Regional Digest - Brief Article

Flower & Garden Magazine, March, 2000 by J. Robert Nuss, Ray R. Rothenberger, Marianne Binetti, William C. Welch, Jeri Cretti, Cretti, Keith Muraoka, Denise Cerny, Fred V. Jackson

MID-ATLANTIC

Sow vegetables and flowering annual seeds indoors about six weeks before transplanting to the garden. The late frost date is generally early to mid-May in the southern parts of the region and a few weeks afterwards in the northern portions. Germinate seeds in containers filled with a sterilized mix of equal parts soil, sphagnum peat moss and perlite. Keep the containers moist and warm, and when germination is complete and true leaves have formed, transplant them to a larger container prior to the garden. Give them plenty of light to prevent stretching of the stems.

Prune fruit trees, flowering crabapples and small ornamental trees, but delay pruning grapes and roses until the danger of hard frost is past. Prune flowering shrubs after they bloom this spring to avoid cutting off flower buds. Prune plants to regulate size, renew growth, develop plant form and orient branches and remove dead wood. If you find that you are continually pruning the same plants for size control, consider using a smaller plant.

Apply dormant oil sprays to help control scale insects and other pests in the garden. These sprays should only be applied when the temperatures remain below freezing for 24 hours. Be sure to check with your local extension office for additional materials suited to your area.

Check the lawn for possible low spots where water accumulates and plan to fill these later in the spring. Apply needed lime according to soil test results. Lime applied to frozen soil will work into the root zone as the soil freezes and thaws. When the weather warms and the grass plants cannot be pulled, go over the area with a broom rake to remove debris and old clippings.

Check your perennial beds for evidence of heaving as the soil freezes and thaws. Be sure to cover plants with a thick layer of organic mulch to stop any further heaving and to prevent additional drying to the crowns and roots. When growth begins, thin the mulch to 2 to 4 inches.

-- J. Robert Nuss

MID-AMERICA

Seeds represent a relatively small part of the total cost of gardening. The use of fresh seeds of outstanding varieties is a worthwhile investment. Look for varieties with disease resistance. This saves money by reducing use of pesticides, and less plant damage means increased flowers and harvest. Most seeds when properly stored may be used for several seasons after purchase. Among those with the shortest life are sweet corn, okra, onion, parsley and parsnip.

Each year brings with it new flower varieties. Bacopa became popular with white flowers, but varieties for this year include `Lavender Showers' and a deep rose variety called `African Sunset.' Last summer the blue and white angelonia variety `Tiger Princess' did well for me. This year the variety `Angel Mist Deep Plum' is added to these heat-tolerant plants. For gardeners with shade, Torenia `Summer Wave Deep Violet' is worth trying. In sunny spots, the petunia-like Calibrachoa variety `Terra-cotta Million Bells' provides unique yellow flowers with reddish tones. The new All-American Selection winners and many other new varieties also insure something new for everyone.

Do not delay planting flowers or vegetables that require cool temperatures for growth. Sweet peas, pansies and calendulas are fairly cold tolerant and should be planted as soon as soil can be easily worked. In the vegetable garden early planting of lettuce, peas, radishes, carrots, parsley, onions and potatoes are equally important. For anyone wanting to add asparagus or rhubarb plants to the garden, these should also be planted in early spring as soon as they become available.

If there are brown spots in the lawn as the winter ends, make prompt repairs. Clean grass out of dead areas and work up the soil. If grass has thinned, rake out dead grass and lightly seed over these spots. Fertilize after young grass is tall enough for the first cutting. Most herbicides should not be used where seeds are being sown.

-- Ray R. Rothenberger

PACIFIC-NORTHWEST

Early spring awakens with crocus and forsythia, and this is also your cue to take care of moss in the lawn with a spring feed and moss control. Rake and mow the lawn if it needs it, and be sure to check for cranefly larvae under the sod if you noticed large mosquito-looking critters randomly flying about last fall. The good news is that unless you have a new lawn or a very thin lawn, an extra application of fertilizer is all most lawns need to overcome the feeding frenzy of cranefly larvae.

In the vegetable garden the peas can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked. One indication of workability is to grab a fist of soil and squeeze. Now open your hand, and if the soil in your palm stays in a ball, it is probably too wet to work, but if it crumbles, you can hoe, shovel, or rake it.

Early spring is also the time to bait for slugs, add fruit trees, roses and all bareroot trees and shrubs to the garden. Prune back your hybrid tea roses, any overgrown forsythia and flowering quince branches and remove the dead, diseased and damaged branches from all trees and shrubs as you tidy up this time of year.