have a nice sheath of grass to toss in your compost bin, instead of picking up blades for the rest of the day.
Pansies need an application of liquid fertilizer to help strengthen them for spring blooms. You can still plant pansies in the spring, but keep in mind that the summer heat, which the pansies can’t tolerant, will soon be here. Start making plans for summer annuals.
More: Here are 4 old Evansville family recipes to add to your collection
Certainly not a gardener’s favorite activity, but pulling young weed seedlings from flower beds now before they go to seed can eliminate future weed problems. Since the soil is damp and temperatures are cooler the job should be a little easier. Consider using pre-emergent in some areas that have historical weed pressure.
Some plants may have been damaged by unexpected cold temperatures this past winter. Boxwoods, azaleas, or laurels could have some die back that will need pruning out. Make sure you wait until new leaves are formed before you cut out the dead areas. It could be the middle of May before you know just how much to cut out.
Watch your evergreens (spruce, pine, junipers, hemlock and arborvitae) for spruce spider mite activity in March and April. This cool season mite over-winters on host plants and will begin hatching soon. Early detection is critical for control. Often the yellowing and bronzing of needles are the first signs of a problem.
To check for spruce spider mites, place a white sheet of paper under a branch and shake the branch over the paper. If mites are present, they will be the size of walking periods. If 10 or more are present per sample, treatment is recommended. Some non-chemical treatments that can keep spider mites under control in the landscape include a forceful jet of water from a hose.
This dislodges the mite while maintaining natural predators. Some beneficial predators can be purchased and released (lady beetles, lacewings, and predatory mites) to feed on spruce spider mites. In heavy infestations, miticides such as horticultural oils can give a quick knock-down. Heavy attacks that go unnoticed may result in branch dieback or death of the plant, so monitoring is important.
And last but not least, make sure your garden tools and equipment are ready to go. Sharpen those blades, oil pivot points, and clean off tools before heading to the garden. Lawn mowers, tillers, and other power equipment need another level of preparation including changing oil, cleaning air filter and a lube job. Good pre-season maintenance is critical to making your job easier during the season.
P. Andrew Rideout is the UK Extension Agent for Horticulture and can be reached at pandrewrideout@uky.edu.
This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: What should I be doing in my garden in April?
