History of Herold's Farm

Tips for May

TREES & SHRUBS

Now, as you begin to see new growth in spring, is the time that trees and shrubs may need to be fertilized. Shrubs demand little fertilizer compared to the amount required by lawns or vegetables. Light applications of fertilizer at regular intervals greatly increase growth and stimulate flower production If trees show decreased vigor or pale foliage or a soil test shows nutrients are needed, apply fertilizer carefully, following package directions. Choose a fertilizer that is 50 percent nitrogen in slow-release form. Because nitrogen is able to pass through soils rather quickly, apply the necessary amount at two intervals; one half in spring and the other half in the autumn. Keep the fertilizer at least 6 inches from the trunk to avoid injuring the tree. After application, sprinkle the area with water to wash the fertilizer into the soil.: Proper care will do much to reduce tree problems, but even trees that are well adapted and well maintained may be affected by pests or diseases at some point in their lives. Early detection of such problems is the best hope for easy handling. Be aware of any visible changes in a tree's leaves, bark, or structure. Knowing what to look for and how to treat it will help you manage your valuable trees. As soil begins to warm, replace mulch to conserve water and control weeds. Continue to prune conifers and spring bloomers, such as forsythia, Japanese Andromeda, and lilacs, after they finish blooming.

ROSES

Mulching: In addition to giving a neat, attractive appearance to rose beds, mulching slows the evaporation of moisture from the soil and prevents the formation of a hard crust. Left in place all year, it insulates the soil, preventing rapid temperature changes in the soil during the winter as well as the summer. Following is a list of mulching materials you can use in your rose garden: . COCO mulch is excellent for roses and should be applied at 1 ½ --2" depth. CEDAR mulch is excellent for roses and shrubs should be applied 1 ½" –3" depth and 3"—4" away from stem. HEMLOCK mulch is excellent for roses and shrubs should be applied 1 ½" –3" depth and 3"—4" away from stem. PINE BARK mulch is excellent for roses and shrubs should be applied 1 ½" –3" depth and 3"—4" away from stem. PINE BARK mini nuggets or nuggets mulch is good for roses and shrubs should be applied 1 ½" –3"depth and 3"—4" away from stem. Landscape fabric Excellent. Discourages weeds while allowing water to penetrate. Can be covered with thin layer of bark or other material for a more attractive appearance. Weeding: Mulching is also helpful in controlling weeds. It is best not to cultivate to control weeds, as deep cultivation around roses - more than 1 to 2 inches - will damage feeder roots. Apply a mulch around the rose plants or over the whole planting bed. Using an organic mulch, such as bark, will help to improve the soil as it breaks down. For the occasional weed that is able to poke it's ugly head up through your protective mulch, use Kleeraway® Grass & Weed Killer. Be sure to shield your roses from any overspray. Any Kleeraway not absorbed by the weeds breaks down into natural materials and will not move in or on the soil to harm your untreated plants. Disease Control: Establish a regular spray schedule for disease control during the growing season. Use either RosePride® Funginex® Rose & Shrub Disease Control or Multi-Purpose Fungicide (Daconil 2787® Plant Disease Control. You may never see any evidence of disease if you regularly take the time every two weeks or so to treat your roses with MESSENGER. Certain diseases, such as Black Spot, Rust, and Powdery Mildew, show up again and again in certain areas. Insects: There may be times when you are faced with an invasion of pests overwhelming your usual methods of control. This is often the case in spring when tender new growth attracts hungry aphids. In such cases it's important to act quickly. Spray at the first sign of attack. Get the first aphids, the first brood of beetles, or the first invasion of thrips, and you'll be able to establish complete control more quickly.

FLOWERS

Plant perennials. For continuous bloom, start planting gladiolus every 2 weeks now through June. Fertilize plants when new growth appears. Fertilizer: When you add organic matter and lime or sulfur to the soil, it's good to add a complete fertilizer as well. Packaged dry fertilizers are the easiest to apply. Choose a formulation such as 5-10-5 (the numbers refer to the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) A fertilizer high in nitrogen content may stimulate leaf growth at the expense of flowers, which makes for a large, lush plant with few flowers. Phosphorus stimulates both root growth and the formation of flowers. Potassium, or potash, contributes to stem strength as well as increases resistance to disease. Remove dead blooms and fertilize spring bulbs as they finish bloom. Allow dying foliage to remain until yellow. Crowded clumps can then be divided and transplanted. Continue to divide early spring perennials after bloom. Plant summer bulbs, direct-sow or transplant summer annuals, and move out container plants when danger of frost is past. Pinch back mums when they are 6" high. This encourages side branching which promotes bushier plants with abundant blooms.

LAWNS

Fertilizing:

If you think heavy rains have washed out nutrients, now is the time for a second application of fertilizer. If you applied fertilizer heavily in the fall, May is the time to apply fertilizer again. Fertilize zoysiagrass and Bermuda grass as they begin to green up. Their best growing period is just ahead, so fertilizing early speeds recovery from winter dormancy. Weeding: If you missed the chance to apply a pre-emergent barrier, watch for crabgrass seedling as they begin to appear in your lawn. Once crabgrass is growing, use a post-emergent herbicide, such as Weed-B-Gon Crabgrass Killer, Concentrate or Weed-B-Gon Crabgrass Killer, Ready-to-Use. For best results, apply to young, actively growing crabgrass plants. Make sure your lawn variety is listed on the label. A complete description of many lawn problems and solutions can be found in the Ortho book All About Lawns.

Lawn Mowing Heights:

BLUEGRASS 1"------21/2"

FINE FESCUE 11/2-----21/2"RYEGERASS 11/2"-----21/2" TALL FESCUE 2"-------3"

ZOYSIAGRASS ½"------1"

Watering Habits:

As a general rule of thumb the lawn needs about ½"of water every third day, Maybe ¼"more in the direct sun. WATERING with a hose and nozzle is not a good Idea, because it gets the foliage wet not the soil.

Lawn thatch:

Thatch is a normal phenomenon in lawns. It is an accumulation of grass blade found in one form or another, mostly from grass blades that the lawn mower does not pick up.Less than a ½"of thatch is good ,but more than a ½"is not good. Too much thatch is not good because the water will not get fertilizer to the roots, which will make the roots grow. Instead it will be stay in the thatch.

VEGETABLES & HERBS

Thin, transplant, water, and fertilize seedling. Sow or transplant out a succession of cool-season crops, such as lettuce, celery, parsnips, spinach, kohlrabi, and broccoli. Harden off warm-weather seedlings (watermelon, eggplant, and okra) and plant when danger of frost is past. compatible planting of vegetables COMPATIBLE COMBATIVE BEANS beets,broccoli,cabbage,carrots flower,corn,cukes,peas,tomatoes CARROTS beans,lettuce,onions,peas anise,dill,parsley radishes,rosemary,sage,tomatoes CUCUMBERS beans,broccoli,cabbage,flower aromatic herbs,melons,potatoes corn,lettuce,peas,sunflowers EGGPLANT basil,beans,lettuce,peas, potatoes,spinach KALE cabbage,dill,potatoes strawberries,tomatoes rosemary,sage LETTUCE ALL broccoli PEAS ALL garlic,onions PEPPERS basil,coriander,onions,spinach beans tomatoes SPINACH ALL TOMATOES asparagus,basil,beans,carrots broccoli,cabbage,flower,corn celery,dill,lettuce,parsley,peppers kale,potatoes,sprouts spinach,thyme Weeds: Unfortunately, weeds compete with vegetables, thriving in the sun and rich, moist soil the vegetables need. Every time you work the soil, you inadvertently bring weed seeds closer to the surface, where they have a better chance to germinate. A good weed preventive is mulch, such as leaves, straw, sawdust, or ground bark. Adding mulch offers a variety of other benefits as well: It protect roots in the top inches of soil from high temperatures, conserves water by reducing evaporation from the soil, and prevents erosion and soil compaction caused by foot traffic or water from heavy rains or sprinklers. Apply mulch in the spring after soil has warmed and plants are several inches high. Watering: One inch of gentle rain each week during the growing season is every gardener's dream. But this rarely happens in the mid-Atlantic states where thunderstorms can bring tremendous amounts of rainfall in a short period of time or long periods of drought can bring stress to many plants. Flowers may fully recover from the retarded growth caused by water stress, but vegetables will not. For a successful harvest, make sure that these vegetables receive ample water during the following critical periods: Vegetable Critical Watering Period Asparagus As ferns begin to grow their foliage Broccoli During the time the heads begin to develop Cabbage During the time the heads begin to develop Carrot As roots begin to enlarge Cauliflower During flowering and fruit development Corn As ear silk develops and tassels become apparent Cucumber During flowering as well as through fruit development Eggplant During flowering as well as through fruit development Lettuce Head - As heads begin to develop Leaf - consistently throughout development Lima Bean Beginning at pollination and continuing through pod development Melon During flowering and evenly throughout fruit development Onion When bulbs begin to enlarge You can tell when to water by feeling the soil a couple of inches below the surface. If it feels cool to the touch but doesn't get your finger muddy, it's just the right time to water. Never let the soil get dry and dusty. For the most part, putting vegetables under water stress will greatly affect your harvest. Snap beans will drop their blossoms. Lettuce - whose shallow root system requires a steady supply of moisture - will turn bitter. Cucumber will stop growing altogether (although they will resume if watered again). Beets will become tough and stringy. Radishes will turn hot. Turnips will develop too strong a flavor.

FRUITS & BERRIES

Cover soil with fresh, weed-free mulch. Protect strawberries from late frost. Thin brambles and fruit on apples, pears, and plums. Thinning Fruit: Thinning fruit is a form of pruning. It is almost always necessary to thin if you want a large, sweet, top-quality fruit, less limb breakage, and a successful crop next year. A good rule of thumb is to thin to distances of twice the expected diameter of the fruit. For example, if you have an apple tree that should produce 3-inch fruits, leave 6 inches between apples after thinning. Although each variety has a best time for thinning, generally it is best to thin before the fruit has gone through half its growing season. Usually there is a natural fruit drop about 3 to 6 weeks after bloom. If you lose a lot of fruit you may not want to thin at all. In this case, do not worry if fruits are bunched together, rather than evenly spaced according to the above fruit-size rule. It's the overall fruit load, not the spacing, that is most critical. Controlling Pests: Most fruit trees and berries need regular spraying to produce a large crop that is free of holes and blemishes. Home gardeners will tolerate a few more wormy apples than supermarket buyers, but usually find it necessary to follow a spray schedule. Aphids: These are soft bodied insects that damage leaves and fruit by sucking plant sap. They usually appear on tender, young foliage. Contact sprays applied during the growing season will help with control this pest. Use MASTER NURSEY PESTFIGHTER, Home Orchard Spray, or Malathion 50 Plus Insect Spray. Codling moths: These moths lay eggs in the blossoms of apples and pears and their larvae tunnel in the fruit leaving holes and droppings. Once the worms have penetrated the apples, it is impossible to kill them. To protect un infested fruit, spray after petals fall with Home Orchard Spray or Malathion 50 Plus Insect Spray. Fruit may be damaged by worms continuously throughout the summer, so check product labels for information about re-application. Scales: Several different types of scales infest fruit trees. They lay their eggs on leaves or bark, and in spring to midsummer the young scales, called crawlers, settle on leaves and twigs. Spray schedules will vary from county to county, so contact your local Cooperative Extension Office to determine the appropriate time to apply the insecticide in your area. Use MASTER NURSEY PESTFIGHTER, or Malathion 50 Plus® Insect Spray on plants listed on the label. Cover soil with fresh, weed-free mulch. Protect strawberries from late frost.

INSECTS TO WATCH FOR:

Gypsy moths.

Control:

It is best to contact a professional tree expert for large trees. Spray smaller trees with Orthene Systemic Insect Control, when tiny larvae are first noticed. Repeat the spray at weekly intervals if damage continues. During the spring when larvae are feeding place burlap bands or tape on trees, leaving the bottom edge unattached. Larvae will crawl under these flaps to hide during the day. Collect and destroy them daily. Keep trees otherwise healthy by fertilizing regularly and watering during periods of drought. When planting trees, choose species that are less favored by the gypsy moth.

Aphids.

Control:

Normally, natural predators such as ladybugs keep aphid populations from overrunning your garden. But when an infestation becomes obvious, it is large enough to harm your plants, and control measures are necessary. When applying the following products, it is important to cover foliage thoroughly. On food crops use: Bug-B-Gon® Insect Killer , Malathion 50 Plus Insect Spray Home Orchard Spray Ortho Tomato & Vegetable Insect Killer for plants listed on the label. Your product choice may depend upon how long it will be until you harvest. Harvest interval days are usually listed in parentheses following each crop. For example, tomatoes (1) means you may harvest your tomatoes one day after spraying. For ornamentals you may choose any of the following for plants listed on the label: Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer , Isotox Insect Killer - Orthene Systemic Insect Control RosePride Orthenex® Insect & Disease Control ,Ortho Rose & Flower Insect Killer RosePride Systemic Make sure your plant is listed on the product label. If you have an ornamental plant which isn't listed, spray a few leaves and wait 3 days to see if any injury occurs before proceeding to spray the entire plant.

Fireblight on apples, pears, quinces, crab apples, hawthorns, pyracantha).

Control:

Prune affected branches 12 to 15 inches below any visible discoloration and destroy the clippings. Disinfect shears between cuts with rubbing alcohol. A protective spray of basic copper sulfate applied before bud break in the spring will help prevent infection. Repeat at intervals of 5 to 7 days until the end of bloom.

Last Updated:May 21, 2006