Monthly Tips

Before adding fresh mulch to your flower beds, apply a weed preventer such as Preen, Amaze or an organic alternative, corn gluten meal.

Creeping phlox, bleeding heart, candytuft, pansies, snapdragons and sweet alyssum are just a few of the early spring bloomers that thrive in the warm days and chilly nights of early April.

If you are planting geraniums, marigolds, New Guinea impatiens or any other tender plants, keep a close watch on the weather forecast and be prepared to protect them with frost cloth or bring them indoors when frost is predicted.

Start tuberous begonias, caladium, Elephant ear and canna bulbs indoors to be ready for May planting.

Plant gladiolus every week up to July 1st and enjoy flowers all summer and fall.

Apply Preen, Amaze or Crabgrass and Weed Preventer to landscape beds to prevent weeds from germinating.

Early April is a good time to plant the following vegetables outdoors: Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Chives, Collards, Horseradish, Kale, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onions, Parsley, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Rhubarb, Spinach and Swiss Chard.

Mix organic matter into vegetable garden soil. Cow manure, LeafGro, and Super Fine soil conditioner as well as lime and Garden-tone fertilizer are good options to consider.  Do not till or spade the vegetable garden if the soil is wet, as it will clump and become very hard to work all summer.

Now is a good time to plant apple, pear, peach and other fruit trees. To pollinate properly, fruit trees require two varieties to be planted.

Now is the time to stop cedar-apple rust on apple, serviceberry, hawthorn and other rosaceous host plants using Immunox, Daconil or Mancozeb.

Remember that newly planted trees and shrubs require special attention to watering. ‘Gator Bags’, drip irrigation and soaker hoses are especially effective for B&B plants which have denser soil. Once thoroughly saturated, B&B plants may not need to be watered as frequently as container grown plants.

View our watering guide.

Watch out for tent caterpillars in cherries, crabapples and plums. When the caterpillars are small (less than one inch long), you can spray with an organic product such as Thuricide or Monterey’s Garden Insect Spray. These products are only toxic to caterpillars.

Boxwood leaf miner and boxwood psyllid can be controlled in late April or early May by treating with Bonide Systemic Insect Spray.

Stay ahead of the weeds! Apply Gallery Broadleaf Weed Preventer along with a Crabgrass Preventer to stop weeds before they even get started. These products cannot be used on newly seeded lawns.

View our spring lawn care guide.

If you need to seed your lawn and stop weeds at the same time, apply Scotts Step One for Seeding Starter Lawn Food Plus Weed Preventer.

To eliminate chickweed, dandelions and other weeds that are currently growing in your lawn, use Bonide Chickweed, Clover and Oxalis Killer or Weed Beater Ultra. NOTE: Do not use these products in the flower garden.

Fertilize your lawn with one of Merrifield’s custom blended lawn foods. We recommend Merrifield Premium for your spring application. If you are seeding the lawn, we recommend Merrifield Select. Both of these products contain slow-release nitrogen, sulfate of potash and Granusol Iron.

Begin feeding fish when water temperatures rise above 50° F.

Prevent algae in your pond with floating barley bales.

Remove dead foliage from water features and ponds and fertilize water plants with a liquid or pellet fertilizer.

If you need to change water in the pond, remove ¼ of the total volume of water at a time every other day until the water has been replaced. When the process is complete, add chlorine and heavy metal remover.

Prevent deer from eating emerging tulip buds with Liquid Fence or Bobbex Deer Repellent.

Place netting around vegetables or fruit plants that you want to protect from local wildlife.