James Gill had his annual Get Ready for Spring garden talk here at Gill’s last weekend. As always, it was a big hit – standing room only! In case you missed it, we decided to do a recap:
Pre-Spring Lawn Tips
- Prevent and treat Take All Root Rot using Peat Moss: Rake out dead grass, spread Peat Moss, and water it in. Wait until dry to water again.
- Know when to water your lawn – if a screwdriver is hard to push into the soil, its’ time to water. If it pushes into the soil easily, you’ve got enough moisture.
- Wait to fertilize your lawn until it’s growing, and you need to mow it once a week – usually March
- If you get Bermuda grass in your landscape beds, use Grass B Gone
- There’s not a practical way to remove Bermuda grass in your St. Augustine lawn – the best way is to keep your St. Augustine healthy (watered and fed) and it will choke out the Bermuda
To Prune or Not to Prune?
Prune Now
- Lantana
- Esperanza
- Plumbago
- Hibiscus
- Firebush
- Jatropha
- Grasses
- Shrub Roses
Do Not Prune
- Crape Myrtles
- Citrus Trees
- Bougainvillea
- Fig Trees
Prune AFTER Spring Bloom
- Azaleas
- Mountain Laurel
- Indian Hawthorn
- Climbing Roses
Fertilize Citrus Trees Now
- Use organic Citrus Tone
- Spread inside and just outside the drip line (where water drips off the tree branches and leaves when you water it)
-James
John Carlson says
James
How about Hong Kong orchid tree as far as time to trim!
james gill says
Prune short, to 12″ tall or less.
james gill says
Sorry John, you got the lantana pruning instructions. Yes you can prune orchid tree now, you will lose a few blooms, you can prune now or after bloom.
Jean Albright says
Why “do not prune crape myrtles”?
james gill says
That is an oversimplification, and not exactly what I said, but people do such a horrible butcher job that the crapemyrtles would be better off if left alone. What I said was, prune branches that are rubbing the roof or each other, or are too low across the walkway. Prune small suckers arising from the ground or lower trunk. But do not randomly lop off major branches at head height, as you so often see people doing this time of year.