Watch for those nighttime frosts...
Miss April is a fickle month!

HOUSEPLANTS

April
Pot-up roots of tuberous begonias and caladiums for transplanting to the garden later.
Prune, repot, and clean houseplants as needed
Start seeds of warm-season crops for transplanting later to the garden.
Keep Easter lilies in a bright, cool location out of direct sunlight. Water as soil begins to dry. The yellow pollen-bearing anthers inside the flower can be removed to prevent staining of the petals.

WOODY PLANTS AND TREES

April
Plant a tree in celebration of Arbor Day. Check the ArborDay websie for the offiial date in your state.
Bare-root stock should be planted before new top growth begins. Balled-and-burlaped and container stock can still be planted later in spring.
Remove and destroy overwintering bagworms from landscape trees and shrubs.
Follow home orchard spray schedule to control insects and diseases. While trees are in bloom, use a pesticide containing fungicide only and no insecticide and thereby avoid injury to bees. Read and follow all label directions.

LAWN AND LANDSCAPE

April
Seed bare spots.
Apply pre-emergence herbicides to control crabgrass. The herbicide siduron is the only crabgrass preventer that can be used on newly seeded lawns.


FLOWERS AND VEGGIES

April
Plant cool-season vegetables and flowers as soon as the ground has dried enough to work.
Harden off transplants before planting outdoors by gradually exposing the young plants to outdoor conditions of wind, brighter sunlight, and lower moisture.
Plant or transplant asparagus, rhubarb, and small fruit plants such as strawberries and brambles.
Divide rhubarb and replant, if last year’s planting produced seedstalks.
Plant sections of certified, disease-free potato “seed” tubers.
Remove winter mulch from strawberry beds as soon as new growth begins, but keep the mulch nearby to protect against frost and freezes and to help keep weeds under control.
Remove weak, diseased, or damaged canes from raspberry plants before new growth begins.
Remove old fruiting canes (if not removed last year), and shorten remaining canes if necessary.
Prune grape vines to remove dead or weakened limbs, and repair support trellises as needed.

Keep ahead of the weeds!.

Turn the compost.
Sharpen Tools
Test and amend your soil
Prune flowering shrubs when they finish blooming.
Plant and divide perennials

Specifically...

In the Mid-Atlantic States
Direct sow and transplant hardy annuals toward the end of the month, when night temperatures stay above 55 degrees F.
Plant fruit trees and shrubs and perennial vegetables
Transplant and seed vegetables after danger of frost.
Try to prune roses before bud break. If you’re running late, do them ASAP.

In the Mid-West & Northeast states
Start seeds of warm-season vegetables and flowers.
Direct seed cool season vegetables and flowers when the ground is able to be worked.
Begin hardening off cool season seedlings, to transplant at the end of the month.
Begin dividing perennials.

In the Pacific Northwest
Work on your soil. Add amendments if needed and plow under any cover crops planted last season, before they go to seed.
Begin planting out transplants, if the ground is not too soaked.
Get greens started by direct seeding outdoors.
Plant a little each month, for succession harvests.
Divide perennials during cool, rainy season. Keep row covers handy for cold snaps.

Along the Pacific Coast
Plant warm weather lovers.
Plant and feed perennials
Thin fruit on trees to about 4-5" apart, to encourage the remaining fruit to mature to full size.
Shop for azaleas, clematis and other flowers in bloom in garden centers.
Add mulch where needed, especially around tree and shrub roots.

In the Southwest
Plant warm weather lovers.
Feed perennials
Thin fruit on trees to about 4-5" apart, to encourage the remaining fruit to mature to full size.
Fertilize Wisely. I mix two tablespoons of liquid fish fertilizer with 1 tablespoon of seaweed, Add mulch where needed, especially around tree and shrub roots. Enjoy the wild flowers in bloom

In the Southeast
Be prepared for cold snaps at night. Use row covers newspapers or sheets to protect seedlings.
Start seeds indoor of warm season vegetables and flowers if you haven’t yet. Stake perennials before they get too tall. Finish pruning roses. Remove dead and diseased wood first. Hybrid teas can be cut back hard, to a new shoot.
Check on cool season crops for harvesting. Direct seed in the vegetable garden toward the end of the month.
Begin transplanting warm season seedlings outdoors, at the end of April when the soil has warmed and night temperatures stay above 50 degrees F.
Give your bulbs some food once they finish blooming and allow the foliage to remain until it begins to turn yellow.
Feed fruit and nut trees and bushes.

ENJOY!

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