April is a busy time. It’s time to start putting your garden plan in place and preparing for a healthy garden.
Flower Beds, Trees and Shrubs
- Fertilize bulbs with a balanced fertilizer after they finish blooming.
- Divide herbaceous perennials, clumps of bulbs, and ornamental grasses if the garden looks too crowded. Replant at original depthor give away!
- Remove any dead flowers from plants to encourage new growth.
- Apply new mulch around your plants, shrubs, and trees, if needed.
- This is a great month for planting shrubs and trees.
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they finish blooming. Fertilize azaleas, camellias, and any other shrubs that need fertilizer.
Kitchen Garden
- Plant berry crops such as blueberries, strawberry crowns, and raspberries.
- Continue succession planting of cool-weather crops such as arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, lettuce and spinach.
- Begin planting herbs. Plant basil at the end of them month if weather permits.
- Harden off vegetable seedlings starting about 2 weeks before of planting.
- Continue planting warm-season crops: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cabbage. Plant okra, too!
- Thin your carrots and radishes to ensure they are properly spaced as they grow.
- Install your arbores or trellises for vining and climbing crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes, spring peas and pole beans.
- If nighttime temperatures get into the 30s, use row covers to protect vegetable crops.
Lawn
- Remove any leaves from your lawn, and then fertilize it with a slow-release fertilizer.
- Ensure that your lawn is getting enough water (1 inch per week).
- Mow your lawn at recommended heights (St. Augustine and Bahia: 3 to 4 inches; Centipede: 1.5 to 2 inches; Dwarf St. Augustine: 2.5 inches).
- Apply pre-emergent herbicide to control crabgrass.
Houseplants
- Divide and repot houseplants. Fertilize if necessary.
Weeds
- Finish mulching beds to discourage weeds.
- Stay on top of pulling spring weeds that will start growing vigorously and compete with your plants for water and nutrients.
- Remove cool-season weeds such as henbit, chickweed before they go to seed.
Other tips
- Check sprinkler systems for any issues and fix, as needed.
- Apply soil amendments in accordance with soil test recommendations.
- Watch out for insects such as aphids and use an insecticidal soap spray if needed.