April Landscapes – Get Your Hands in the Dirt!

[Sirhornsalot]

April Brings the Landscape Back to Life!

Go ahead, get your hands in the dirt!

The month of April is one of my favorite months of the year. FINALLY our growing season is full gear and we’re out there plunging our hands into the soil once again. I am at my happiest when on my knees, making a garden look nice.

For those of you who enjoy planting annual flowers each spring, the floor is yours this month!

When we speak of “annual flowers” we’re talking about flowering plants that bloom in a mostly ongoing fashion throughout the summer, but do not survive our winters and must be replanted each spring. This type would include such flowers as Begonias, Petunias, Perriwinkles, Wave Petunias, Impatiens and Black Foot Daisies.

Let’s take a look at each of these flowers as we start making decisions about what we want flowering in our landscape this season.

 

Begonias – Begonias are a small flowering plant with big, waxy leaves and numerous small flowers that are impactful when planted in numbers. There are varieties with white, pink and red flowers that you see for the most part in our North Texas nurseries. But there are other varieties that include almost every color there is. Several varieties can do well in partial shade.

Note – if you’re looking for a flowering plant that can withstand and last through our North Texas summers, the Begonia is a solid choice.

Plant in soft, airy soil that is all organic matter. Begonias like to dry out between waterings.

 

Petunias – One of the more striking flowers in the Spring are Petunias. They came in a variety of colors and feature blooms that are larger and more spectacular than most. They do well in early spring in Texas. However, they will eventually succumb to the heat here and putter out by July. So if you love creating a gorgeous Spring look, these are definitely a good choice. But they likely won’t last the summer.

 

 

Wave Petunias – This is a variety of Petunia that you will often see sold in hanging baskets. This is because they have a creeping growth habit, with strands that grow out from the center, creating a dramatic effect in hanging baskets and also when planted in gardens. Their flowers are only slightly smaller than regular Petunias and they come in a variety of colors. Unlike regular Petunias, these will last the whole season if properly cared for.

 

Perriwinkles (Vinca Minor) – One of my favorites because they are relentless bloomers. You can dead-head these but you really don’t need to. They are prolific bloomers and tough enough to make it through an entire Texas summer. They come in a wide array of colors. They can get a little tall, up to 12 inches. So if preferable, they can be cut back.

 

Impatiens – Impatiens are a beautiful annual flower that comes in a variety of colors. They are more succulent than other annual flowers and do not like to stay wet for long. Only in the best conditions and care do they last a whole summer here, but they are impactful from spring through early summer. One variety, New Guinea Impatiens, grows well in shade.

 

Caladiums – Caladiums are technically not flowers, but they are used quite effectively in spring gardens because of their large, colorful leaves. They are a bulb plant, in the Elephant Ear family, and there are a number of varieties to choose from with a crazy assortment of colors. Some are best planted in full sun, some varieties best planted in shade or filtered sun. So they can be used in those difficult to manage shaded beds. They can be planted as bulbs in late winter or are sold as small plants in early spring.

 

Black Foot Daisies – I love this plant/flower. Lots of bang for the buck with these. You may buy a 1-gallon specimen and think you bought a small flowering plant. But in no time at all this plant will triple in size and flower display. Their flowers are white and numerous. They spread wide and are champions in the Texas heat. Make sure these are allowed to dry out between waterings. They do not like to stay wet. Further south, these are perennial but normally do not make it through our North Texas winters.

 

Coleus – Another plant that does not flower, but is used often in our gardens for its colorful foliage. In this case, strikingly colorful. Coleus is a succulent plant and must be handled carefully. Most varieties are used in shady locations as they cannot withstand full sun conditions. But there are a couple of varieties that do okay in full sun.

Make sure that you choose an all-organic matter planting mix, mixing in compost as well. Make sure your flowers are planted in an elevated way (a few inches higher) so that they can drain after waterings.

 

First Fertilization of the season

April is here so the weather is now warm enough that we can apply our first fertilization of the year. You will want to get this done in the first part of the month.

I cannot stress this enough – MAKE SURE the product you buy is created for the lawn turf you have. Putting down the wrong product can potentially have disastrous results.

For example, a weed/feed designed for Bermuda turf will have a higher rate of nitrogen and if used on a Zoysia or St Augustine lawn, will burn it up. The “weed” chemical part of that equation would also cause damage to Zoysia and St Augustine turf.

So before you purchase, read the labeling carefully and make sure the product is made for the turf that you have. Before you apply, read the back label for instruction on how to set your spreader for the product. This is largely dictated by the size of the pellet it will cast. So if your product is not listed, go by another product with a similar granule size.

When you apply, make sure you do not cast into landscape beds as lawn fertilizer will damage landscape plants. If your application caused fertilizer pellets to get on the concrete areas of your property, take a blower and blow it back into the lawn. Fertilizer can stain concrete.

Immediately after you apply, water the product in deeply for two consecutive days.

 

 

Time for mulch!

Now that the trees are in the latter stages of emerging for spring, it is safe to start mulching again. Mulch helps our beds retain moisture and gives an awesome look overall. I recommend using a shredded mulch with a consistent shredded size. These tend to lock together and float less.

When mulching trees, do NOT apply mulch up next to the trunk. A tree’s root flare should always be exposed.

Always apply at least three inches of mulch. And keep an eye on your home’s foundation line. You need to be able to see at least three inches of foundation. If your past mulching has crept up above that mark, then this may be the time to remove all that past mulch before applying new mulch. This is important as you don’t want water to be able to come into your home through the weep holes. And, if you sell your home, this sort of thing will get flagged during inspection.

 

Expect early insect presence this season

Given the short winter season we had this year, you might expect an early arrival of predator insects on the scene already. We are already finding spider mites on ornamental trees. A wet spring will help keep down the spider mites, but other insects promise to be a problem this season. Best to stay on top of it by observing your plants and turf carefully each week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Eastexhorn]

Due to rain my potatos were late, and some 2 weeks later than first planting.

First planting has been coming up just over a week. About a 98% stand Funny part is 2 week later planting is also coming up. Bout 40%

Have tomatos blooming but not planted in garden yet.

[tinman]

Great advice! Thank you

[Sirhornsalot]

7 hours ago, Eastexhorn said:

Due to rain my potatos were late, and some 2 weeks later than first planting.

First planting has been coming up just over a week. About a 98% stand Funny part is 2 week later planting is also coming up. Bout 40%

Have tomatos blooming but not planted in garden yet.

Three times in last three weeks we've had tornado watches, warnings of hail, high wind and heavy rain.

And each time we got a trace of rain only. Its rained all around me quite a bit, but seems to keep missing me. lol

All my potatoes came up fine. They're about a foot tall now. I planted them 1.5 feet deep in nothing but compost. I did put a bunch of potash in the soil mix. Good boost in production.

I planted my tomatoes back in third week of March. They're doing fine and growing well. I have one Heirloom tomato that I was warned would be a problem, but its the largest and healthiest one of them all now. All are blooming.

My strawberries are blooming like mad which means I'll have a bumper crop this year. Two years ago I planted one plant. Today, there are 50+. I have a dozen or so berries that are already ripe.

I just had my watermelons pop up (from seed) in little planters. I have a few yellow-meated and one Crimson Red. The red is supposed to be really sweet. This is my first year with them. I normally do Jubilee which make fine melons with lots of juice, but they aren't really tasty.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

@TFloss32or @Aaron Carrara, could you swap out the landscape threads for me?

[Baron]

Planted this evening, two Jalapeno, one Ancho (Poblano), one California Wonder, one Chili de Arbol, one Habanero (for reasons unknown), one Cherry Sweet 100 and a Big Boy. Wish me luck keeping the white tailed varmints off of it.

[Sirhornsalot]

1 hour ago, Baron said:

Planted this evening, two Jalapeno, one Ancho (Poblano), one California Wonder, one Chili de Arbol, one Habanero (for reasons unknown), one Cherry Sweet 100 and a Big Boy. Wish me luck keeping the white tailed varmints off of it.

Put a game cam up. Allow them access to the Habanero. Good times. lol

 

[Sirhornsalot]

ttt @TFloss32

[Sirhornsalot]

@Aaron Carrara@TFloss32

[nstr]

About to apply fertilizer but weeds have taken over my lawn - missed the pre-emergent. Is there anything I could apply now to help? Thx!

[Sirhornsalot]

7 hours ago, nstr said:

About to apply fertilizer but weeds have taken over my lawn - missed the pre-emergent. Is there anything I could apply now to help? Thx!

I see some Bermuda in there so I assume yours is a Bermuda lawn. First, mow the lawn and don't allow the weeds to become large enough to produce seeds, which would compound your problem.

It takes a weed 1.5 weeks to produce a seed. 

You have Poa Annua, Dandelions, Clover, etc., there. Poa Annua requires a special chemical product called "Negate" that we use. Regular weed killers won't touch it. Any product that contains 2,4 D will knock out the rest of what you have. In referring to these chemicals/products, I am talking about liquids which can be sprayed.

There are granular weed/feed products that contain the 2, 4, D and work pretty well, too.

I don't know where you're located but let me know if I can help you locate what you need. If you're in DFW, I can sell you the products.

The Poa Annua, which is the whispy weeds with feather-like tops, is a cool season weed. When temperatures get above 85-90, it dies off.

 

[Baron]

Good Lord, I have a freakin' bumper crop of thistle. I'm gonna have to rent a sprayer trailer and buy stock in Hi-Yield 2-4D

[Baron]

On 4/4/2023 at 8:49 PM, Sirhornsalot said:

Put a game cam up. Allow them access to the Habanero. Good times. lol

 

The little bastards got everything. Forced their head through panel and stripped everything. I'm about to put snares in the panel by the plants and let that do its work.

[Sirhornsalot]

48 minutes ago, Baron said:

Good Lord, I have a freakin' bumper crop of thistle. I'm gonna have to rent a sprayer trailer and buy stock in Hi-Yield 2-4D

What type of turf do you have?

[Sirhornsalot]

47 minutes ago, Baron said:

The little bastards got everything. Forced their head through panel and stripped everything. I'm about to put snares in the panel by the plants and let that do its work.

Plant some Society Garlic (a landscape plant) in the area and they should stay clear. Society Garlic is an onion and they hate it.

[Baron]

Just now, Sirhornsalot said:

What type of turf do you have?

My turf is good (St Augustine). The back half of my backyard and my pasture are inundated with thistle. I'm talking several acres.

[Sirhornsalot]

6 minutes ago, Baron said:

My turf is good (St Augustine). The back half of my backyard and my pasture are inundated with thistle. I'm talking several acres.

Don't put any of that 2-4D on your St Aug. It will kill it.

But yeah, it is suitable for pasture use.

[Baron]

3 minutes ago, Sirhornsalot said:

Don't put any of that 2-4D on your St Aug. It will kill it.

But yeah, it is suitable for pasture use.

Thanks, I still need to buy that stock. 

[nstr]

I've got these tiny, bright orange, almost red bugs on my patio. Do you know what they are and how to get rid of them? Thx.

[Baron]

if you don't have kiddos or pets Demon-WP works well for spiders scorpions and mites

[Sirhornsalot]

15 hours ago, nstr said:

I've got these tiny, bright orange, almost red bugs on my patio. Do you know what they are and how to get rid of them? Thx.

Most bug killers will knock them out. I would use Bifenithryn on them.

A couple of organic options would be

1. Orange Oil. Mix 1 part Orange Oil and 9 parts water into a generic spray bottle. Shake well. Will look like milk. Kills most bugs, ants, termites, on contact.

2. Diatamaceous Earth (food grade). Sprinkle the DE powder wherever the insects traffic. If they get the DE on them in any way, they die. So if they walk through it, they die. Completely safe for humans and pets. Some folks put some in their dogs food to help stave off fleas, but I don't recommend that.

@Baron You can use the Diatamaceous Earth for scorpions and mites, FYI. Wouldn't need to worry about kids or pets.

 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

May Landscape column coming tomorrow evening, FYI.

[nstr]

5 hours ago, Sirhornsalot said:

Most bug killers will knock them out. I would use Bifenithryn on them.

A couple of organic options would be

1. Orange Oil. Mix 1 part Orange Oil and 9 parts water into a generic spray bottle. Shake well. Will look like milk. Kills most bugs, ants, termites, on contact.

2. Diatamaceous Earth (food grade). Sprinkle the DE powder wherever the insects traffic. If they get the DE on them in any way, they die. So if they walk through it, they die. Completely safe for humans and pets. Some folks put some in their dogs food to help stave off fleas, but I don't recommend that.

@Baron You can use the Diatamaceous Earth for scorpions and mites, FYI. Wouldn't need to worry about kids or pets.

 

 

Thanks. Do you know what type of bug they are?

[Sirhornsalot]

11 hours ago, nstr said:

Thanks. Do you know what type of bug they are?

That looks like a clover mite