Monthly To-Do Lists
 

March
April
May
June
July
August

• Cut back ornamental grasses and any dead tops of perennials.  Also, clean up perennial and shrub beds.
• Apply Preen as directed to prevent weeds in landscape beds.
• Cut all dead wood out of roses and trim to shape.  For climbing types, only cut out dead wood.  According to experiments performed at the Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center, trimming roses in March is the ideal time.
• Fertilize all of your trees and shrubs with Espoma's Plant-tone or Holly-tone as beneficial bacterial will begin to break the products down for later use.
• Trim or thin out evergreen and deciduous shrubs toward the end of the month except those that will bloom in spring such as Lilac and Forsythia.
• Plant bare root trees, shrubs and small fruits as soon as the ground is workable.  March to early April planting will start the plants "rooting in" before bud break.
• Plant onion sets, peas and lettuce seed as soon as the ground is workable
• Take a soil test for your lawn and/or garden so that you may add lime if needed and any missing nutrients before the growing season.  Dayton's stocks soil test kits and can help you interpret the results from Penn State University.
• Apply a Crabgrass Preventer & Feed to your lawn at the end of the month.  Use Greenview's Seed Starter and Crabgrass Preventer if you are planning on applying grass seed to create a new lawn or to repair some bare patches.
• If you need help with a landscape design, do it now as many garden centers are overwhelmed when the weather gets nice.  Early planning will avoid delays when you want to be in the yard and garden.

• About mid month, visit garden centers and nurseries to get an idea of what is available for the current season.  April is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs before they completely break winter dormancy. 
• Apply Aluminum Sulphate as directed in early April to blue Hydrangeas to ensure a sky blue color in summer.  Repeating this application in mid to late May is advisable.  For pink Hydrangeas, Aluminum Sulphate will turn the flower color to dark purple.
• Finish any clean up, trimming, edging, fertilizing and an application of Preen if you did not get to it in March as well as taking a soil test and applying a crabgrass preventer to your lawn.
• A side dressing of a balanced fertilizer such as Plant-tone to spring flowering bulbs will help the bulbs to remain healthy and bloom.  Apply as early as possible in April.
• An application of Dormant Oil as directed to all trees and shrubs will kill most insect eggs and scale insects waiting to hatch and come alive.  Spray only when plants are dormant and when temperatures will remain above freezing for a minimum of 24 hours after spraying.
• Divide up and transplant clumps of perennial flowers in April just as new growth begins or just before it begins.
• Apply a thin layer of mulch (1-2 inches) over existing mulch to freshen it up.  Wait until the ground has warmed somewhat before applying.  Do not over mulch!!  Scott's Naturescape mulches do not seem to pack down and resist faded out color because of Scott's new dying technology.
• Apply Remuda, Finale, Round-up or a similar weed killer to kill weeds in your landscape beds before they get started.  Be careful not to spray established trees, shrubs and perennials as these products result in a total kill and may harm the plants that you actually want to keep.
• Start spraying for insects and disease on tea, floribunda and grandiflora roses.  We recommend organic products like Neem Oil and Remedy fungicide.
• Plant cold weather flowers such as Pansy, Primrose and Violas for some early spring color.

• Plant summer flowering bulbs such as Gladiolus and Cannas early in May and Dahlias towards the end of May. Divide the "bulbs" if you want (if over one year old), right at planting time.
• Fertilize trees, shrubs and perennials with Plant-tone or Holly-tone if you have not done this yet.
• Edge and clean up landscape beds, apply Preen weed preventer and then a light cover of new mulch to give beds that fresh look if you have not yet.
• Start a spray program for roses including teas, floribundas and grandifloras to prevent disease and insect damage.  Neem Oil and Bi-Carb are both excellent organic controls.
• Get ready to spray Dogwoods and large-leaved Rhododendron to prevent borer damage.  We recommend you spray Eight on the trunk and lower branches the week of May 1st, May 15th and May 30th.
• Take a walk through garden centers and nurseries at the end of April through mid-May especially to get an idea of what is available for your lawn or garden as this is the time of year that selection is greatest.
• Apply Bayer's Rhododendron & Azalea Insect & Disease Control insecticide as directed to Azaleas, small-leaved Rhododendron and Pieris to control lace bugs.  Apply again in six weeks.  Be sure to water in well.
• Spray Bonide Systemic Insect Control to clean up an existing infestation of lacebug.  Spray after blooms have dropped (about June 5) and repeat in 10 days.  Be sure to get under the leaves where the bugs are hiding.
• Plant tomato and pepper plants and most other annuals when the danger of frost has passed and the ground has warmed.  This is usually around the 3rd to 4th week of May.
• Apply a weed & feed as directed to your lawn the last week of May to control broadleaf weeds. 

• Apply Preen for weed prevention as long as its been at least eight weeks since you last applied.
• Fertilize your landscape beds with Holly-tone or Plant-tone again as long as it has been at least 30 days.
• Spray Bonide Systemic Insect Control to clean up an existing infestation of lacebug.  Spray after blooms have dropped (about June 5) and repeat in 10 days.  Be sure to get under the leaves where the bugs are hiding.
• June is Perennial Gardening Month and a great time to plant perennials!
• Finish planting the vegetable garden.  Different patches of cucumber, squash, beans and corn can be planted every 2 weeks up until July 4th to ensure a steady supply through fall when the first planted veggies and vines die off.
• Watch out for spider mites that can attack trees and shrubs such as Alberta Spruce, different annuals and sometimes perennials.  Check for mite activity by vigorously shaking branch of plant over a white sheet of paper.  If you see small red to brown specks moving, spray with Kelthane miticide as directed and repeat in 10 days to kill the next batch of mites hatching from eggs.  Be sure to also apply the spray under the leaves where mites like to hide.
• Continue planting your favorite plants as it usually only takes 3-4 weeks to get them to root in and established in your landscape
• Start increasing the mowing height of your lawn mower to 2.5 to 3 inches to avoid summer stress that will invite insects and diseases to move in.
• Toward the very end of June and anytime in July, apply Season Long Grub Control containing Merit insecticide to prevent grubs of European Chafer and Japanese Beetles from damaging or completely destroying your lawn this fall.
• Apply a slow release fertilizer such as Greenview's Green Power to maintain your lawn's fertility in summer and stave off insect and disease problems.
• Trim all spring flowering plants as they finish up blooming which in most cases is late May or early June.  Later trimming will cut off flower buds for the next spring that form in summer
• Dead-head (remove flower truss) large-leaved Rhododendron as soon as the flowers are spent to encourage more growth and to prevent a tip blight disease from entering through the spent flowers.
• Use Neem Oil for insect control on vegetable plants and herbs as well as ornamental plants as it is natural and best for organic gardening.  Neem Oil also suppresses black spot on roses.

Rhododendron & Azalea to-do's....

• Dead-head large-leaved Rhododendron by snapping out spent flower clusters with your thumb and forefinger which will prevent disease from infecting the plant.  Removing old flowers will make way for new growth to prosper.
• Spray existing lacebug problems on Azaleas, small-leaved Rhododendron and some large-leaved Rhododendron with a product containing acephate such as Bonide Systemic Insect Control.  Apply as directed.  Spraying acephate as a default on these plants every year right after bloom and then again in 10 days and repeating in mid-July and then in 10 days later will keep lacebugs at bay.  Be sure to "spray" under leaves as bugs like to hide there to keep cool and out of site of predators.
• Trim evergreen and deciduous Azalea to shape in order to ensure flower buds have enough time to form this summer for next spring's blooms.

• Continue to deadhead perennials and annuals to keep the blooms coming.
• Remove worn-out annuals and vegetables and replace with fall crops or fresh garden mums.
• Seed areas of the lawn that are thin or dead.  Keep the seed well watered while it germinates.
• Top off water gardens regularly if levels drop because of evaporation.
• Now is a good time to think about what perennials may need dividing.  Look for these signs: the center of the plant has died out, the plant is no longer flowering as profusely as before and the plant is filling in on the growing space of other plants.
• August is a great time to take cuttings and collect seeds.  Be sure to share with friends!
• Gradually move houseplants that have been summering outdoors into shadier locations so they can prepare for lower light levels.  Be sure to check for bugs before bringing indoors.