What to Do in the Garden
What to Do in the Garden was compiled by one of the Ellis County Master Gardeners as a helpful guide to share with the community that covers maintenance suggestions to keep a healthy and kept garden year-round.
Click on the image or the HERE to download a copy!
It’s April – What To Do
PLANTING
- Annuals and perennials: direct seed or transplant. Allow transplants to harden off before introducing them to full sun. Try some Texas Superstar Plants, recommended by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service as performing especially well throughout our state; click HERE!
- Lawns: now is the best time to plant Bermudagrass and St. Augustine grass sod. Grade and smooth the area before installing sod to ensure good soil contact. Keep moist until roots are established. Seeded varieties of Bermudagrass may be sown starting mid-month. Keep soil moist until seeds germinate and grass has established a good root system.
- Herbs: basil, catnip/catmint, comfrey, fennel, horseradish, feverfew, oregano, thyme, rosemary, Mexican mint marigold, peppermint, lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon verbena, bay laurel.
- Vegetables: corn, cucumber, eggplant, okra, peppers, southern peas, summer squash, tomatoes, beans, and melons. Click HERE for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Variety Selector for Ellis County.
FERTILIZING AND PRUNING
- Soil purchased for use in beds, low areas, and containers should be examined closely. Nutsedge and other weeds are often brought into the yard through contaminated soil sources.
- Add compost to beds. Mulch as you cut back dormant perennials. Fertilize with slow-release granular late in the month or as dormant perennials leaf out. Add compost around trees and fertilize. Be sure to dig out grass several feet from the trunk, ideally to the drip line of the tree canopy.
- Fertilize established lawns with an 8-2-4 or other similar ratio. Do not use “Weed and Feed” products.
- Look for rose rosette disease. New growth on diseased roses exhibits elongated/enlarged canes, reddish leaves and stems, and excessive thorns. Remove and destroy infected plants and roots immediately. There is no proven control for this fatal disease.
GARDEN WATCH
- Watch for aphids and spider mites. It’s easy to spray them off with a hard blast of water. Be sure to get the undersides of the leaves. Ladybugs and green lacewings will be chomping down those aphids, so watch for them and their larvae. Watch for tomato hornworms on tomatoes: squish or spray the plants with BT (Bacillus thuringiensis), a natural caterpillar control that won’t harm you or your pets. To fend off squash vine borers, keep row cover on and hand pollinate.
- Do not let weeds go to seed. Do not apply chemicals: pull them up or mow down before they set seed.
Make sure you HYDRATE, use SUNSCREEN and wear a HAT!
April In The Garden
PLANTING
- Plant warm-season annual flowers. For sun (6+hours per day): angelonias, copper plants, firebush, lantana, moss rose, purslane, pentas, ornamental sweet potatoes, and zinnias. For shade (less than 4 hours per day): begonias, coleus, impatiens, and perilla. Select short, compact plants.
- Plant okra and southern peas (black-eyed peas, etc). Squash, cucumbers, and melons can still be planted.
- Many herbs can also be planted from transplants (dill, parsley, fennel, mint, oregano, and thyme).
- Now is the best time to plant Bermudagrass and St. Augustine grass sod. Grade and smooth the area before installing sod to ensure good soil contact. Keep moist until roots are established.
- Seeded varieties of Bermudagrass may be sown starting mid-month. Keep soil moist until seed germination and grass has established a good root system.
- Select caladium tubers now, while ample stocks are available, for May planting.
FERTILIZING AND PRUNING
- Apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer to established lawns. Use a product containing at least half of its nitrogen in a slow-release form.
- Mow common Bermudagrass at 1 1/2 inches and St. Augustine grass at 2 1/2 inches. Frequent mowing with sharp blades will keep an established lawn thick and healthy, but avoid removing more than one-third of the leaf surface each time.
- Fertilize roses every 4 to 6 weeks from now to September. Start with a balanced fertilizer, then apply ammonium sulfate or other high-nitrogen fertilizer as new growth appears, following a flowering cycle.
GARDEN WATCH
- Check new plant growth for aphids. A few can be tolerated but large numbers should be controlled. Washing them off with a strong spray of water may be all that is necessary for control.
- Eliminate fire ants in your landscape by broadcasting labeled bait while temperatures are between 70 and 90 degrees. If fire ants are still present after using bait, treat the individual mounds with an appropriate insecticide. Contact the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service — Ellis County at 972-825-5175 for more information.
- Look for rose rosette disease. New growth on diseased roses exhibits elongated/enlarged canes, reddish leaves and stems, and excessive thorns. Remove and destroy infected plants and roots immediately. There is no proven control for this fatal disease.
- Soil purchased for use in beds, low areas, and containers should be examined closely. Nutsedge and other weeds are often brought into the yard through contaminated soil sources.
- Watch newspapers and other media for information regarding wildflower trails, garden tours and plant sales.
EXTREME GARDENING TOPICS:
Extreme Flowers – The State Flower of Texas, the Texas Bluebonnet, grows most abundantly right here in Ellis County. In 1997 the State Legislature designated Ennis Texas as the home of the Official Texas Bluebonnet Trail and the Official Bluebonnet City. Tens of thousands of visitors make their way to view the 40 miles of driving trails each year. These trails are the oldest known in the state of Texas. The blooms start in late March and usually last through April.
Original post by: Monty Grearner