When I woke up one morning last week to the sound of the year's first blower, I knew that spring cleaning had begun, not to mention that March could still roar like a lion in my Long Island, IN area. New York.
It goes without saying that professional landscapers cannot clear all of their clients' properties at the same time and in a timely manner, so they start early. It's good for them, but it's bad for our garden.
In my case, I forgo clearing in favor of fallen leaves, ornamental grasses, and perennials that harbor pollinators and other insects for the winter and wither. These pests are still hibernating and removing debris before resuming their life cycle means removing them from my garden.
This will result in less food for the birds and less flowers and tomatoes for me.
Experts don't know exactly when, but the consensus is that dormant insects "wake up" until temperatures consistently rise above 50 degrees. Some define "forever" as at least five days. I usually wait until it's seven nights in a row of 50+ degrees.
However, if you've hit the snooze button, it's a good idea to move the plant material to a corner of the garden for a week or so before removing it from your plot.
According to the installation, early mulching will be done after harvesting. Mulch gives the yard a tidy appearance, but remember that dirt and plants are not furniture. They are part of a living ecosystem. Mulching will delay frost before the soil warms enough and will delay root awakening of trees, shrubs and perennials. It inhibits plant growth.
And if the soil is wet, premature application can lead to mold, mildew and fungal diseases.
Mulch is an important part of a healthy garden. It retains moisture in the soil, kills weeds and helps maintain an even soil temperature. But time is of the essence. Wait until annual growth is safe and your area is warm before applying mulch. For me, that means waiting until the end of May.
Likewise, don't be tempted to fertilize in mid-to-late spring, after your lawn has come out of dormancy and is starting to grow vigorously. Doing this ahead of time is illegal in some municipalities and won't help the lawn anyway. In fact, it can be harmful.
Lawns fertilized in early spring may not get the proper benefit from nutrients applied. They can start growing when they need to and spend their energy building roots that support the grass and help it survive summer droughts. This initial growth often stops and yellow patches appear on the lawn.
Excess fertilizer that cannot be applied to a dormant or partially dormant lawn seeps through the soil and threatens the environment and groundwater. Since this does not benefit the lawn, it is also a waste of money.
Cleaning tulips and daffodils is another exercise in patience. After any spring bulb blooms, its leaves continue to generate energy for next year's display. Remove the stems if you want, but don't remove the leaves until they turn yellow and ring.
Finally, something you can actually do now: If you can't wait to get your hands dirty, now's the time to transplant houseplants. Move them to the next size pot, no more than 2 inches wider than the current pot, and give them a dose of fertilizer as the longer days of the season encourage them to resume active growth.
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Jessica Damiano writes a regular gardening column for The Associated Press. Publishes the award-winning Dart weekly newsletter. Sign up here for weekly gardening tips and tricks.
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