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TIMELY GARDEN TIPS FROM April 3, 2004 I'm continually amazed at how hardy Michigan gardeners are. Recently I've seen gardeners outside raking, weeding, mulching, pruning, fertilizing, and planting on wet, windy, and cool days. Dedicated green thumbers know that waiting for perfect weather to garden always makes for a real "jam-up" of garden, landscape, and lawn projects in May and June. Even though April has just arrived, garden plants seem to be a week or two ahead of schedule, which should prompt us all to get perennial beds weeded and mulched very soon. The following is my recipe for early spring perennial garden care. First, if there are unwanted perennial grasses, they must be removed. Quackgrass and their cousins are seldom controlled by hand pulling or cultivation. Unless every root is removed, quackgrass will always come back. Two sprays of Grass Getter right over the perennial plants will kill growing quackgrass roots and all. Hoe out or pull all broadleaf weeds. Be sure to remove all the roots. Next, fertilize perennials with the following mixture; one cup bone meal, five pounds Plant Tone, and 10 pounds of composted cow manure. Scatter one cup of this mix around each medium size plant. Then spray Weed Impede over the entire flowerbed. Weed Impede is a very effective pre-emergence weed preventer that is easy to apply; just attach the pre-mixed container onto the garden hose and spray. No mixing required. Lastly, mulch flowerbeds with cedar wood chips. This recipe will assure a great flowerbed this summer with fewer weeds, less irrigation needed, and far more blooms. After raking and cleaning up lawns, be sure to reseed thin and bare turf areas. Always prepare a seed bed before planting by scratching grooves in the soil with a steel rake. For large turf areas, consider renting from Wedel's a power slice and sow machine. The slicer/sower is the size of a large walk-behind mower. The slicer/sower will cut a groove through the lawn thatch and deposit grass seed in the grooves at the correct depth. This is a great way to improve a thin lawn. If either gypsum or lime is needed, apply after using the slice and sow machine, the grooves will allow lime and gypsum into the soil faster. Don't know if lime or gypsum will improve your turf? Just bring a two-cup sample of your soil to Wedel's for free testing and analysis. For larger lawn areas that need seeding this spring, consider using Seed Cover Mulch. Seed Cover Mulch is a straw substitute to cover and protect grass seed. Seed Cover Mulch contains a polymer gel that helps bind the seed to the soil and increases germination. Seed Cover is a great improvement over previous seed mulches. Is it time to apply crabgrass control products? No! Applied now, long before germination time, jeopardizes getting all-season crabgrass control. The best time to apply lawn crabgrass preventer is when soil temperature is above 50 degrees at a two-inch depth. I make my application of Scotts Lawn Pro Crabgrass Preventer between April 20th and May 1st, and have always enjoyed excellent results. If you notice moss in the lawn when you are doing lawn chores, now would be a fine time to control it. Moss grows well in cool, damp weather and can be killed easily with one application of Scotts Moss Control. After moss has died back, bring in a core soil sample to Wedel's for analyzing. If soil conditions are not corrected before planting the needed grass seed, the moss will return. Many folks who have shady lawns find that the grass has a tendency to thin out. This is often because the soil is too compact, which prevents grass roots from penetrating the soil; this also provides an environment for moss to grow. Bring in a soil sample and we will test to see if there is a need for gypsum. Gypsum is an excellent material to add to the soil yearly to keep it soft and friable. This allows the grass roots to grow deeper, improves drainage, and encourages a thick turf that will repel moss. Homeowners who used a late fall fertilizer need not fertilize now. If your lawn did not receive a feeding in October or November, feeding now at half rate with a slow release lawn food, such as Scotts Lawn Pro Turf Food, will help turf to green up early. Any day now most lawns will need their first mowing. Before the first mowing, be sure to clean mower air filters, change engine oil, and clean the spark plugs. Lowering the cutting height for the first mowing will remove dead leaf blades and stalks. One setting lower than the normal spring setting will help vacuum up debris without scalping the lawn. Just before the first mowing is the best time to install a sharp mower blade. A walk through Wedel's Garden Center's landscape health department reveals several new products that will help gardeners this year. The Ortho people have a new battery powered weed control applicator called Power Shot. Power Shot features "no pumping and no hand fatigue" in a pre-mixed broadleaf weed control. Wedel's has the all-new Cedar Oil plant spray. Cedar Oil is an all-natural insect control for all ornamentals, flowers, fruits, and vegetable plants. The aroma of cedar stifles insects' ability to detect food and reproduction habitats. Cedar Oil will displace insects out of your garden and landscape. Synthetic Pyrethrin is now available in a new higher strength with a broader label. Permethrin 38% Plus is labeled for termites, carpenter bees, ants, box elder bugs, and borers on birch, rhododendrons, dogwood, and other ornamental insect pests. The Bayer Company has a new All-In-One Rose and Flower Care product. Applied as a liquid to the soil, All-In-One fertilizes, controls insects, and provides disease control. Doctor Subler's Living Soil earthworm castings are teeming with beneficial microorganisms, enzymes, and bioactive substances. Doctor Subler claims that Living Soil enhances plant health and appearance, seed germination, and improves the soil. Monty's Joy Juice is a liquid plant food that comes in both growth and blooming formulas. Monty's Joy Juice is applied with a sprinkling can or hose-on sprayer. Monty's claim is that you'll enjoy stronger, taller plants with more blooms and vegetables. Sluggo is a new slug control by Monterey. Sluggo is safe to use around children, pets, and wildlife. Sluggo may be used to protect flowers and is also safe for vegetable plantings. Sluggo is all-natural and breaks down into plant food. New this year is a complete line of all natural pest repellent products. Gardeners can now repel most critters with Repellex products. Repellex will shoo out of your landscape deer, rabbits, squirrels, moles, voles, gophers, mosquitoes, ticks, and no-see-ums. Repellex products are available in pre-mixed ready-to-use sprayers and in concentrates. The Scotts Company now has a line of phosphorus-free lawn care products. Three Scotts Phosphorus-Free Fertilizers are available; one with crabgrass control, a weed & feed, and Phosphorus-Free Lawn Food. The Fertilome folks have provided us with a new stronger Neem Oil product. Neem Oil Triple Action Plus can be used on ornamentals, fruits, and vegetables. When sprayed, this 70% clarified Neem Oil concentrate will kill eggs, larvae, and adult insects and mites. Triple Action Plus is also labeled for the control of mildew, rust, and black spot on roses and many other plants. Neem oil is extracted from the Neem tree fruits and is 100% natural. This year, prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your decorative birdbaths. New this year is the Water Wiggler. The Water Wiggler agitator creates continuous ripples in the birdbath, preventing mosquitoes from laying eggs. The Water Wiggler requires no wiring or plumbing; it operates on two D batteries, which last for two months of continuous use. These are a few of the exciting new garden products at Wedel's this spring. Stop in soon and catch the excitement of gardening. George Wedel |