By Barb Henry – Victoria County Master GardenerEdited by Charla Borchers Leon
Updated May 7, 2017 at 6 a.m.
• Plan and plant – Design flower beds, vegetable and herb gardens. Purchase and plant new transplants, seeds and/or bedding plants. Visit Victoria Educational Gardens to get ideas.
• Fertilize – Feed lawn and plants good nitrogen-rich fertilizer or one specific for your plants. Have soil tested if in doubt.
• Control pests – Be observant; watch for worms, aphids, mold, web, bag worms, brown spot. Know your insects; follow pesticide instruction carefully.
• Mulch – To help control weed growth, insolate roots from upcoming summer heat and to preserve precious moisture in the soil.
Since spring officially arrived in mid-March, you may think these tips for spring gardening may seem a bit late. However, with the deep freeze in January and later cold snaps, many plants are only now reviving, so there is still time to plan, prepare, plant and sow.
At the time of this writing, local nurseries and plant suppliers still have bedding plants and transplants in stock. We all know that there is no season in which the avid gardener has missed planting time.
Pruning
There has been sufficient time for plants to come back to life in those dead looking sticks and from roots. It’s time to prune out the dead wood and to reshape and size those that are now showing promise.
Remove suckers and unwanted spring growth from shrubs, bushes and trees. Pinch tips of herbs and smaller plants to encourage branching. Remove and discard plants that show no signs of reviving.
If you have fruit trees that are blooming and setting fruit, be sure to thin the fruit so they can produce quality crops.
Your lawn needs to be mowed regularly now…
