Spring Garden Priorities

It’s the time of year when everything in the garden needs to be done at once. My list includes:

Divide & pot perennials – coreopsis, daylily, liriope, mums, sweet woodruff, sweet shrub, brunnera, lily of the valley

Move Japanese Blood Grass

Continue Cleanup

Spray euonymus for scale (pictures before and after the cut)

Finish trimming shrubs

Finish trimming roses

Move mulch

Fertilize lawn according to the soil test

I got a good start this week but the next two weeks will be very busy with volunteer community garden cleanup, Earth Day, classes and meetings.

I try to remove weeds as fast as they appear. Wild garlic, yellow rocket and ground ivy are beginning to give me fits but I know it pays to keep up. My trusty dandelion digger is always with me.

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Integrated Pest Management

IPM

Integrated Pest Management - see http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/


What it is.

A quote from Longwood Gardens:

“IPM does not simply mean that more pests must be tolerated or that pesticide applications should not be made. IPM seeks to find the most effective yet least intrusive way to reduce the potential impact of pests.” http://www.longwoodgardens.org/IntegratedPestManagement_1_3_2_3_3_4.html

What it isn’t.

It isn’t easy.

IPM starts with selecting the right plant. Healthy plants are less susceptible to stress related disease and pests. Toting mulch and compost are necessary chores. Shrubs and trees need to be pruned – plant litter cleaned up. Weeds need to be pulled. A soil test is necessary to tell exactly what the soil needs instead of fertilizing by month of the growing season. Grass may need to be mowed more than once a week in good grass weather if cut at 2 ½ to 3 inches. Understanding the life cycle of insects is essential in order to use insecticides wisely. There is a lot to learn and do.

Penn State University’s IPM publications offer loads of information for homeowners.

Creating Healthy Landscapes Series (all PDF files)

#1: Introduction

#2: Choose Plants Wisely

#3: Plant with Care

#4: Promote Plant Health

#5: Keep Plants Well Groomed

#6: Monitor Pests and Keep Records

#7: Pest Management Methods

#8: Recognize and Conserve Natural Enemies

#9: Use Nature's Signals to Manage Landscape Plants


IPM may generate low maintenance lawns and gardens in the long run. Healthy plants require less upkeep. Choosing plants wisely, planting with care and conserving natural enemies will go a long way to reduce work in the yard.

Lawn Weeds

Two obnoxious weeds have invaded our lawn in the last few years. They are described in Penn State’s “Weed Management in Turf” publication as follows. http://turfgrassmanagement.psu.edu/weedmgmt.cfm

Nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi)

Nimblewill is a blue-green perennial grass that is common in Pennsylvania lawns during summer. It spreads over existing turf by stolons and forms dense patches. Leaf blades have a medium texture (about ¼ inch wide) and are short (1½ to 2 inches) with leaf tips tapering to an abrupt point. The stems are long, slender, and wiry with prominent nodes. Ligules are short, membranous, and jagged. The leaf blades have long hairs at the margins but do not possess auricles. Seedheads are long, slender, and inconspicuous. Nimblewill grows rapidly during the warm summer months and turns brown or tan in winter.

Ground ivy (Glecoma hederacea)

Ground ivy is a low-growing, creeping, perennial broadleaf weed. Leaves are oppositely arranged on stems and are round or kidney-shaped with scalloped margins. The upper leaf surface has distinct veins and is sparsely hairy. Stems are square, creeping, and long. Ground ivy produces nodes that root at leaf and stem axils and that can form new stolons. Flowers are blue or purple and trumpet-shaped. This weed is most common in shaded areas, but it can also grow in full sun.

Penn State web sites contain information to help a homeowner deal responsibly with their lawn http://solutions.psu.edu/Horticulture_Gardening_Landscaping.htm and http://turfgrassmanagement.psu.edu/homelawns.cfm

Turfgrass serves many purposes - earth cooling, open space, a playground, an athletic field, a filter, to reduce soil erosion, to increase property value, a frame for your flower or vegetable garden - among others.

With good lawn care management, some patience, and a little common sense and we won’t end up polluting the earth with chemicals. Every expert recommends taking a soil sample (see September 29, 2007 post). That way you can be sure to add only the fertilizers or herbicides (either organic or chemical) that the lawn can use.