Checklist for May Gardening

checkbox[1] Protect your cherry crop! Prevent wormy fruit. Start spraying with Captain Jack’s spinosad weekly when fruit begins to change from green to strawberry color.

checkbox[1] Feed roses now and every two weeks for maximum rose production. Use MaxSea plus Kelp Sea Life for the trace elements and minerals.

checkbox[1] Thin apple, plum, apricot and peach crops if too much fruit has set, you’ll get fewer but larger, juicier fruit.

checkbox[1] Timing is important for grub control. If you had trouble with grubs last summer and fall, now is the time to prepare a treatment plan for prevention. Treating your lawn in May with Bonide Grub Beater or beneficial Nematodes while the grubs are young and vulnerable is best. Use beneficial Nematodes in your vegetable garden as well!

checkbox[1] Ladybugs and praying mantis to the rescue! Control aphids, beetles, scale and leafhoppers naturally.

checkbox[1] Deep-root water trees and shrubs. Never depend on lawn watering to take care of trees and shrubs. The use of soaker hoses helps deliver deep water as well. Your trees and shrubs will thank you for doing this at least monthly through the warmer months.

checkbox[1] Do you have small sucking bugs on your vegetables? Use vegetable safe Bonide All Season Spray Oil.

checkbox[1] Plant 4-inch or larger vegetable plants and save several weeks of growing time. Remember to protect them from hungry snails and slugs with Sluggo Plus or pet safe Sluggo. Both are labeled for organic gardening, both control slugs, Sluggo Plus controls insects too.

checkbox[1] Prevent olive fruit set with Florel Fruit Eliminator. Spray the olive when the tree has just reached full bloom. Olive flowers are tiny, so watch carefully. Full bloom usually occurs in early May. Spray the whole tree thoroughly. We have the names of commercial spray companies that can help too.

checkbox[1] Turflon Esther for Bermuda grass control controls that wiry-stemmed, nuisance weed Bermuda grass. It also works wonders on Oxalis, a yellow clover look-alike.

checkbox[1] The miracle of mulch. As well as looking good, mulching conserves water and suppresses weeds and keeps roots cool. We suggest a mulch layer of 4 inches thick. Don’t mulch right up to the plant trunk or stem. Leave 4 to 6 inches of breathing room.

checkbox[1] Protect the trunks of fruit trees with Go Natural Tree Trunk Paint. Applying this coating to the trunk will reflect heat away from the tender tissue and protect the trees.

checkbox[1] Regular feeding for Citrus. Citrus performs well with monthly light feedings of fertilizer specifically formulated for Citrus. This will ensure that your tree gets a nice even supply of food year-round instead of occasional periods of highs or lows. We recommend Master Nursery Citrus Food, or for a completely organic approach, use E.B. Stone Citrus and Fruit Tree Fertilizer. Make quarterly applications of Iron Sulfate for optimum feeding and greening.

checkbox[1] Prep your roses for the second wave of bloom! Cut back and feed roses as the first set of blooms fade. Feed with Master Nursery Rose and Flower Food. Water and stand back (roses typically rebloom six weeks after pruning and feeding. For special treatment, feed roses with water-soluble Maxsea. It can be sprayed on the leaves and gives the plant a dark glossy appearance.

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