April Garden Tasks
- As warm-season grasses as Bermudas and Zoysias begin to turn green and start active growth, it’s time to apply a complete fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potash such as 8-8-8, 10-10-10 or 10-6-4. Eleagnus can be pruned at any time, but heavy pruning is best done just before growth starts in spring so that new growth will soon cover pruning scars. During growing season, control size and encourage development of a compact plant by keeping long, wispy growth pruned back. Houseplants will retain glossy leaves if sponged with luke-warm, soapy water. Wipe with clean water to remove soap. Do not shine leaves with olive oil or milk. Both produce an artificial gloss due to the oil or fat of the milk. Keep leaves of African violet clean and free of dust with a small camel’s hairbrush. Or turn the pot upside down; holding soil with your fingers. Gently swish the leaves through lukewarm water containing a bit of mild soap. Lilacs do best in alkaline soil, Lime soil around plants (1/2 cup to 1-cup agricultural lime per plant). Use a complete fertilizer and don’t overfertilize any one time. Make 2-3 applications from early spring through midsummer.
- Mulch plants with pear moss, leaf mold or other organic mulch. Parsley, chives and winter savory, as well as all herbs rooted in cuttings, are quite hardy and will survive most winters in the middle and Lower South. especially if given a light covering of materials such as leaves. Deer, who often eat tender vegetation, can be repelled from home grounds by fishing line secured 8-to-10 feet from the ground. The "kitchen garden" should contain vegetable favorites but new varieties on the market should add interest and spice. All vegetables need some sun, at least six hours of direct sunlight, and ten hours is ideal. Plant away from trees, shrubs and buildings. A few, including broccoli, will survive and produce in shade. Intermixing marigolds and nasturtiums with vegetables will discourage nematodes and side shoots growing from main shoots.
- Flowers for heavy shade: impatiens (patience plant), sultana, Vinca rosea (Madagascar periwinkle), wax begonia, foxglove, lobelia, basalm, nemophilia (baby-blue eyes) and godetia. Torenia (wishbone flower), pansies, Coluses and caladiums offer colorful foliage, succeeding with limited sunlight. Boxwoods have a shallow root system, which is damaged by an excessive application of chemical fertilizer, sometimes killing the shrub. Give them perfect drainage and plenty of organic material in the soil.
- A reel-type mower is preferred in cutting zoysia grass. A rotary lawn mower will often choke out in zpysia’s thick sod, resulting in uneven cuts. Begin fertilizing zoysia two or three weeks after the initial spring greening. Apply fertilizer lightly every 6 weeks until mid-August.
- When purchasing seedlings, select compact plants of healthy color with side shoots growing from main shoots. Their leaves should be free of pests and their eggs, and roots should be well packed in soil.