Install
a new
lawn or renovate an undesirable one. Newly seeded lawns may
take two or more weeks to germinate.
Fertilize
lawns if you didn’t apply a combination fertilizer
and crab grass control in March.
Pull or hoe all weeds in your
yard and garden. Try to keep their numbers low, and get them
before they go to seed.
Now is a good time to seed annuals
such as marigolds, zinnias, cosmos and nasturtiums indoors.
Plant roses with the graft two
inches below the soil in a well-drained area that gets at least
6 hours of sunlight per day.
You can still transplant trees
and shrubs. Finish pruning chores on all but the flowering shrubs
and trees.
Fertilize spring-flowering
bulbs and any ornamental fruit and berry plants that were
not fertilized in March.
Fertilize spring-blooming shrubs
after flowering is complete.
Fruit tree pests and diseases
are common in the Inland Northwest. A regular spray program is necessary
to produce the best quality fruits. Consult Master Gardeners for
spray schedules for apples, cherries, peaches/apricots, pears,
and plums.
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If
you do not have resistant varieties of raspberries and
have experienced problems with caneblights, powdery mildew and
other fungal diseases, apply a delayed dormant spray of lime
sulfur when the buds begin to show green.
You
can plant new berry plants this month but you should not fertilize strawberries until
August.
Cultivate garden
beds as soon as soil is dry enough to work. Plant roots
need loose soil twelve inches deep. Mix in a few inches of
compost or other organic material.
Transplant
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower starts. Fit
stems of cabbage and broccoli plants with stiff paper disks to
help control root maggots.
Sow
seeds of lettuce, carrots, greens and beets. Plant seed potatoes
and onion bulbs. Cover planted areas with row
cover to keep insect pests out.
Bare-root
trees, ornamentals, fruit trees, small fruits, and perennial
vegetables like horseradish and asparagus are still available
in garden centers. Select fully dormant plants and plant them
immediately.
Plan
now for drought
tolerant, heat loving plants. Some plants to consider in a drought
tolerant garden are kinnickinnick, smoke tree, cotoneasters,
barberries, coneflowers, bergenia, iris, penstemons, sedums, thymes,
and many others.
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