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Spring gardening tips

Horticulture Hints

While the snow is with us once again, spring is just around the corner, and some timely tips for the garden are in order. But do not get in a rush to start your spring gardening chores, as some jobs need to wait for warmer weather to arrive.

Bare spots in the lawn? Purchase a good grass seed mix of bluegrass and fescue. Seed will not germinate until soil temperatures are close to 65 degrees. Therefore, delay seeding until later in April. Work the soil up when dry, about six to eight inches deep and add a starter fertilizer. Sprinkle on seed and rake in gently. Lightly press surface to assure a good seed to soil contact. Keep soil moist with light, frequent irrigation until seed germinates and becomes established. For a full lawn planting, late summer (mid-August to mid-September) is the best time to establish a lawn from seed in Iowa.

To prevent crabgrass, wait until April to apply a pre-emergent herbicide without fertilizer, as nitrogen fertilization should wait until mid-May to encourage deeper root development.

Do pick up sticks and debris to prepare your lawn for the mowing season and sharpen lawn mower blades.

Garden tilling time? – as soon as soil is dry. Do not work wet soils or you will create compacted clumps of “mud pies” you will be working around all season. A handful of soil should be friable or crumble when squeezed in your hand if it is ready to be tilled. If it doesn’t crumble, it is too wet. Allow soil to dry for a few more days and test again before tilling.

Removal of old plant foliage? Ornamental grasses may be cut back and trimming of Jackmanii type clematis to about 8 inches may be done now. But wait to remove previous season growth from perennial beds, such as hosta, as the old foliage protects the crown from cold damage. Wait until warmer weather consistently in the 40’s arrives to remove old plant growth. Be sure to remove old plant debris before new plant growth starts, to prevent infection from overwintering pests and disease in the dead foliage.

Did you know? Do not prune spring flowering shrubs, such as lilac, forsythia, flowering almond, big leaf hydrangea (the mop heads), before flowering or you will cut off the blooms. These plants will then form their new buds shortly after flowering. If you need to prune them, do it right after flowering, to ensure flowers for next year.

Questions? Contact McCormick at yvonne@iastate.edu for information or advice.

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