By Sean Conway,
Tribune Media Services
After a slow start, spring is now coming on like a freight train. Every day new plants are pushing up out of the ground in my garden, tree buds are swelling and the race toward a leafy-green landscape has begun.
Over the next several weeks, my garden to-do list will grow longer with each passing day. From trial and error over many years, I have learned that the secret to maintaining a good garden is timing.
Here are a few jobs that, if done now, will save you time later.
–Apply dormant oil to tree buds.
Soon, dormant tree buds will soon give way to flowers and leaves. Before that process takes place is the time to spray your apple trees with dormant oil — assuming, of course, that you want to harvest apples from your tree.
Dormant oil, sometimes referred to as horticultural oil, is a highly refined, lightweight oil made from either a plant or petroleum base. Thin enough to mix with an emulsifier like water, it controls insect pests before they have a chance to wreak havoc on newly developing leaves, flowers and fruit.
Horticultural oils work by coating insect eggs, adults or larvae, blocking air passages and essentially suffocating all stages of insect growth. Many insect pests overwinter as eggs on the buds of trees and coincide their hatching with the spring growth of the tree.
Horticultural oils are effective against many forms of mites, scale and caterpillars. I spray my trees once before they leaf out and once again when the apples about the diameter of a quarter. I harvest an abundance of apples every fall, and while not every apple is perfect, a large number are, and without the use of heavy pesticides.
–Apply fertilizer to perennial gardens.
Do this just as the plants begin emerging from their winter dormancy. Adding a narrow band of granular fertilizer around each plant provides robust growth throughout the season. I have noticed better results from taking the time to apply a small amount to each plant rather than generally broadcasting across the whole garden. I use an organic fish-based fertilizer, but almost any well balanced granular such as 10-10-10 will do. Just be sure to follow directions and don’t add more than the recommended amount.
Applying when plants are just emerging from the ground makes it easier to place the fertilizer where it is needed without the added step of having to move leaves out of the way. It also makes it possible to see which plants were fed and which weren’t. Granular fertilizers take a little time to dissolve into the soil, but that usually happens just about the time the plant is in active growth and needs a good meal.
This same timing holds true for any beds that need mulching. I prefer to mulch shortly after my perennials have broken dormancy so I can see where the plants are, but not too long after so I don’t have to worry about damaging new leaves or stems.
–Relocate any plants that need it.
Most garden plants transplant reasonably well provided they are not in active growth. When a plant has leaves, or is actively producing new growth, disturbing its roots causes a much greater shock to the plant.
Once relocated, many plants will channel their energy toward establishing new roots, limiting the amount of vegetative growth they produce the first year in their new location. The following year they will leaf out without any noticeable change.
Some plants, such as perennials, may never skip a beat if moved during or shortly after they break dormancy.
I also like to plant any new additions to my garden as early as possible, especially those I receive from mail-order sources. I have had much better success planting perennials, trees and shrubs early in the growing season. Transplanting into cool, moist soil helps reduce transplant shock for many plants.
Keeping up with spring garden chores isn’t always easy, but prioritizing which ones to do first will save you time later.
Sean Conway’s book “Sean Conway’s Cultivating Life” (Artisan Books, 2009) describes 125 projects for backyard living. www.cultivatinglife.com.
(c) 2013, SEAN CONWAY. DISTRIBUTED BY Tribune Media Services
This was printed in the May 5, 2013 – May 18. 2013 Edition
