If we take to “ ride out at home , ” what near berth to do that than in a garden ! other April is still unpredictably cool , and so we are obliged to stay fussy , which is what we need to do anyway . The gyms are shut but we can pick up a hoe and a rake and a shovel and get all the action we need . We ’re in our peculiar place and that gives us a draw to be thankful for . The signs of budding life in April gives comfort and hope . And though we ca n’t yet share plants , we can partake pic and that ’s fun too .

What tasks should we undertake to get our garden quick for the season ?

GENERAL TASKS

persist in job outlined inThe Garden ShedMarch issue to do lean and tackle new tasks :

BULBS

FERTILIZATION

Perennial planting can surcharge the soil of its lifelike richness . However , do not fertilize perennial heavily . If a recurrent bed is better with compost , further fertilization may not be necessary , which will be show by asoil exam . If additional fertilization is indicated , alight fertilization programgives a uninterrupted provision of nutrient to give rise intelligent plants . Use 5 - 10 - 5 fertilizer . Spread fertilizer in small tintinnabulation around each works in March or early April when the plant breaks reason . head off the crown and foliation . Repeat twice at 6 week intervals . This should be enough to carry flora through the summertime .

Generally speaking , the best time to fertilize landscape painting industrial plant is around the time they begin to grow actively . Most bush make fighting development in the bounce and early summertime ; it is honest to feed them once around March or April . Some shrubs are described as preferring acid or alkaline grime and there are fertilizers made specifically for plants that favor acid grunge . A oecumenical plant food can be used as well . face up fertilization recommendation specific to each works .

PRUNING

Several former spring - blooming shrub intimate to our landscape painting are ready for pruning in April after bloom is done : daphne , forsythia ( Forsythia x intermedia ) , wintertime jasmine ( Jasminum nudiflorum ) , flowering quince ( Chaenomeles japonica ) , puss willow tree ( Salix discolor ) , and witchhazel ( Hamamelis vernalis ) . declination - flower witchhazel ( Hamamelis virginiana ) is also pruned in other spring .

For the above bush , flowers are produced on wood frompast season , and begin jell buds for flowering next yearsoon after blooming . For a listing of other shrubs that can be pruned in early spring , take a look at the helpfulShrub Pruning Calendarpublished by the   Virginia Cooperative Extension , Va. Coop . Ext . Pub . No . 430 - 462 .

SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS

NOTE ON LAST AVERAGE FROST DATE

As noted in the March issue ofThe Garden Shed,“March in the Vegetable Garden,”the last middling frost dates have changed by 2 - 4 calendar week , which will greatly affect when we can imbed vegetables and ornamentals .

In a concession to climate change , the Cooperative Extension has redrawn the Hardiness Zone map for Virginia . Albemarle County has been moved from the Mountain to the Piedmont region in zone 7a , effectivelychanging our expected final hoar date from May 10 - 15 to April 15 - 25 . This 2 - 4 calendar week earlier final rime can significantly affect when we establish specific vegetable .

LAWNS

Many home proprietor have interrogation about lawn fertilization . Fall fertilization to promote etymon growth is the most good . Spring is one of the slick time to optimize N ( N ) fertilization . Cool - season grasses have their most pregnant period of root development in the spring , so some N is good . gamy rates of N promote a luxuriant , dark green lawn , but there is too much emphasis on shoot ontogeny rather than roots , and this often lead to serious problems with disease , insect , or drought afterwards in the yr . Warm - time of year grasses do n’t initiate much root growth until after shoot rejuvenation is accomplished , so the ideal scenario is to wait at least until 50 - 75 % greenness - up before applying , and apply after the last frost . For more detailed info , see the Virginia Cooperative Extension publication and podcast,“Spring Lawn Fertilization – Getting It Right . ”Another helpful VCE publishing is“Lawn Fertilization in Virginia . ”

Get a soil testto determine how much fertilizer is require . Nitrogen is soluble and is not measured on a soil mental test because the percentages are so precarious . The Assumption of Mary of the research lab is that nitrogen needs to be supercede each produce season . The nitrogen good word is made specifically for the industrial plant or crop you project to grow .

For mowing , keep the mower height at about 3 ” early in the season to store food for thought . Aerate sward if soil is contract .

HOUSEPLANTS

FUNGII AND CATERPILLARS

There are several closely - relatedrust diseasesthat ask two hosts to dispatch their life oscillation . All three rust can taint most varieties of eastern red cedar ( Juniperus virginiana ) as well as many other junipers , and a 2d boniface from the Rosaceae family . In spring , look for orange , jelly - like galls on cedar trees that scatter rust fungus disease to apples , crabapples , and hawthorns . These galls do not touch the overall wellness of the cedar , but the second industrial plant family in the Hz such as apples and wild apple may need to be treated with a preventative fungicide at bud interruption . Immunox is identified as an effective antifungal to protect against rusts . For an splendid presentation on cedar apple rust , see this shortvideofrom the Kansas Dept . of Wildlife , Parks and Tourism .

easterly tent caterpillars(Malacosoma americana)overwinter as eggs and the young larvae hatching at or before bud breakage in March or April . The vernal larvae gathering near the fork of the tree limb to start spinning their WWW or collapsible shelter . Eastern tent caterpillar are in the main constitute on blackened cherry tree , crabapple , and Malus pumila trees . They are a favorite food of the yellow - billed and the total darkness - billed cuckoo . Manual method for remotion of the tents are usually sufficient . Egg masses on trees can be removed in winter . born controls include predacious and parasitic insects ( specially wasps ) , and disease organism . Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt , Dipel or Thuricide ) is a safe biologic nebuliser if an insecticide is needed and should be applied as shortly as the tents come along . Trees usually recoup from disoriented leafage unless the tree is young or weakened and stressed from other problems .

MISCELLANEOUS “ TASKS ”

Check out the Monthly Gardening Tipssection now located under Gardening Resources on the main Sir Frederick Handley Page of the PMG internet site : https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / gardening - questions / monthly - gardening - tips/#April

For extra selective information on April Tasks ad Tips , confer with premature issues ofThe Garden Shed :

April , 2019

April , 2018

April , 2017

SOURCES :

Bringing Nature Home(Douglas W. Tallamy , 2009 )

Eastern Tent Caterpillar , Virginia Cooperative Extension ( VCE),https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/444/444 - 274/444 - 274.html

Gymnosporangium Rusts , VCE , https://www.ppws.vt.edu / denotation / plant - disease - clinic / disease - advisory/201505 - Gymnosporangium_Rusts.html

Cedar Apple Rust , Kansas Dept . of Wildlife , Parks and Tourism , https://www.youtube.com / watch?v = zfsMoqLF18k

March and April : outflow in the Yard , Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden , https://www.lewisginter.org / march - and - april - spring - in - the - yard/

Mow Like a Pro , VCE , https://ext.vt.edu / lawn - garden / turfandgardentips / tips / mowing.html

“ Ruby - throated Hummingbirds Blog , ” The Wildlife Center of Virginia , https://www.wildlifecenter.org / blog / deep red - throated - hummingbirds - web log

perennial : Culture , Maintenance and Propagation , VCE , https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426 - 203/426 - 203.html

“ Spring Lawn Fertilization — Getting It correct , ” VCE , https://ext.vt.edu / lawn - garden / turfandgardentips / tips / spring_fertilization.html

“ Lawn Fertilization in Virginia , VCE , https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu / content / dam / pubs_ext_vt_edu / CSES / CSES-135 / CSES-135 - pdf.pdf

Factsheet , Home & Garden Information Center , Clemson University , https://hgic.clemson.edu / factsheet

Flowering Bulbs : Culture and Maintenance , VCE , https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu / depicted object / dam / pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426 - 201/426 - 201_pdf.pdf

“ Eastern Tent Caterpillar , ” bugology at the University of Kentucky , https://entomology.ca.uky.edu / ef423

“ Tent Worms , ” Cornell Cooperative Extension , St. Lawrence County , http://stlawrence.cce.cornell.edu / resource / tent - worm