Radio Show Recap
Angelo’s tips for pruning winter damage:
- Hollies do burn, clean them up & trim and shape now
- Boxwood – trim and shape or can cut hard too (may look woody, but they’ll grow through it)
- Taxus – shape and cut back as needed, cut hard (may look woody, but they’ll grow through it)
- Juniper – clean them up, tip them
- Arborvitaes– trim and shape them now (may look woody, but they’ll grow through it)
- Burning Bush – cut back now as hard as you want
- Spirea – use a hand pruner to clean up old/dead wood, trim back to basketball size or cut back down to the ground if needed
- Panicle Hydrangea – cut back to 8-10” (ball), cut hard so it grows new wood
- Rose of Sharon Hibiscus – cut back to 8-10” (ball), cut hard so it grows new wood
- Macrophylla Hydrangea – When buds are a size of a pea, take all the dead off to that pea shape, silvery coated wood needs to be removed.
This Week in Your Lawn & Garden:
- Spring Pruning | Angelo shared advice for pruning panicle & mophead hydrangeas, burning bush, spirea, hardy hibiscus, and evergreens like holly, taxus, boxwood, and juniper. As always, it’s important to hold off on trimming early spring bloomers like azaleas, rhododendron, mock orange, lilacs, and forsythia until they’re finished blooming.
- Preventing Crabgrass | Now is the best time to apply crabgrass control, like Scotts® Step 1®, to prevent the germination of annual crabgrass. If you’re planning to overseed the lawn this spring, be sure to choose Step 1 “for seeding” so you don’t suppress the lawn seed while addressing the weed seed. WATCH Spring Lawn Care
- Seeding the Lawn | The weather is perfect for grass sedding projects. Soil is warming, air temps remain cool, and rainfall is plentiful, all of which combine for successful seed germination and grass establishment. Apply quality seed, lime, and starter fertilizer all at the same time. READ Seeding the Lawn.
- Eliminating Weeds | Bittercress and other early spring weeds popping up in the landscape. Use Captain Jack’s® DeadWeed Brew to kill weeds already present, then apply Preen® to prevent future issues this season (reapply Preen in the fall). SHOP Weed Controls
- Dividing Perennials | Early spring is a great time to divide perennials. Wait until they’re about 2″ above ground, then dig, divide, and replant using Angelo’s Six Steps to Success.
- Preparing Garden Soil | Before you plant any veggies & herbs, take the time to build or replenish nutrients in your soil. Till in any winter wheat or cover crops you’ve been growing since last fall. Add organic compost, Sweet Peet®, Petitti Planting Mix, and Soil Perfector™, if heavy clay soil conditions are present. HOW TO Prepare the Soil.
- Spraying Fruit Trees | Ensure good fruit development this season! Spray fruit trees before flower buds open, and after flower petals have fallen (not while they’re in bloom!) with Bonide Orchard Spray® on a dry day and as directed. READ Fruit Treatment Schedule.
- Turning Hydrangeas Blue/Pink | If you have a Bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla) you would like to bloom blue, now’s the time to apply Aluminum Sulfate or Soil Acidifier. Repeat the application when buds are the size of a quarter. To bloom pink, feed them Garden Lime. Don’t apply to red-blooming varieties, as they don’t need it. WATCH Changing Hydrangea Color.
- Keeping Bugs Out | Bugs are waking up! On a dry day, spray Ortho® Home Defense® 3 feet up & out around the entire perimeter of your foundation, garage, and door jambs to achieve 6 months of protection from ants & pests. Sprinkle Eight® granules in a 3-foot band around your home to create a barrier. SHOP Home Defense.