There is much to do in the garden in May. It is time to fertilize the lawn, check the sprinklers, do some pruning and tend to the roses. Don’t worry; it’s not as bad as it sounds!

If you haven’t done so already now is a good time to fertilize the lawn so it will look nice and green. The cheapest fertilizer is fine. This is usually ammonium sulfate, 21-0-0. This means that it has 21 percent nitrogen and no other nutrients. That’s okay because all the lawn needs is nitrogen anyway. Please don’t put the whole bag on your lawn or you will be mowing foot tall grass in two weeks! It will say on the bag how many square feet it will cover. Estimate how many square feet your lawn is then apply what’s appropriate.

If you have a lot of weeds in your lawn you can also apply a “weed and feed” type product. This material has fertilizer and an herbicide to kill weeds. Be careful when applying this because it could kill your flowers and even small trees! Use a drop spreader and read the label instructions to prevent this. The trick to applying weed and feed is to wet the lawn first so the product will stick better to the weeds.

The fertilizer won’t work until after you water. (Don’t water for 24 hours after you weed and feed).

So now it is time to check those automatic sprinklers out. Turn them on manually from the controller so that you know the controller is working. Then go out to see that all the sprinklers are functioning properly. After you’ve fixed all the sprinklers then set the controller. A rule of thumb is to run the small pop-ups for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time. The larger impulse or gear sprinklers should go 30 to 45 minutes. Please keep an eye out so you don’t flood the gutter! Here’s another rule of thumb to set the days to water. Have them come on 1 day a week when the air temperature is 70 degrees or less, 2 days a week between 70 and 80 degrees, 3 days for 80 to 95 degrees and 4 days when over 95 degrees. You could water less if you have Bermuda grass and more if you have bluegrass.

Your shrubs should have at least a couple of inches of growth on them by now so it’s a good time to prune them. It’s a good time because; 1) pruning 2 or 3 inches of growth is a lot less work than pruning 6 inches, 2) it’s better for the plant when it is pruned in cooler temperatures, and 3) less material is easier to put in that nice new green waste toter!

It is also time to tend to your roses. Check to see if you have aphids on your plants. If so then knock them off with a strong spray of water from the hose. I like to wash them off with soapy water. I get a hose end sprayer and fill it with water. I’ll add about a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid, attach it to the hose and go to washing away. After the aphids are gone then you can apply your favorite fertilizer so that you’ll have lots of beautiful roses!

- David Giger has been a professional landscape maintenance gardener in Woodland since 1993. He can be reached at <a href=”mailto:Dmmegiger@aol.com”>Dmmegiger@aol.com</a>

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: gardening