By Chris Cohan
Once the forsythia blooms it’s time to seek weed control services for your lawn and flowerbeds. Try corn gluten, it’s organic. It not only prevents new weed seeds from germinating, but also provides 9% nitrogen to feed your grass and plants. Corn gluten forms a barrier to seed germination.
If your lawn needs major seeding, skip this step and seed now. If small areas need to be seeded, apply and go above the barrier by adding topsoil and seeding into it.
Now that you’re back outside and in your garden glory, start checking off the other important chores.
Proper pruning is important to accomplish now. Prune out dead branches, but scratch the bark first to make sure they’re really dead. Control height and width. Dormant spraying should take place before new growth appears.
Plant cool weather crops in window boxes. Nothing cheers the spirit more than a well-planted window box.
As soon as you can, fertilize all plants with an organic product. Use Espoma’s Plant-tone for alkaline-loving plants and Holly-tone for acid-loving ones. Fertilize all evergreen plants with Holly-tone. Apply Milorganite to lawns. It’s also a great deer repellent, so use it on your whole garden to discourage Bambi.
Supply your gardener with information on organics. This may take time, especially if English isn’t your gardener’s first language. If he doesn’t seem that interested in following through, supply him with the right products and make a date to meet him on his next scheduled visit. He’ll soon understand the benefits of organic methods for all.
Spray your yard with horticultural oil to rid it of any over-wintering eggs. With the unusually warm winter, there is great concern that we’re going to have a large and pesky insect problem all season.
Clean up any dead debris that may be lingering or lying on top of beds. Make sure all perennials are adequately cut back. Divide clumps that are too large and plant new perennials. Fertilize with Plant-tone, mulch, and water.
Prepare your vegetable garden from the ground up. Add compost and organic matter.
Feed the soil and it shall feed your plants. In organic soil the microbes break down the organic matter and release it as a meal to the roots. The greater the mix of organics you put into your soil, the greater the nutritional value of the vegetable you grow. Plant and prepare to pick and enjoy fresh homegrown organic vegetables at
their highest nutritional point.
Here’s to months of glory!
