Things to do in April

Let the cluster flies outdoors.

Fuzzy white pussy willows will last forever if you don’t put the stems in water. When given water the buds continue to grow and develop within a week or two they turn to yellow, pollen covered structures that eventually fall off.

If your houseplants or any seedlings you may have started are becoming leggy, That’s a classic sign that they are not getting enough light.  Suspend a simple fluorescent shop light 6-8 inches above the leaves or your plants.

Rake your lawn.  Use a leaf rake, not an iron rake, to loosen up mats of dead grass and remove debris that fell over the winter.  Wait to late April to repair bare spots in your lawn.

Don’t fertilize your lawn yet.

Don’t wait until the weeds are 4 inches high before pulling them.  Pull up quackgrass by their long white roots.  If you plan to use crabgrass treatment, wait until the flowers on the forsythia begin to fade, applying any earlier will just be a waste. Different weeds are controlled differently.  Contact our office for information.

Clean up perennials.  Cut any remaining plant tops to the ground.

Don’t stand on wet soft garden soil.  Stand on a board to avoid compacting the soil.

Prune trees and shrubs, but not maples or birches.  These will ooze sap prolifically if cut now.  Wait to prune these until after their leaves have expanded in late May or June.

Pot up and “wake up” tuberous begonias that you’ve stored in the basement, but  keep them indoors until warm weather arrives.

Take the winter mulch of your strawberry beds.  White synthetic row cover can be left in place.

Test the soil of blueberry beds.  Blueberries need acid soil, pH of 4.5 to 5.0.  Sulfur may be needed. Call the office for a soil test and advice on how to adjust the soil pH accordingly.

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