Spring Gardening Tips
It is that time of the year again – time for new beginnings, getting rid of unwanted items in the rut, warmth of sun bringing heaven to earth, million shades of green sprouting out, cheery flowers, singing birds… you need to do your homework to enjoy the outdoors. Here are some tips –
Prune Trees and Perennials
Pruning will encourage the plants to put out more leaves and, often, more flowers – especially for spring-blooming plants. Most perennials can be cut back right to the base. However some perennials need to have some growth left behind. Remove any dead, damaged, or diseased branches from the trees.
Lawn Maintenance
The first thing to have a lush lawn for the rest of the year is to start the lawn maintenance early spring. Rake the lawn to pick up dead leaves and broken sticks from the winter. Make sure you weed lawn as they can get out of control quickly. Bare patches on your lawn can occur for various reasons – including neglect, damage, or heavy traffic. Patch these bare areas by applying seed and a nitrogen fertilizer. Finally, edging makes your lawn finely groomed along the borders and prevent grasses creeping onto your flower beds or vegetable gardens. Edging also prevents mulch from creeping into the grass to be further distributed by the mower. There are many cheap edging options available – check your home improvement store
Fertilize
Proper nutrition is essential for a thriving garden. You can start with organic compost application of 1-2″ around all your plants. Apply it before the mulch or use it as mulch. Fertilizing helps the plants to withstand the heat and stress of summer.
Mulch
Spread a fresh layer of mulch of about 1-2 inches thick to planting beds. No more than 3″ of mulch should exist throughout your plantings. If mulch has begun to build up around your shrubs, trees, and foundations, it is important to remove all this old mulch prior to a fresh application. Mulch build up creates an environment conducive to insects and pests, plus, it also prevents nitrogen – an essential nutrient in the soil to your plants.
Plant
Spring is a perfect time to plant. Plants can start growing at comfortable temperatures and get established to their new environment with minimal stress from heat and drought. It is also a good time to divide and transplant any existing perennials is they are overgrown. Move them to another area of the landscape or share it with your friends and family.
Prepare Outdoor Kitchen
If you had turned off the circuit breaker for winter, turn it on. Plug all the cords to your outdoor kitchen appliances back in and make sure they are operating properly. Clean your appliances with a stainless steel cleaner and polish to prepare them for use in the late spring or summer.
Turn Water Features
For generic water features refill the basin and re-attach the filter to the unit. For natural features such as ponds, remove organic waste and test the water quality to determine to replace or treat it. Reattach any pumps, filters or UVs that had been removed for the winter. Start enjoying outdoors!