Spring comes first to the sunny hot areas of the yard.
Often this area will have spring flowers growing while other areas are under snow. Early growing plants do not need any protection from the weather but they might benefit from protections from deer and moose. Check the soil around these plants and water when necessary.
When bringing daffodil blooms into the house, remember to keep them separate from other flowers. Daffodils are poisonous and it leaches into the water poisoning other plants.
On a warm day, take the hose and rinse the top growth of evergreens to remove dust that has accumulated over the winter. If bare ground is showing around these plants water will seep into the soil supplying much needed moisture. Watering now will help the plants stay hydrated until the ground thaws.
Once the lawn is damp and not sodden, it can be raked to remove old leaves, excess grass and garbage. Raking will also get rid of the webs, snow mould, that will appear if the snow has been in place for too long.
Lawns green up a week or two earlier if raked because it removes excess grass that acts like mulch by shading the roots and keeping them cool. Raking also removes some of the longer dead grass making the new, green grass more visible.
It is important to leave a layer of thatch, dead grass, at the base of the lawn. Up to three quarters an inch of thatch holds the plants together and helps protect the soil from erosion. Thatch makes the lawn feel softer and works as a mulch to keep in moisture while decomposing and providing nutrients for the grass.
Often a lawn that is producing too much thatch is receiving excess nitrogen which caused the lawn to grow too fast. Using less nitrogen will encourage more root growth and less top growth.
Ground that is compacted and does not grow healthy turf should be aerated. To aerate properly, one must take plugs of soil out of the lawn. Making holes in the soil without taking out plugs causes further compaction.
Lawns that see heavy traffic may need aerated every year others every few years.
When renting an aerator look for one that will remove plugs. Dew worms, weeds, insects and diseases can travel between yards and gardens in the dirt on equipment. If this is concern, wash the equipment and spray it down with a light bleach solution before using it.
It is good to aerate in the spring when the soil is damp and the plugs are easily cut out of the turf. Leaving the plugs on top of the soil looks messy but they quickly break down nourishing the lawn by speeding up micro biotic activity.
As the snow melts the litter becomes noticeable. Highways and parks are usually cleaned by mid-May but this leaves back alleys and smaller streets. Take time to pick up the yard and the surrounding neighbourhood. It isn’t the most pleasant job but it makes a huge visual impact.
Examine tools, pots, furniture and lawn ornaments to see if they need to be repaired before they are set back out in the garden. Setting them out now gives hope that the snow will soon be gone, the ground thawed and plants growing.
Linda Tomlinson is a horticulturalist that lives near Rocky Mountain House. She can be reached at www.igardencanada.com or your_garden@hotmail.com