May Tips
Lawn Care
Here are some helpful tips to having a healthy and beautiful lawn.
• There is still some time to apply crabgrass preventer. It is easier to prevent crabgrass then it is to kill it.
• Weed control should be started since weeds are present. Lawn weed killers are available in liquid or granular form. The sooner a weed control is applied usually the better the control. It’s easier to control younger weeds then it is to control mature weeds.
• If any lawn diseases have been a problem in May in past years, then apply a lawn disease control as a preventive at this time.
Tip to Remember! There are many different types of grass seed, which means that not all grass seed will grow in all areas. Which kind of seed you would need for your area depends on the type of sun light the area gets.
Organic Lawn Care
Here are some helpful tips to having a healthy and beautiful lawn, organically.
• There is still time to apply Corn Glutten for the prevention of weeds and crabgrass.
Ornamental Flowers, Trees and Shrubs
Here are some helpful hints on how to keep your plants beautiful.
• Now is the time to prune butterfly bushes. Pruning will increase the amount of blooms for this season. Fertilizing with Bone Meal or Plantone will also help increase blooms.
• There is still time to fertilize trees and shrubs. Use a high phosphorus fertilizer on blooming shrubs to help ensure increased blooms and color.
• Spray weeds in landscape beds, being careful not to hit any shrubs or perennials. Once area is weed free then treat with a weed preventer.
• To add color to existing landscape beds, increase the size of the bed and plant flowering perennials or annuals out in front of existing shrubs.
• When planting shrubs and trees be sure to prune roots and to add compost to the planting hole along with fertilizer. The same goes for perennial and annual plants too. You don't want to just plop them into the ground as they come out of the container. Loosening the root system will help the plant get established quicker.
Tip to Remember! When choosing a plant, make sure that it fits the area it is being planted in, and do not be fooled by low prices. The reason they are cheaper maybe that they are an older variety that doesn't perform well as the summer goes on. If you are going to take the time to plant flowers then plant ones that are going to do well all summer.
• Be sure to fertilize spring flowering bulbs so that they will produce large blooms again next spring.
• Treat all your rose bushes with a systemic fungicide and insecticide and fertilize with a granular fertilizer.
Vegetable Garden
Here are some helpful tips to getting the best yield.
• Cold crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi, along with lettuce, spinach, and onions can be planted now. All can take a light frost. If a heavy frost or freeze is predicted then either cover, water just before sunrise or spray plants with FreezePruf™ the day before to prevent any frost or freeze damage to the plant.
• When planting vegetable plants, mix some compost and some organic fertilizer into the planting hole. This will not only help the plant grow but will help maintain good healthy garden soil.
• Garlic, onions, leeks, and shallots should be side dressed with a nitrogen fertilizer such as nitrate of soda or urea at this time. Then it should be reapplied every two weeks. By fertilizing with a nitrogen fertilizer often and keeping bulbs watered will ensure large bulbs.
• Treat garden soil with Sevin or Diatomaceous Earth for the control of wireworms, onion maggots, and cut worms.
Here are some helpful hints for growing the best tomatoes.
• Start off with choosing the best varieties for you. Here is a list to get you started.
Large Tomatoes for slicing
Delicious - Big Beef - Beef Master - Caspian Pink - Brandywine -Big Boy
Medium size for slicing, salads and canning
Super Tasty - Celebrity - Better Boy - Supersonic - Goliath - Brandy Boy
Small to medium size fruit
Fourth of July - Early Girl - Rutgers
Cherry and Grape
Sunsugar - Sugary Hybrid - Juliet
Paste, Sauce and Salsa
Roma - Giant Valentine - Big Mamma - Polish Linguise - Fresh Salsa -
Amish Paste
• At planting time mix thoroughly with the soil in the planting hole the following ingredients:
1/2 cup of Espoma Gardentone Organic Fertilizer
1 handful of garden Gypsum to prevent blossom end rot
2 tbsp of Epsom Salts for magnesium
• Now it's time to plant your tomato plant. Once this is done, water with a liquid fertilizer such as blossom booster.
• Stake or place a cage over the plant.
• Keep plant watered during dry periods to help ensure a good yield.
Here are some helpful tips for growing peppers.
• Peppers need warm, rich soil along with lots of sun for the best yield and growth.
• If you have had trouble growing peppers in the past, try a different variety. Also consider growing some sweet horn type varieties, because these varieties are easier to grow and are just as flavorful as bell peppers. Plus they usually are more productive.
• When planting, follow this recipe and be sure to thoroughly mix the following ingredients into the planting hole.
1/4 cup of Espoma Gardentone Organic Fertilizer
2 tbsp of Calcium Nitrate Fertilizer
1 tbsp Epsom Salts
2 tbsp of Garden Sulfur to make the soil slightly acidic
• Now it's time to plant your pepper plant. Once this is done, water with a liquid fertilizer such as blossom booster.
• Peppers grow best if grown on black plastic. If you don't use black plastic to keeps weeds down, then you must treat the soil with a weed preventer and mulch plants with grass clippings, compost, or cocoa shell mulch.
Orchard
Here are some helpful hints on taking care of your orchard.
• It's important to spray fruit trees and grapes with a fungicide while in blossom. Fruit trees should be sprayed every 10-14 days with a fungicide and insecticide
• Many disease can be controlled at this time, such as:
Apples: scab, rust, and powdery mildew
Peaches, Apricots, Cherries, and Plums: brown rot
Grapes: black rot and bunch rot
• Once fruit trees and grapes are out in leaf, add a liquid fertilizer to the spray mix.
Tip to Remember! Remove grass from around trees to protect the trunk from getting damaged by the mower. Grass can be sprayed with Round-Up without hurting the tree, as long ans you don't spray the tree with it.
For more helpful tips and answers to questions you may have, refer to FAQ.