As we approach Memorial Day weekend, I have two questions. How did the month of May go by so fast? And is this really the weekend to plant all those frost-sensitive plants?
As far as the month of May going by so fast, I guess that's what happens as you get older.
And what about planting frost-sensitive plants? Well, Memorial Day is about a week early if you consider that the holiday typically falls closer to May 30. Could we still get a frost? It isn't likely, but it isn't unheard of either.
The old wisdom was that you planted after the full moon in May, which was this past Monday. If you asked me to make an educated guess, I would say that it is fine to plant tender annuals and vegetable plants this weekend. However, Mother Nature isn't talking to me.
Once new annual and vegetable plants are planted in the garden, you will find a few insects wishing to take advantage of the new meal you are providing them. Cutworms are in the soil and are waiting to chew through the stems of your plants. You can apply Sevin to the soil after planting to control the cutworms. Diatomaceous earth is an organic control for cutworms that is incorporated into the soil at planting time. You can also make barriers around the stems of the plants to protect them.
Flea beetles will also quickly find your plants. This insect feeds on the leaves, making tiny holes in them. Once the flea beetle has fed on your plants for awhile, it will look as though something has shot a tiny shotgun blast at the leaves. Most organic and chemical insecticides will control flea beetles. The good news is that once the leaves begin to grow, the leaves get too tough for the flea beetle to eat. However, don't wait for the plants to outgrow the attack. The flea beetle will destroy the leaves in a short period of time.
We saw something at the garden center on Sunday that I have not seen in years — gypsy moth caterpillars eating the leaves of a crabapple tree. Any of you who remember the early 1980s will recall that the gypsy moth caterpillar devastated many trees in this area. This may be an isolated incident, but it bears watching to see if the gypsy moth caterpillar is making a comeback.
If you bought a hanging flowering basket for Mother's Day, you should be fertilizing the plant on a regular schedule. Hanging petunias will do best if fertilized with a plant food specifically formulated for the new varieties of petunias. Other varieties of hanging baskets will need a fertilizer high in phosphorous, which is needed to help produce new flower buds.
Lawns will benefit from an application of fertilizer at the end of May. As lawns go into the summer months, growth can be either erratic or strong, depending on the amount of water they get. Either way, lawns will need food during this stressful growing period.
Late May is also a good time to apply weed control to your lawn. Lawn weed controls need to be applied when you will have at least 24 hours without rain. Rainfall or irrigation during that 24-hour period will make the weed killer much less effective. I know it's hard to predict the weather this month, but just keep that thought in mind.
Well, that's all for this week. I'll talk to you again next week.
nnn
Tim Lamprey is the owner of Harbor Garden Center on Route 1 in Salisbury. His Web site is www.Harborgardens.com. Do you have questions for Tim? Send them to ndn@mewburyportnews.com, and he will answer them in upcoming columns.
