Mark Cullen e-newsletter
March 22, 2012 
 Gardening with Mark - Hot Flash
In This Issue:
Where to Find Mark
Mark's Gardening Connections









Join our mailing list!

A Hot Flash - For Your Immediate Attention!

The Weather outside is WHACKY!
In Central Canada we broke the all time record for the month of March yesterday when it got up to 28 degrees C. Will do again today.

The Washington Cherry Blossom Festival moved their celebration up 3 weeks due to the weather. Who knows what Ottawa will do with the Tulip Festival - I do not envy them that decision!

What I do know is that many of the tasks that I would recommend to you in our April newsletter have moved up - thus this unusual message from Mark.

 Dormant Spray
 

Dormant Spray Kit I am applying dormant spray in the next couple of days to kill overwintering insects and diseases. This will save so much time and prevent many problems later in the season - but it must be applied while the buds are tight. Apples, pears (all fruit trees), roses and flowering shrubs should receive at least one application very soon. The two bottle combo that is available at retailers is about $20 - dormant oil and lime sulphur are combined in one spray to be effective.

 


 Lawn - Rake and Fertilize
 

CIL Golfgreen Rake your lawn (lightly) with a fan rake as you are only getting the grass blades to stand up on end to increase air circulation AND remove the winter debris.

Your lawn craves nitrogen this time of year - feed it with Golfgreen. Look for the new formula exclusive to Home Hardware. More of the slow release - good stuff - in it. The nitrogen is released as temperatures rise, rain falls and microbial activity occurs in the soil.

When you are buying your Golfgreen look for my new book 'Canadian Lawn and Garden Secrets' it belongs on the magazine rack right next to the Almanac. Pick it up from time to time for useful and timely tips that you can use.


 


 Cut Down Perennials
 

Hydrangea I am busy right now cutting down my perennials but I am not too fussy about cleaning up all of the winter debris from the surface of the soil. Leaves and light stems will rot down and add needed value to the soil.

Flowering shrubs do not need to be pruned unless they are fall-blooming. Which reminds me, I still have to cut down my Annabelle hydrangeas (30 of them!) to about 4 cm high or just 3 buds off the ground.

That is all for now. Talk to you late next week as usual when we send out our April edition of the newsletter.

Thanks for reading!!

Mark
www.markcullen.com

p.s I am back on Canada AM next Wednesday at 8:45 am (EST) after a 6 week hiatus. Looking forward to seeing my buddy and trouble maker Jeff Hutcheson. Such fun.

Also - just received confirmation that radio News 570 in Kitchener/Waterloo is running my weekly feature 'The Green File'. www.570news.com
That brings to 5 the current list of syndication for this feature. (www.680news.com, www.1310news.com, www.660news.com, www.news1130.com)