Monthly Gardening Tasks – May May 1st, 2016

• Irrigation controller seasonal adjustment should be set to 85%

• Plant summer and fall blooming perennials as well as shrub, tree, or vine.

• When shopping at the nursery, look for plants that have good leaf color (green leaves should be a deep green, not pale and yellowish) and attractive form. Check container bottoms to make sure roots aren’t growing out of them (which may mean plants are root bound). Plants should also be well watered.

• Vegetables: Start corn, tomatoes, peppers etc in garden. Plant corn in blocks. Corn plants carry both male and female flowers. The male flowers are on the tassels at the tip of the plant; the female flowers form the silk that hangs out of the developing ears. In order for the ears to produce a full set of kernels, wind must distribute pollen to all of them,. To ensure good pollination, plant corn in blocks of no fewer than 16 plants (4 rows of 4 plants).

• For pumpkins by Halloween, sow seeds now.

• Apply iron chelate. If foliage on azaleas, camellias, citrus, and gardenias is yellowish with green veins, the plants need iron. Use iron chelate (according to label directions) or a complete fertilizer (10-10-10) containing iron chelate.

• Select those plants that you need to replace, such as those that were winter killed or have lost shape due to improper pruning. Plants that are grown in containers, they can be planted into the garden at anytime now.

• Water infrequently as possible, deeply and ensure that the entire root zone is wetted.

• Lawns: During the summer months, turfgrass requires between 1- 1.5 inches of water per week. This should be done during the cooler part of the day, when the winds are low and there is sufficient time for the droplets to dry from the blades. Mow more frequently but always lightly, never taking off more than 1/4 of new growth at a time. Set blade height to between 2 and 3 inches