|
|
|
|
Gardening with Job's Nursery
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Spring is here and while the warmer weather flirts with us it will soon be upon us! So Happy Spring, Arbor Day and Earth Day! This is an active time of year at the nursery; new plants of many different types, pottery, and garden supplies are coming in almost daily. The beginning of the annuals, veggies, and hanging baskets have arrived! Yes it may be a little early to set them out but at least it fun to look at. Our 2012 roses are now available and many more cool plants have arrived too. Our hours for April are Monday through Saturday 9-5 and Sundays 11-4.
|
What to do for April in Gardening
 April is a month to feed you plants, make sure the water systems are working, and begin again on those landscape projects. On fertilizers we like to use a granulated Rhododendron, Evergreen fertilizer blend to feed trees, shrubs, perennials and other plants as an all purpose fertilizer because they are loaded with nutrients (major and trace elements) as well as designed to acidify soils to allow iron and nitrogen to be easily more available for plants to feed upon. With our alkaline soils, this is a great to feed plants. We carry the Lily Miller Rhododendron, Evergreen and Azalea Food in a 4, 16 and 30 pound bag to make it easy. Use a quarter cup of fertilizer per 2 feet of height or width (which ever is greater) for shrubs and perennials. For trees use a quarter cup per inch of trunk diameter. You can also use tree spikes (Jobes or Miracle Gro) to feed trees usually its about 3 spikes per 2 inches of trunk. If you fed your plants last year and their was no response, get a pH test kit or digital tester and check your soils pH, if it is too high then you need to apply aluminum sulfate or Soil Activator (Humic Acid) to reduce the pH and allow nutrients to be more available for the plant to absorb.
Annual flowers and summer pots can planted however you will need to watch for freezing temperatures and have blankets or frost blankets handy. Just in case of killing frosts, those won't be done until around Mother's Day, May 13th.
Crabgrass and Bermuda Grass Controls-You can still put down Lawn Fertilizers with Crabgrass controls to keep it at bay for the season. Also now is the time to pick Bayer Bermuda Grass control and begin doing suppression sprays as your Bermuda grass begins to wake up.
Weed Control-To make this a weed free spring now is a great time to apply pre-emergent herbicides in established flower beds. Apply as directed and remember to water the product in with about a half inch of water. This gets it to form the crust to create a barrier to kill weed seeds before they germinate. Also remember to pull weeds (roots too) and not to disturb the ground after application. If you do disturb the soil by pulling weeds later, reapply the pre-emergent to keep the barrier intact.
Pruning- Now is the time to prune out those dead branches from plant and clean up any lingering debris left over from last years growing season.
|
Deciduous Magnolias a Cool Early Bloomer
 When we think about Magnolias, we generally think of the evergreen Magnolias with a tropical look and their white flowers in the early summer; however in the spring time the deciduous magnolias show their color with intense pinks, exploding whites, and soft yellows of sweetly smelling blooms. Some of the flowers resemble a tulip while others are more like a starburst. They are available as shrubs or small trees.
Magnolias are not the fastest growing tree or shrubs, along the growth rate of a Flowering Dogwood. However very cool! Here are a few varieties Black Tulip-The large dark purple blooming tree is one of the first magnolias to bloom. A narrow tree that reaches 15 to 20 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. Merrill-A larger tree with the star burst white flowers. Blooms after Royal Star and reaches 25 to 30 feet tall and wide. Columbus- A large tulip-like bloomer in a pure white. A very fragrant variety. Reaches 30 to 35 feet tall and spreads about 15 to 20 feet. Randy-A pink flowering Magnolia shrub that grows up to 10 to 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Butterflies-A later blooming variety (about mid April) of soft yellow blooms. Reaches about 25 to 30 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Royal Star- This is the toughest and most used Magnolia of the group in our area. A stardust flower that can handle heavy frost and more wind the others. Reaches about 10 to 12 feet tall and wide. The deciduous Magnolias are more cold hardy than their evergreen cousins most them can handle -20 degrees F or colder. The only problem is in our area they need a little protection from wind in the summer time due to our lack of humidity. By needing a little protection from wind, I mean houses and other shade trees, so if you are in a established neighborhood (at least 3 to 4 years old) they will do great. Keep the roots moist but not boggy wet. Fertilize and mulch with bark or compost to keep the roots cool and well fed; you will have an awesome show each spring. A drawback to these big bloomers is if we get a hard freeze while they are in bloom the show could be prematurely over.
|
Fruit Tree Basics
Fruit trees are a rewarding project with the bounty of fresh fruit. The reality is that fruit trees require quite a lot of work. Apples, Pears and Cherries need frequent spraying to remain clean and not harbor pest that can cause problems for our local orchard industry. While Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pluots, and Apricots are actually fairly easy to care for by not requiring routine spraying but it very important to thin your fruit, prune them, fertilize them and water them adequately for the most successful fruit production. Here is a helpful basic guide on what to do with fruit trees for our area. Plus helpful links to other websites that focus on fruit trees so you know before you buy or if you already purchased how to get those fruit trees on the right tract.
Job's 2012 Fruit Tree Basics
Dave Wilson Nursery Youtube Channel A great source to see pruning and other practices!
Fruit Ripening Guide- The ripening time are set for California however the sequence of when a variety ripens is the relevant information where you can stagger your fruit crops.
Fruit Tasting Report- A guide to show you the best tasting fruits, so your hard work pays off deliciously.
Benton Franklin County Pest and Disease Board-Learn more of why it is important to care for fruit trees
Fruit Disease by WSU Extension
Fruit Pests by WSU Extension
|
April and May Garden Classes
Here is our 2012 Garden Classes Schedule. Seating is limited, RSVP for the classes so we have a chair waiting for you! April 21-How to Care for Roses 1:00 pm Cost: $10 per person
Harlow with the Tri-City Rose Society will be out to visit and talk about caring for roses in an easy and enjoyable way. Roses can be easy to grow and Harlow wants to share the techniques to plant, fertilize, prune and enjoy these wonderful plants. May 5 Spring Container Class 10:00 am Cost: $10 per person
A class to learn design techniques for great spring and summer containers. You can learn how to care for them and great plant combinations to make a grand show for the summer. If you want to get your hands dirty; the supplies will be available for purchase to make your own planter while learning more about potting techniques. May 19-Miniature Container Gardens 10:00 am Cost: $10 per person
Tom with the Master Gardeners wants to share tips and techniques for gardening in containers on a miniature scale like the Fairy Gardens or other neat but small in stature gardens. May 19-Container Gardens-Year Round Interest 11:00 am Cost: $10 per person
Jan with the Master Gardeners is going share design tips and plants to keep your container gardens lively year round; by rotating the planters with a combination of plants that remain all year while others are changed out with the seasons. May 26-How Curb Appeal Impacts Real Estate 10:00 am Cost: $10 per person
Join Vicki Montegaudo with Century 21 as she explains how curb appeal can make or break a sale of a home. |
|
|
|
Well that's all for now, remember to Like Us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter to see Foliage for Friday, How-To Photo Albums and Care Notes as I work on them.
Thank you for your interest
Alex Job
Job's Nursery |
February and March Hours Monday-Saturday 9 to 5
4072 Columbia River Road
Pasco, Washington 99301
509-547-4843
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
