Horticulture Hotline
04 17 17
Bill Lamson-Scribner
Things To Do In April:
1. Lawn Mower
Maintenance
·
Replace your mower blade – this is the part of
the mower that cuts the grass, so you want to make sure this is as sharp as
possible. Sharpening blades can get the
blade out of balance and just like tires on a car, something that is out of
balance and moving at high speeds could cause further damage to the mower.
·
Make sure you have a clean air filter so your
engine gets the oxygen it needs.
·
New spark plug.
Be sure to get the right size and the right gap for a good spark.
·
Oil change.
The key to longevity of an engine.
·
Check your wheels. Are they level? Worn out?
·
New gas – good fuel. I like ethanol free.
2. Lawn Care
·
Pick up leaves and debris from the winter
·
Check irrigation for broken heads or heads that
need adjusted and adjust timer
·
Watch for Large Patch fungus (formerly known as
Brown Patch). This disease is a soil
borne fungus and will reappear year after year in the same spots.
·
Mole crickets are be doing their mating
flights. They are up near the surface tunneling
and drying out your grass. Mole cricket
bait will be very effective this time of year.
·
Hold off on fertilizing with a lot of nitrogen,
this could encourage disease. If the
plant is not fully out of dormancy, it will not be able to take in the nitrogen
anyway. Consider using Perk and SeaHume
instead. Try to bring the grass slowly
out of dormancy and avoid surge growth. Perk and SeaHume will encourage root
growth. Root growth is especially important in the spring because warm season
grasses slough off their old roots in the spring.
·
If you are using split applications of
preemerge, and applied your first application in February, it is time to
reapply.
·
Mow your grass lower than normal one time with
the bagger and suck up any dead thatch and leaf blades from the winter.
3. Ornamentals,
Shrubs and Trees
·
If scale has been a problem, wrap electrical
tape onto itself with the sticky side up on twigs near where you have noticed
scale. In the first part of April, scale
is in its crawler stage and most vulnerable to chemical attack. On black electrical tape, you will be able to
see the small crawlers and know when it is time to spray. Neem or Horticultural oil will do a good job.
For persistent problems consider Dominion or Tree And Shrub Drench. Scale is
usually persistent.
·
Begin spraying trees that have had a history of
bore problems.
·
If you have had a history of powdery mildew on
Crepe Myrtles, Dogwoods or Roses, this would be the time to spray for this. Neem Oil, Honor Guard
or Fertilome Systemic Fungicide are all good systemic products.
·
If you had a history of leaf spot on Red Tips or
Indian Hawthorne, be sure to spray the new growth with Honor Guard or Fertilome
Systemic Fungicide.
·
Cut back Azaleas and Camellias as they finish
blooming. Fertilize with 17-00-09 or according to a soil test.
·
Re-mulch your beds as the oak leaves have
finally stopped dropping. Consider using
Cotton Burr Compost as a mulch, it adds a lot of nutrition and doesn’t tie up
nutrients.
·
Redefine your bed lines for another season.
Always read, understand and follow product labels.
