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fertilize shrubs, groundcovers, landscape plants
Fertilize if you think a plant could use a boost, but if a plant looks vigorous and healthy, it’s probably not necessary. Woodace, Plant-tone
and Holly-tone all work well. Old-fashioned 5-10-5 and 10-10-10 also work well on annuals and perennials. Use well-rotted compost or
manure for your vegetable and annual beds. For pots, Osmocote works well; it’s time-released and lasts throughout the season. On all fertil-izers,
follow the instructions on the sack so you don’t burn the plants or pollute the waterways. If plant leaves are yellow with the green veins
showing, they probably need iron, which is very common in plants like azaleas, gardenias and other acid-loving plants. Use Ironite or a spray-on
chelated iron product. Palms and roses are heavy feeders and benefit from regular feeding with a good palm or rose food, respectively.
edging & mulching
Re-edge beds with a spade so they are nice and crisp, then mulch with no more than two to three inches of pine straw (needles), pine bark
or shredded hardwood or cypress mulch. The bigger the chip on the pine bark, the more it floats and the harder it is to plant annuals around
it as the trowel stabs the chips. Do not mulch against tree trunks and plant stems. Plants need to breathe and there is a lot of oxygen/carbon
dioxide exchange going on where the trunk/stem meets the soil.
If you have many layers of old mulch already in place, you may want to rake some out, or just very lightly top dress the existing mulch.
Studies have shown that a mulch layered too deeply turns into a false soil layer, encouraging the roots of a plant to grow easily in this layer
and not grow deeply into the soil. The thick mulch layer does not have the nutrients of the soil below. This can result in deficiencies. Too
much mulch commonly causes iron deficiency.
planting times
All trees and shrubs can be planted now. Ask your nurseryman about transplanting; it may be too late for some plants. Plant perennials
after the ground has warmed a bit and the plants have had a chance to get some growth on them. April is a good month.
Annuals like pansies, snapdragons, calendulas and stocks, to name a few, can go in the ground now for last minute, cool-season color.
The pansies will decline when it gets hot. Plants and seeds of tender annuals like marigolds and zinnias, for example, shouldn’t go in until the
ground warms and the chance of frost has passed. In the Wilmington area, the average last frost is around April 2, later to the north and west,
earlier to the south and east of the city. Frosts can and have occurred as late as April 18, so be aware of the weather forecasts. You will not
gain anything by planting early for two reasons: The chance of a sudden frost, and sulking plants that will not grow if it is too cold.
Some cool-season vegetables, such as lettuces and radishes, can be planted now, but wait until April or later for tomatoes, peppers, okra,
corn and beans. They like hot soil.
Once it gets hot, gardeners tend to slow down, but our gardens and weeds keep growing. It’s much more pleasant to tackle the hardest
gardening chores in the lovely spring weather.
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
Colorful pansies have been planted at
Elise Running’s Pelican Drive garden.