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April Gardening Tips

3/24/2017

Work compost and organic matter into your garden beds.
Plant cool-season annuals such as pansies, dianthus (pinks), alyssum, dusty miller, stock, ornamental kale and cabbage, etc.
As soon as the soil is workable, plant cool-season crops that are not affected by frost, such as cabbage, kale, peas, spinach, collards, kohlrabi, radish, turnip, broccoli, leek, rhubarb, Brussels sprouts, horseradish, onions, etc.
Protect cool-season crops from frost damage by covering them with row cover fabric.
Start seeds indoors for warm season crops such as cantaloupe, cucumber, watermelon, etc. Remember to follow directions on packets.
Mulch roses using pine bark.
Apply an organic slow-releasing rose fertilizer to roses, water after fertilizing.
Avoid pruning oaks and elms between April and July.
Buy trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses hardy to zone 5.
Remove dead foliage from perennials, groundcovers and shrubs.
Apply 2 inches of natural hardwood mulch to garden beds. Make sure the mulch is not piled up against the tree trunks.
Harden off transplants, take them out during sunny warm days and bring them back indoors before the temperature drops.
Allow new growth to establish before removing winter mulch protection.

March Gardening Tips

3/2/2017

Towards the end of the month report house plants that have become root bound (except bougainvillea, ficus, asparagus fern, African violet, peace lily, aloe, and spider plants, these plants prefer their roots confined to small spaces), the new pot should be approximately one inch larger.
Continue starting seeds indoors according to directions on packets.
During sunny days when temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, start hardening off cool-season edibles and annuals.
Treat infested house plants before you fertilize them. Discard severally infested plants.
During sunny days, fertilize healthy houseplants once they begin new growth.
Prune deciduous late summer blooming trees and shrubs.
Once the temperature rises cut back perennials and ornamental grasses.
Prune autumn-flowering clematis to 12” to 18” tall.
Cut out dead wood from roses, and prune them according to type once the temperature is consistently in the 50s.
If early spring-blooming trees and shrubs need to be pruned, do it immediately after they bloom.
Add small branches, spent blooms and leaves to your compost pile.
Divide overgrown summer and fall blooming perennials when they are between 4 and 6 inches tall.
Check for insect and insect damage and visit your local garden center for advice.
If you plant cool season crops due to unseasonal warm weather, monitor the changes in temperature and be prepared to protect them from frost.

Ana Solares

Ana graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Ornamental Horticulture from the College of DuPage. She continued her studies in Horticulture through the outreach program at the University of Illinois. In 2014 Ana completed the Horticultural Therapy Certificate Program through the Chicago Botanical Garden.

April Gardening Tips

March Gardening Tips

March 02nd, 2017

Ana Solares

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