MAY

May Green Tips

WEEK ONE

The Civic Garden Center

Fruits and Vegetables

Install floating row covers to protect young vegetable transplants from frost damage.

When planning the garden, plant a row for the hungry, and share with local agencies providing food to the unfortunate.

Landscaping

Examine Mugo and other pines for small white streaks indicating the presence of pine scale. Treat with dormant oil the first week of May, when crawlers are active.

Begin fertilizing roses in mid May with ¼ cup Epson Salt scattered around the base of each plant.   Continue monthly   through mid August.

Prune lilacs, forsythia and other shrubs that bloom on old wood after they finish flowering.

Train and trim   espaliered plants and topiaries .

Deadhead bulbs as blooms are spent, leaving foliage intact and not folded or otherwise damaged, to photosynthesize and produce food for renewing the bulbs.

After lilacs finish blooming, cut back to the ground 1/3 of the oldest branches to curtail lilac borer and rejuvenate the plant. Flowers

Plant annuals when danger of frost is past - usually May 15 for Cincinnati .

Choose drought-tolerant annuals for plantings around bulbs so that the bulbs will be less likely to rot from overly moist soil.

Eco-tip

Learn to recognize invasive weed pests in the garden. Garlic Mustard is in blooming now. This biennial weed begins as a low rosette of leaves, the first year. The second year it can grow to 3-4 feet, with small white pompoms of blooms at the top which product a phenomenal amount of seeds that remain viable in the soil for 7 years.

Control by hand-pulling, storing the weeds in black plastic bags for a year to completely destroy the seeds.

MAY TIPS: WEEK TWO

Landscape

After Lilacs finish blooming, cut back to the ground 1/3 of the oldest branches to curtail lilac borer and rejuvenate the plant. Lilac will bloom next year on this year's growth.

Attract hummingbirds by planting Weigela, red buckeye, hawthorn, flowering crabapple, butterflybush, and Clethra.

Unsure about the location of underground utilities? Call this number 48 hours before you dig 1-800-362-2764. Allow a week for a crew to visit the site and mark underground phone lines, sewer lines, etc. A phone call can save lots of headaches, time and money.

Learn to recognize invasive weed pests in the garden. Garlic mustard is blooming now. This biennial weed begins as a low rosette of leaves the first year. The second year it can grow to 3-4 feet, with small white pompoms of blooms at the top which product a phenomenal amount of seeds that remain viable in the soil for 7 years. Control by hand-pulling, storing the weeds in black plastic bags for a year to completely destroy the seeds.   Seeds are also destroyed by leaving the bag in the sun so that the heat kills the seed.

Flowers & Bulbs

Encourage the root establishment of Hosta by preventing blooms for one or two seasons. Clip the bud stalks to the ground.

Pinch back   Phlox, Monarda, Physostegia and Tradescantia to   control the height and fullness of   the plants.

Finish digging and dividing ornamental grasses.

Vegetables and Fruits

Attract beneficial insects to the garden by planting Monarda, Achillea, Asclepias and Queen Ann's Lace.

Make additional plantings of sweet corn, mustard, radishes and lettuce. Make first plantings of snap beans, lima beans, cucumbers, pumpkin watermelon and tomato transplants.

Add to planting holes for vegetable transplants, one cup of starter solution. Prepare solution by mixing soluble fertilizers with high phosphorus (middle number on the container) at the rate of 2 Tablespoons per gallon of water.

Check raspberry and blackberry shoots when 12-14 inches tall for viruses and orange rust. Infected plants will be thornless, thin and willowy, and will have orange spores under the leaves. Dig out and destroy all infected plants. Do not put in compost.

Eco - Tip

Compost heaps need a balance of 'greens', which contain nitrogen and 'browns', which contain carbon.. Alternate layers and toss in an occasional shovel of garden soil to add microorganisms. Turn to incorporate air and hasten decomposition, and water when it gets dry. Watch the heap reduce to 70% of its original size over several months.

MAY TIPS: WEEK THREE

Landscape

Choose sites carefully for planting narrow-leafed evergreens.

Avoid low, wet areas with standing water where roots can drown.

Plant narrow-leafed evergreens in sites free from winter de-icer runoff, or create a diversion for this water, which is high harmful salts, and can kill roots and cause foliage to brown.

Water newly planted shrubs and trees slowly with a trickle of water from a hose placed at the base of the trunk, so that water soaks in rather than running off.   Be sure the root ball is well soaked at time of installation to protect roots that were distur - bed during the planting process.

Avoid getting too close to the trunk when mowing and power trimming around trees or shrubs. Even slight damage makes an entrance for borers and other damaging insects.

Lawn

Mow lawns frequently enough so that no more than one third of the grass blade is removed at each mowing.

Flowers

Plant tender bulbs such as agapanthus, dahlia, gladiola, ama-ryllis, canna and calla lily.

Plant annuals in the evening or on a humid, windless, cloudy day to minimize drying out while plants become established.

Fertilize annuals at planting time with 1-2 teaspoons of slow- release fertilizer. A small amount of this type of fertilizer is dissolved and made available to the plant with each watering.

Fruits and Vegetables

Plant sweet corn in blocks rather than in long narrow rows to facilitate pollination. Sweet corn will attract ladybird beetles (also known as ladybugs) to the garden.

Eco Tip

Use disease-resistant cultivars to reduce the need for chemicals "Petite Delight bee-balm resists powdery mildew and "Red Jewel" crabapple has excellent disease resistance

MAY TIPS: WEEK FOUR

The Civic Garden Center

Landscape

Prune dead, broken, crossed or damaged limbs from spring-flowering trees and shrubs when petals have fallen.

Inspect azaleas, pieris and pyracantha for signs of lacebug. The upper sides of foliage will have a bronzy appearance while undersides will have black spots. Treat with insecticidal soap or organic horticultural oil spray.

Fertilize spring-flowering trees and shrubs after petal s fall with compost or well rotted manure. . Apply one pound of 5-10-10 (or similar analysis product) per every inch diameter of tree trunks, or ½ pound per three feet of shrub height.

To attract bluebirds to the home landscape, plant dogwoods, elderberries, hollies and sumacs in May.

Tap spruce branches over white paper to detect spider mites. Control by spraying with a strong stream of water from the garden hose. Treat remaining mites with insecticidal soap or superior oil spray weekly, for three applications, to control subsequent hatchings.

Prune dead, broken, crossed or damaged limbs from spring-flowering trees and shrubs when petals have fallen.

Lawn

Mow lawns frequently enough so that no more than one third of the grass blade is removed at each mowing. Use a mulching blade or mower in order to return the nutrients in the clippings to the soil.

Use a rain gauge to determine if the lawn is receiving the needed one inch per week of moisture. Slow, deep watering is best to insure penetration of roots into the soil. The deeper roots gather water and nutrients during the dry season after the surface moisture is gone.

Fertilize by spreading a thin layer of compost or well-rotted manure then watering it in well.

Fruits and Vegetables

Plant tomatoes, eggplant and peppers deeper than they were growing in the pot. Avoid damage to roots by setting stakes in the ground before planting the seedlings.

Spray fruit trees with a complete home orchard spray for insects and disease. Continue at recommended intervals until fruit ripens.

Patio Gardening

Plant salad vegetables and tomatoes in containers and place where they will receive at least six hours of sun daily. Choose small tomato varieties such as "Patio" or "Basket King".

Add finished compost or slow release fertilizer to potting soil before planting containers. If using time released products, mix in two TBS of fertilizer pellets for each gallon of soil.

Eco Tip

Clean, fresh water is as important to birds, bats and other wildlife as it is to people. Provide needed water in a saucer, birdbath or pond. The water must be kept clean, and replenished often during hot, dry spells.   Stones with depressions that collect water will help attract butterflies.