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HOME (Indoor plants and activities)
Indoor plants will require more frequent watering and fertilization
as they increase their summer growth.
Houseplants can be moved outdoors to a shady location,
but pay close attention to their watering needs.
Cut garden flowers for indoor beauty. Recut the
stems again just before placing in water. Add
a floral preservative, and change the solution
frequently.
Root cuttings of houseplants and garden plants
to increase your collection or share with a friend.
YARD (Lawns, woody ornamentals and fruits)
Prune spring-flowering shrubs after blooms fade.
Apply fungicide to prevent and control black spot
on roses.
Water newly planted trees and shrubs. Water
deeply every seven to 10 days when rain is
lacking.
Propagate deciduous shrubs, such as forsythia,
lilac, pyracantha and weigela, by stem tip
cuttings.
Remove faded flowers and seed pods on lilac
and other spring-flowering shrubs.
Continue applications of home orchard fruit
sprays to maintain problem-free fruit,
if your trees managed to set fruit despite
the earlier spring freezes.
Keep grass mowed regularly, but mow high
to help protect the crown of the plant
from heat stress.
Lawn clippings, unless excessive, should
be left on the lawn.
To keep lawn green and growing, water
as needed to supply a total of
1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. If left unwatered,
lawns will turn brown and become
dormant but will green up again
when conditions are more favorable.
GARDEN (Flowers, vegetables and small fruits)
Discontinue harvest of asparagus and rhubarb around mid-June to allow
foliage to develop and store food reserves for next year's harvest.
Fertilize and water when dry to promote healthy growth.
Mulch to control weeds and conserve soil moisture
after soil has warmed. Many materials such as
straw, chopped corn cobs, bark chips, shredded paper and grass clippings
can be used.
Blanch (exclude light from) cauliflower when heads
are just 2 inches in diameter. Tie leaves up
and over the developing head.
Keep weeds controlled. They're easier to pull when
they are still young.
Start seeds of cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli
and cauliflower for fall garden transplants.
Plan now for your Halloween pumpkin. Determine
the days to harvest for the particular cultivar
you want to plant (usually on the seed packet), and count backward to
determine the proper planting
date.
Harvest spring plantings of broccoli, cabbage and
peas.
Remove cool-season plants, such as radish, spinach
and lettuce, as they bolt, or form seed stalks, during
hot summer weather.
Continue planting carrots, beans and sweet corn
for successive harvests.
For staked tomatoes, remove suckers (branches that
form where the leaf joins the stem) while they
are 1 to 1.5 inches long to allow easier training.
Remove spent blooms of peony, iris, delphiniums
and other flowers.
Pinch shoot tips of chrysanthemums, impatiens,
petunias and coleus to promote bushier growth.
Remove tops of spring-flowering bulbs only after
they have yellowed and withered.
Continue planting gladiolus for a succession of
bloom.
Pick strawberries from the garden or a U-pick operation.
Protect ripening strawberries from birds by covering
with netting.
Supplement natural rainfall to supply a total of
1 to 1.5 inches of water per week to the garden.
5-17-07
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