Lawn & Garden Calendar
January
- Plant nursery-grown trees and shrubs when the ground is not frozen.
- Get a soil test if you are going to plant grass in the spring and have not sent away for a soil test in the last two years. Otherwise, wait and test the soil in September.
- Create new beds or rework existing beds with soil conditioners like compost.
February
- Valentine's Day--Fertilize cool season grasses such as tall fescue.
- In mid- to late-February, apply a slow-release fertilizer to everything in the garden--trees, shrubs, perennials, and spring flowering bulbs.
- Apply weed killer and pre-emergence.
- Fertilize bulbs.
- Add lime per soil test.
- Plant acorns to start oak trees.
March
- Treat for grubs. Continue treatment once a month with Diazinon through June for the first few years. Treat when it rains so the Diazinon will soak into the soil.
- Apply pre-emergence now for crabgrass.
- Apply weed killer.
- Treat hydrangeas with lime for pink flowers and aluminum sulfate for blue flowers.
- Prune overgrown shrubs.
- Prune roses bushes to a height of about 24 inches. Prune out unhealthy stems.
- Cut back perrenials and ornamental grass.
April
- Treat flower beds with weed pre-emergent or bury landscape fabric just under the soil surface to block weed growth.
- Apply pre-emergence to lawns.
- Treat for dandelions and other broadleaf weeds in the lawn with something like Spectracide or Weed-B-Gone.
- Check for disease problems and pests in the landscape.
- Repeat treatment for grubs with Diazinon.
- Apply a second round of pre-emergence for crabgrass.
- Plant summer bulbs.
- Divide perrenials and fertilize heavily to promote new growth.
- Transplant Easter lilies outside.
- Mid-April--plant annual flowers.
- Plant vegetables and herbs.
- Regularly mow fescue lawns to a height of three inches.
- Spread Ironite for a greener lawn.
- Fertilize summer grasses as soon as they begin to grow--bermuda, centipede, zoysia.
- Late April--Seed or plug warm-season grasses.
- April 27--Arbor Day
May
- Check the soil pH. Add lime where necessary.
- Treat azaleas for lacewing and crepe myrtles and dogwoods for mildew using a product like Triple Action.
- Plant annuals and summer bulbs.
- Fertilize shrubs and annuals.
- Check weekly for insects or disease problems on flowers and shrubs.
- Repeat treatment for grubs with Diazinon.
- Mid-May--Apply another round of pre-emergence for crabgrass.
- Control weeds in beds.
- Prune azaleas after they bloom for a more compact growth habit.
June
- Do not water cool-season grasses such as fescue, bluegrass, or ryegrass in the summer unless you plan to do so consistently all season. They will be lost if you discontinue watering in midsummer. Warm-weather grasses such as bermuda, by contrast, need plenty of water during the peak-growth summer months.
- Apply preventative fungacide for brown patch in fescue lawns.
- To kill Japanese beetles underground, spread Diazinon to poison them or apply a biological control, milky spore disease (Bacillus popilliae), which seeks out and kills the young Japanese beetles underground. Spread Sevin on plants infested with Japanese beetles. Sevin dust generally is more effective than liquid Sevin but must be reapplied after rains. Pyrethrin-based plant sprays kill beetles on contact and can be used whenever the beetles are spotted.
- Spread mangranite if grass needs greening. Repeat treatment for grubs with Diazinon.
- Inspect plants for disease or insects.
- Prune any shrubs that have finished flowering.
- Remove the tiny stalks and leaves that appear on the bark of dogwoods at this time of year. These water sprouts encourage the spread of dogwood anthracnose disease.
- Add mulch to beds for water retention.
July
- If watering through the summer months, do not deeply water cool-season grasses during the hottest weeks of the late summer. Instead, rely on frequent shallow waterings during the early morning to keep your lawn green. As temperatures heat up in late July and August, cool-season grasses conserve energy by shrinking both their root systems and top growth. With shallow roots, a deep watering wastes water.
- Spread mangranite if grass needs greening. Repeat treatment for grubs with Diazinon.
August
- Labor Day--Fertilize cool season grasses such as tall fescue.
- Get a soil test so you will know how much lime to buy to adjust the pH. Buy lime and fertilizer--some 5-10-10 for the September application (10-10-10 if it is not available) and 10-10-10 for the October, November, and December applications. Buy seed, topsoil, and straw. Repeat treatment for grubs with Diazinon.
- Cut back, divide, and transplant Iris. This will give them time to become well established before cold weather.
September
- Get a soil test. (every 2-3 years)
Get a soil test. Fertilizers, organic matter, and lime need to be incorporated at the time of tilling, before the seed is put out. And there's only one way to determine how much lime and fertilizer to add. Don't guess test. This service is performed free by the NC Department of Agriculture and should be done every two to three years. In Wake County, bring samples (about a cup of soil) to our office at 4001 E. Carya Drive, Raleigh; or, better yet, drop the samples directly at the lab on Reedy Creek Road. You can obtain appropriate sampler containers and mailers from any extension office.
If you don't test this year, you can approximate your needs by adding 20 pounds of 8-8-8 and 4 pounds of 0-46-0 fertilizer and 50 pounds of lime per 1,000 square feet.
- Plant or renovate cool season lawns.
September is the ideal time to plant or renovate cool season lawns; this does not mean you can't plant later. Planting later means your chances of success are reduced. Success will depend on how frequently daytime temperatures climb into the 60s. Some germination will still occur even about 55 degrees.
- Lime in early September.
- Kill weeds. They are in their active growing phase.
The best time to work on a lawn is September through mid-October. First, kill the weeds. They are in their active growing phase. If your old lawn is as much as 40% weeds, you will want to apply a nonselective herbicide to kill the entire lawn and start from scratch. This also applies to patches of Bermuda grass. There are no selective herbicides that can take out this kind of grass, so you'll have to spray the area with a product containing glyphosate, which will kill everything it touches.
- Lime in early September. In mid to late September, mow the lawn low, but do not scalp it. Loosely rake thatch, score soil, and aereate at least the areas that need overseeding. Fertilize with 5-10-10 if available or 10-10-10. Seed. Try to get some seed in the holes. Cover with topsoil. Cover with straw. Water. Keep the seed wet by watering every day. Mark any trees you would like to transplant in January/February.
- Mark any trees you would like to transplant in January/February.
October
- Mulch heavily in early October to control winter annual weeds. Winter annual weeds need light to germinate. Mulch blocks the light. If you do not mulch, you will have to rely on pre-emergents. Pre-emergents must be applied before weeds sprout to have an effect.
- Prepare areas for planting spring-flowering bulbs this fall.
- Start planting bulbs.
- Divide hostas and daylilies.
- Plant pansies and mums. Fertilize regularly.
- Remove leaves from lawns.
- Apply pre-emergent herbicide to lawns to control winter annual weeds.
- Fertilize with 10-10-10.
November
- All spring flowering bulbs should be planted by Thanksgiving.
- Remove foliage from cannas to reduce the population of leaf rollers for next spring. Leaf rollers chew the leaves.
- Remove fallen leaves from the lawn if your soil is naturally acidic. They will add to the soil's acidity when they decompose.
- Thanksgiving--Fertilize cool season grasses such as tall fescue.
- Fertilize with 10-10-10.
- Clean up perrenial beds, mark where the plants are so that you will not dig them up next spring, and add mulch to help them survive the winter.
- Mulch 2-3 inches after the first frost to protect plants from the cold and prevent soil compaction.
- Apply winter weed control. Wait until after the second mowing of new grass before treatment.
- Prune bushes.
- Watch for sales at garden centers as they make room for holiday items.
December
- Fertilize with 10-10-10.
- Transplant trees.
- Be sure to drain hoses to prevent splitting.