TIMELY GARDEN TIPS FROM

OVER THE GARDEN FENCE

APRIL 26, 2003

As of Thursday morning, our short fall of moisture is still a major concern with both farmers and gardeners. The Kalamazoo area has received but one substantial rain this spring. Coupling that with a very dry winter is making the soil moisture level very low. I encourage all lawns, ornamental trees, shrubs, perennial gardens, and even spring flowering bulb plants to be irrigated at once. Unless irrigation is applied now, perennial flowers won't size up, lawns won't thicken as expected, and trees and shrubs won't put forth the growth we all desire. Let's pray for some late "April showers" to promote our expected "May flowers".

This morning, many gardeners are sipping their morning coffee and viewing their garden, lawn, & landscape, and mentally tallying up the dozens of opportunities awaiting them. The following is a list of some chores you'll not want to miss.

Before planting vegetable or flower gardens, check out the weed population. If perennial broadleaf weeds or grasses are numerous, I recommend spraying Kill-Zall to clear them out before planting. Spray Kill-Zall on a warm sunny day, wait three days, till the soil and water well, then wait ten days for signs of any regrowth. If needed, spray again, wait four days, till the soil, then begin planting any time. Eradicating perennial weeds before planting will save hours and hours of weeding this summer.

Homeowners that wish to have a gall-free spruce this year need to spray now. Colorado spruce galls can be prevented with sprays of Pyrethrin and Canola Oil now.

Even though it's early in the season, spruce spider mites are active. Mite damage shows up as yellow-brown needles. Kill spruce spider mites with a spray of 10% Permethrin.

This spring many spruce and pine trees are showing a great deal of winter damage. Yellow and brown needles reduce their value. Check buds, if they are green and supple, the branch is no doubt alive. To restore affected pines and spruce to health, fertilize now with Tree Tone, mulch with two inches of cedar wood chips, and keep adequately watered this summer.

If evergreens near roadways show brown salt-injured needles, apply gypsum to soil and irrigate heavily to flush the salts from the soil. To help prevent damage to conifers next winter, be sure to irrigate well in the autumn and spray wind-exposed plants, especially those near roadways, with Cloud Cover in November. With a little more care, conifers could stay green all winter and be an asset to our landscapes all year.

In salt-prone areas near roadways and parking lots, plant salt-tolerant plants. At Wedel's Garden Center, we sell several salt-tolerant trees such as Black Hills Spruce, Bald Cypress, Sycamore, Locust, Gingko, Hawthorn, and Norway Maple.

Now, as maple trees begin to leaf out, is the time to control leaf galls on oak, ash, and maple trees. To help prevent lumpy, bumpy leaves this summer, spray these trees now with 10% Permethrin then again two weeks later.

The cool weather and low soil temperatures of late create some unique challenges for our lawns and gardens. Soil temperatures are still under 50 degrees, which means crabgrass and many other annual weeds which populate our gardens and lawns have not germinated yet. Most perennial weeds seem to be growing and enjoying the cool weather. Most years, an application of one weed control to our lawns at this time would take care of the annual weeds that normally would have germinated by now, and the perennial weeds that overwinter. Not so this year! If you desire to have a lawn without dandelions, chickweed, buckhorn, or some of the other early spring flowering weeds, apply a weed control now. Fertilome Weed-Out is what I recommend for the best broad-spectrum lawn weed control. Another application in late May will kill the later germinating summer weeds. For hard-to-kill veronica and wild violets in lawns, spray Triclopyr. Two applications of Triclopyr will clean out these tough lawn weeds.

You will notice that I didn't suggest using a weed and feed. Many folks have put one application of fertilizer on the lawn already, making a weed and feed application now unadvisable. It is important not to stress out lawns with too much nitrogen. We risk overloading the lawn with fertilizer if a weed and feed is applied now. If you didn't put on a lawn food earlier, then a weed and feed application would be just fine at this time. Many folks have purchased an all-season lawn program and those lawn programs call for using a weed and feed. This year, delay that application until late in May. Spot spray Weed-Out Tri-mec weed control now to control early-blooming perennial broadleaf weeds.

Clumps of tall-growing, coarse, wide-bladed grasses are showing up in many lawns. These weed grasses are usually tall fescue, nutsedge, orchard grass, or quackgrass. All four of these pesky grasses are perennial varieties and should be removed from fine turf areas. The best eradication method is spraying with Kill-Zall. After spraying, wait seven days, scatter a peat soil mix on treated areas, apply Scotts Seed Starter fertilizer, then put on a good quality grass seed. Rake seed into soil and water well.

By the way, if there is ever a perfect time to apply crabgrass preventer, it would be now.

If you have a question about what type of weeds you have in your lawn, and you want to be sure that you buy the right product the first time, bring in your weed samples. Wedel's will identify them and advise you as to which weed control will do the best job.

Have lilacs in your landscape? If so, did the branch tips wilt, turn black, and die last spring? A copper spray now on lilacs will help prevent bacterial blight on lilac shrubs.

This week's MSU Landscape Bulletin states that white pine weevil adults are beginning to emerge and fly to the top leader stem of white or Scotch pine and spruce trees to deposit eggs. The larvae will soon hatch and bore downward under the bark, eventually girdling the top stem and upper branches. If you had a problem with the leader curling over last year on pine or spruce trees, now is the time for control. Spray for pine weevil control with Cygon.

George Wedel