Be sure to stop by Betty's if you have any questions or need advice.

April 20th should be marked in red on any gardener's calendar. It is 30 days past the spring equinox and is the date by which soil temperature will reach 45º F. Big deal? This is the day summer weeds will begin to germinate … both grass type weeds and broadleaf weeds. This is the date on which it is officially too late to put down any lawn or planting bed pre-emergent herbicide. Weeds are far easier to deal with before they start to grow. Don't miss this last opportunity to have a weed free landscape.

Winter Weeds. You may be scratching your head wondering about the weeds you can already see. These are winter weeds and can be successfully eliminated by spraying with post-emergent broadleaf weed killers like 'Rockland' 3-Way Weed Killer, 'Dragon' Lawn Weed Killer, or 'Ortho' Weed-B-Gon. If you are growing some real monsters, you may weed wack them down to about 4" in height before spraying. I prefer to use a 2-3 gallon pump sprayer rather than a hose end apparatus. The nozzle of the pump sprayer can be placed very close to the weeds and danger of spray floating to desirable plants is reduced.

Sunny Lawn versus Shady Lawns. When planning weed treatments you should be aware that crabgrass doesn't grow in shady lawns. Pre-emergent crabgrass treatments in those areas will be a waste of your money and time.

Selecting the Right Pre-emergent for your Landscape. Answering a few basic questions will narrow your selection considerably.

1. Have you or do you plan to put down grass seed this spring?
2. Do you need to control grass type weeds, broadleaf weeds or both?
3. How often are you willing to repeat treatment?
4. How much can you spend?

The following is not an exhaustive list of available products by any means. Gardeners do not like weeds and the garden industry does like money. Ask at Betty's for a weed care sheet for more suggestions. I've generally listed the products from least to most expensive. The more expensive the product, the longer it lasts.

• Balan - Crabgrass pre-emergent.
• Tupersan - the only product listed that permits seeding. Crabgrass pre-emergent.
• Barricade - Grassy weeds pre-emergent. Broad spectrum. Long lasting.
• Dimension - Grassy weeds pre-emergent. Broad spectrum. Long lasting.
• Gallery and Portrait (contains Gallery) - Broadleaf weed pre-emergent. Broad spectrum. Long lasting.
• Surflan AS and Amaze XL (contains Surflan and Balan) - Grassy and broadleaf weed pre-emergent. Very broad spectrum of kill and long lasting.

Portrait, Surflan AS and Amaze XL are particularly good selections to use in your ornamental (not edible) planting beds. They will protect you from all types of weeds for the whole growing season.

But I Really Need to Seed! If your lawn looks like a softball field at the end of a very long summer, you do need to seed. Pre-emergents are handy, easy to apply weed controls but they are not the only way to control weeds. There are a variety of post-emergent herbicides for both grassy and broadleaf weeds available to you. If you need to overseed your lawn, do it now.

If the soil in the bare patches of your lawn looks like the outside of a nicely glazed earthenware pot:

• Step 1 in seeding is to aerate your whole lawn. Lawns in clay soil benefit from aeration every 2-3 years. Steeply sloping areas are best aerated annually.
• Step 2, if you haven't done so in the last year, is to apply lime at the rate of 40 lbs. per 1,000 square feet.
• Step 3 - apply a slow release seed starter fertilizer like 'Sta-Green' Seed-N-Sod 18-24-10 at recommended rates. Seed starter fertilizers have a high percentage of phosphorus to promote root growth. This is the middle number in the 18-24-10. For the very best results,
• Step 4 is to spread 1/4 to 1/2 inch of Nutri-Green alkaline top soil dressing over your entire lawn.
• Step 5 - spread new seed.
• Step 6 - do not allow the new seed to dry out during the first two weeks or so of growth. At this time of year watering lightly once a day if it doesn't rain will probably be enough.

Selecting Grass Seed. Ideally, you want to overseed your existing lawn with the same type of grass it already contains. If you don't know what you have, bring a sample to Betty's for identification. Most of us have fescue or fescue-bluegrass blends. Grass seeds are constantly being improved for such variables as drought tolerance, shade tolerance, disease resistance, and pleasing appearance. Also, as a general rule of thumb, your lawn is best protected by using a blend of several varieties of seed each with somewhat different strengths. Let us help you select the best seed for your lawn.

TREES AND SHRUBS

Planting. Now is the time and the sooner the better. Betty's is bursting with newly arrived trees and shrubs. You do want to install soon to give the plants time to settle in before really hot weather hits. Pick up planting and care guides at Betty's when you make your purchases.

In general, our clay soil dictates that we dig shallow but wide planting holes so that 20-25% of the rootball remains above the existing soil level. Discard about half the clay soil and amend the remainder with good compost like 'Superfines' or 'Clay Cutter.'

Holding the new plant by its rootball gently settle it into the planting hole. Backfill with about half the amended soil. Add 'Roots' granular or pour in a liquid 'Roots' solution. Add a good, slow release fertilizer like 'Agriform' tablets. Backfill the remainder of the amended soil to form sides sloping away from the main trunk(s) of the plant. Layer with 3" or so of bark mulch. The mulch needs to be most shallow near the trunk and thickest near the edges of the rootball where new roots will grow. Water well.

If the plant has burlap around its rootball, do not disturb it until you have added the first half of the back fill soil. Then, carefully remove the string tied around the top of the burlap and lay back the sides of the burlap. You may trim some of the burlap off but it will biodegrade on its own eventually.

Last, but not least, care for this new plant as though it were a houseplant for the first year after installation. Check often to be sure the rootball is not dry. The soil in the rootball is different than the surrounding soil and may dry out more quickly than you would expect.

Pruning. It is spring clean up time. April is the month to prune off any dead or diseased growth from trees and shrubs. It is also the time to trim back summer flowering shrubs and trees like crape myrtle, althea or Rose of Sharon, forsythia (once it has finished blooming), butterfly bush, 'Annabelle' hydrangea and smoke tree. Browned out areas of winterburn on your broadleaf evergreens like boxwoods and hollies should be trimmed back now. Unfortunately, those brown leaves will not turn green again. Brown tips on needle leaved evergreens like junipers, pines, spruces, hemlocks etc. will not turn green again either. Trim back to the nearest healthy branching point.

Please note: Do not do general trimming on spring flowering shrubs like azalea, rhododendron, pieris japonica, etc. at this time. Dead branches may be removed but otherwise wait until after flowering to prune.

Roses. Prune all dead wood off roses. The harder the winter was the harder you trim. Remove suckers growing from below the graft union (large bulge at bottom of main stems) because these shoots will not be true to rose type. Trim tea roses to 18". Fertilize with 'Sta-Green Rose Food,' 'Agriform' or 'Osmocote' and add lime if you have not done so in the last 6-9 months.

Insect Patrol. Nature is waking up with a vengeance in April. It's time to check your landscape plants for signs of insect damage. This list will get you started but ask for Betty's Insect/Pest Control Handout for more complete information.

Lacefly - Leaves of azalea, rhododendron, andromeda turn a milky green with black spots of back side of leaf.

Spider Mite - Irregular patches of dying foliage on the outside edges of arborvitae, dwarf alberta spruce, cryptomeria, hinoki cypress, hemlock, juniper, pine, yew and Norway spruce.

Leaf Miner - narrow, light colored trails meandering over the leaves of boxwood and holly in particular.

Borers - enter under the bark on the trunks of dogwood and birch in particular. Slightly loose bark with trails or holes in the wood underneath are a sure sign. Treat immediately.

Tent Caterpillars - Gauzy clumps forming in your trees. Called webs these nests contain the larvae of tent caterpillars. Treat immediately.

Wooly Adelgid - Cotton like growth on the stems of hemlock, spruce and pine especially at the growing tips. Treat immediately.

If you are uncertain about the presence of one or more of these insect pests on your plants, please bring a sample of your plant to Betty's for pest identification and treatment recommendations.

Winter is over and we are back to work in our gardens. Isn't it great!