Get your garden off to a great start!

Yes, spring really is here! Perhaps you have ignored your landscape over the winter. Don’t wait any longer – get outside and start tackling important spring maintenance tasks. If you give your garden some attention now, it will reward you in the weeks ahead with beautiful, healthy plants. Here is your spring garden “to do” list:

Soil Testing:

Planting beds and turf may be lacking much-needed nutrients for healthy growth. If you have never had a soil analysis done, now is the time to do it! Take a few small soil samples from each defined area in your landscape (flower beds, lawn and vegetable garden) and place in a clear plastic bag. Label which area the sample represents. Bring the bags to the Fayette County Extension Office. For a small fee, the samples will be analyzed and you will receive a detailed printout of what nutrients are lacking in your soil and how to correct the problem. Since much of our local soil is acidic, lime and other trace nutrients may be recommended.

Planting Bed Maintenance:

Rake out debris, faded blooms and old leaves that have accumulated over the winter and add them to your compost pile. Rake back any existing mulch around your plants and top dress with compost. Nutrients from compost added to the top will work its way down into the soil over time. Mulch the bed with 2-3 inches of fresh pine bark, pine straw or other mulch to hold moisture and deter weeds.

Pruning:

Prune roses by the end of March to encourage spring growth. Prune hollies, boxwoods and other evergreen shrubs that need to be shaped, cut back or opened up. Overgrown evergreen shrubs can be cut back to 18” above the ground. Prune out all damaged or diseased branches from shrubs and trees. Wait to prune healthy branches of spring and summer flowering shrubs (azaleas, hydrangea) until after they bloom or you will cut off the buds.

Plant Health:

Trim the foliage of liriope and mondo grass to encourage new disease-free growth using hand clippers or the highest setting on your mower. As your clumping perennials (hostas, daylilies) emerge, divide any that are crowded and replant in another area or swap with friends. Continue to feed pansies every ten days with water-soluble fertilizer to encourage blooms until summer. Fertilize shrubs with slow-release fertilizer or 10-10-10. Begin monitoring plants for possible insect and disease problems such as infestations of spider mites, aphids or lace bugs and fungal diseases such as powdery mildew.

Lawn Care:

Make sure you are familiar with the type of turf you have and its requirements. If your soil test results indicate you need lime, spread lime in early spring. It takes almost three months for lime to take effect. You need about 40 lb. per 1000 square feet of lawn. Use a pre-emergent (weed preventer) in March to stop summer weeds in Bermuda, Zoysia and Centipede turf. Do core aeration on turf as grass begins to actively grow to loosen compacted soil and get oxygen to the roots. Fertilize turf in late spring as it begins to green up.

Adding Plants:

Spring is a great time to add shrubs and trees. Make sure the planting hole is 2-3 sizes larger than the pot the plant comes in. Fertilize with slow-release fertilizer. If you are planting individual plants and not planting a whole bed, break up the existing soil and add your plant. You don’t need to add soil amendments to an individual hole. If you are planting a whole bed, add soil amendments, compost and mix in well with native soil. Water well and water often until plants are established. Wait to plant annuals and perennials until after the last frost date (April 15). Don’t forget to add edible plants – blueberry and raspberry bushes and herbs make great additions to the garden.