It’s May, and time for some “after Winter, early Spring” maintenance and chores.
After your Spring Blooming Azaleas are finished blooming, it’s now time to prune or shape them up, as well as feed with Holly Tone. Clear out any debris under the canopy, to deter future issues. Inspect for any Insect damage as well, and if noted, a treatment may be needed. Also, if you have Encore Azaleas, now is the time as well, after the Spring bloom, so you can enjoy the next set of blooms for the Summer.
Bagworms have emerged in the ground, and are soon going to be in the climbing stage. Have the area under the dripline of any Cedar, Spruce, Juniper, Arborvitae, that you may have had issues with before.
Roses are now in full flush, and the wet season is here. If you haven’t applied a systemic yet, now is a good time to prevent Blackspot, and insect damage. Japanese Beetle Season is only a few weeks away!! Rose slugs and Leaf Miners have been hard on them as well, so remember to spray around the base, for the Nocturnal worms.
Your Lawn treatment would consist of the 2nd application of Preventer now, a little overlap in timing is better than a lapse. Crabgrass and Summer weeds only needs about 4 days in an unprotected lawn to germinate, and with all the rains we have had, and is yet to come, the conditions are perfect. If you are experiencing “Silt Dams”, those clogged up looking rows of debris after a hard rain, an application of Gypsum will help a bit in the “run-off”, and allow the moisture to perk into the soil better. Any “Yellowing” in the base of the lawn, Ironite is Magic-in-the-bag, turns to green in only a few days allowing Photosynthesis to begin again. Any Broadleaf weeds, should be sprayed now as well.
Continue looking for sawdust piles around your deck, wooden fences, and wood siding. Carpenter Bees are still active, and will again show up when the warmth returns. They are mostly on the South East/West sides, she likes to lay her eggs where the Sun is most prevalent. Treat the undersides of the wood, anywhere you see a pile of sawdust, look up!