MAY THINGS TO DO
Seattle Area (PNW)
revised 060326
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SHRUBS AND TREE'S
Inspect for:
* cankers and swollen area's
* damaged and crossing branches
* dead, off-color, leaves and twigs
* guy wires that need to be loosened or removed
* routine pruning & thinning
(do prior to leafout / bloom)
* cut old fern leaves to just above new fronds about to emerge
* prune roses
* prune hydranga's, gooseberry, currant
* prune early flowering heath, heather, and shrubs
(after blooms die off)
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* identify the plants you intend to prune
* follow your local county extension pruning guidelines
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Lawns:
mow-edge-trim
* Seattle lawns may need weekly mowing this month,
Denver maybe not so much.
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Fertilize
* fertilizing early in spring is not a good idea.
It will cause a growth spurt that requires
more mowing, and possible fungal problems.
* however, if your lawn is looking weak or mossy,
apply an iron sulfate product containing
a small percentage of nitrogen.
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Weed Control
*weed & feed is never recommended.
* try to identify the weeds you want to control
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* Spot treatments of household vinegar can be useful:
* apply using a spray bottle or hand pump
* for non-selective control of dandelions,
many other weeds, and weedlike grasses
* it does not work on buttercup or ground ivy
* DO NOT USE OVER ROOT ZONES OF TREES AND SHRUBS
* additonal applications may be helpful
* target the weed
* apply with moderation as you would on a garden salad
* palm-sized spots of grasskill will recover
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* safe products based on cinnamin, orange oil, etc -
are available, & approved by the epa and
many states.
* read the label carefully and follow the instructions
hand-dig weeds where practical - use a corona mattock with adjustable handle (it can be done!)
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Watering: In Seattle, rainfall is usually sufficient
For Denver the water dept hopes lawns will
survive significant damage if irrigation is withheld
until mid-may.
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Cranefly control: Not recommended unless high numbers
are confirmed present in soil.
Otherwise early may is a window of opportunity. neem oil or canola oil are low toxicity products that may work.
Don't use either spray when bee's are present in area.
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Lawn renovation: Great month for lawn renovation up until mid-month.
In Denver, I am unclear on how lawns can be renovated /overseeded
under water restrictions. Perhaps as perennials the seedlings
can be hand-watered using a hose before 10am or after 6pm.
Seattle - I used only perennial rye and fescue grass seed mixtures;
However, there are many new types of seed mixtures
available - so read the labels and decide what fits your needs.
use a small hand-held spreader to apply seed efficiently
do not use seed with over 1% total crop and weed seed
Coated or all-in-one seed mixes will get much less coverage and end up costing 3 times as much as pure seed mixes.
Top dress with topsoil/compost mix to help keep seedlings from drying out or consumed by birds.
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Aeration: aerate only if the soil beneath the grass
is not getting wet after a good rain
i think most lawns, at least in Seattle, don't need aerating
To be effective, several passes (4 or 5) of the aerator is needed to remove sufficient soil surface
leave the plugs on the ground
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*For additional information pls link to the
"Lawn Care Tips" pamphlet on this site:
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Planting Bed Maintenance
* Routine weeding and cleanup.
* get control of rampant growing groundcovers
* Fertilize roses, shrubs, groundcovers as needed
* Prepare garden beds- turn over weeds and last
years remnants.
Many warm weather plants can be seeded or planted -. radish, peppers, squash, tomato, basil, sweet corn, green beans, cucumber, eggplant, okra, melons, sweet potato
plant perennial herbs and flowers from seed
bulbs - dahlia, canna, gladiola
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MULCH
- helps suppress weeds and makes them easier to remove
- protects soil from compaction and erosion due to rain
- protects sensitive plants against cold damage
* Add mulch to beds if needed. More than 2" total depth of mulch is not recommended
* Compost is a mulch containing significant amounts of decomposed organic matter
* Compost, leaves, and moss, are effective soil builders
* Leaves provide good cover for bare-dirt beds and slopes
* Leaves left in beds can be raked up if they become unacceptably unsightly after at least some of the mass breaks down; or, till them back into the bed in the spring, or add more mulch later over the leaves.
* Keep mulch away from trunks of shrubs and trees.
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Compost
* For garden area's and closely planted beds, Compost is a good mulch to improve soil quality and provide organic nutrients.
* ACE hardware soil/compost mix seems like a good product.
* Compost of variable quality is usually available at landscape materials outlets. Check for excessive sand and sawdust in mix.
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* For open bed area's, play area's, trails;
* Arbor chips work well - they can be applied more thickly than other mulches, but will be more time consuming to apply, and variable in quality
* play chips can also be used as mulch but it will have a different appearance and color you may not prefer
* Coarser bark mulch will last quite a bit longer than finer bark
* Dyed wood chip mulch if used should be certified not to contain shredded pallets before using it.
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Moss on hardscapes:
* Inspect walkways, steps and driveway for hazardous buildup of moss. Scrape it off, then apply a safe hardscape moss control product or household vinegar.
* the residue moss may still be slick and unsightly until it weathers away, so it may be nescessary to pressure wash any remaining moss or algae.
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roof and gutter cleaning:
* March and October are good times to schedule routine maintenance. Regular roof maintenance can extend roof-life by 25% (*2)
* A rainy day is a good time to look for leaks and overflows. This month (March), the PNW still has 3 months of rain to come, and additional debris and moss buildup may have accumulated since the last cleaning. (see our research link page - to structural moss control).
* Note that gutter screening systems can lose effectiveness if covered by debris or plugged with moss. Finely meshed downspout screens may disintegrat and actually clog downspouts.
* Heavy moss and debris on roofs should first be removed as much as practically possible - gently scrape, sweep, or brush with the backside of a metal flexible rake or a wire brush on a handle.
* do not attempt to physically remove moss on dangerous roof-slopes. just spray it with a safe moss control product and allow it to weather away, or call a pro. don't take a chance of slipping!!
* lilly miller "worry free" has a safe product for moss control; household vinegar is also effective. Use only products labelled for hardscape use. FOLLOW ALL LABEL INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS! these products do kill moss, but allow time for the dead moss to weather away. brush the dead moss off when it no longer clings to roofing.
* Pressure washing roofs can cause damage and is not recommended, unless the pressure is carefully regulated so as not to cause damage.
* Removing moss from cedar shake roofs is not recommended or feasible.
* Use chicken wire and wirecutters to make downspout covers or inserts to
keep your downspouts from plugging up. A finer mesh may quickly plug up
and in some cases, disintegrate inside your downspout.
