Spring is in full swing! It's time to enjoy your garden, replant areas that are out dated, put in vegetables and plant summer color.

ANNUALS

• Time to plant summer annuals! Marigolds, impatiens, alyssum, asters, petunias, lobelia, Madagascar vinca, mimulus, fibrous begonias, zinnias, bedding dahlias, cosmos, and many more are here! To ensure their young livelihood, don't forget to apply Sluggo or Master Nursery Pest-Fighter for Slugs, Cooke Pest Granules or Lilly Miller Slug, Snail & Insect killer Bait after planting.
•  Remember to replenish your soil before planting. Add 1 to 2 inches of Master Nursery Bumper Crop or Gold Rush and broadcast Master Nursery Master Start at the rate of 10 pounds to every 500 square feet. Rototill or dig in to a depth of 8 to 10 inches.
• Pansies and violas planted for the winter months will serve you through summer as long as they are located in dappled light or where they only receive morning sun.
• You can still plant from seeds multi-colored, multi-stemmed sunflowers for great color and as a good summer cutting flower.
• The Madagascar vinca (Vinca Rosea) is a summer look-alike for Impatiens to grow in full hot sun.
• It's still not too late to start annuals from seed.  Some good choices are:  Cosmos, nasturtiums, forget-me-nots, marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers.  The multicolored, branching sunflowers make beautiful bouquets.

BULBS

• Plant gladiolus bulbs in 2-week intervals through April, May and June for continuous bloom. Plant bulbs about 4 times the depth of the bulb. If you plant the bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart, the plants will act as stakes and support one another.
• To help prevent thrips on gladioli, soak bulbs 2 to 3 hours in a weak bleach or Lysol solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water).
• Herbaceous and tree peonies are blooming about now and are available in 2 or 5-gallon cans. While both prefer cold winters, tree peonies perform a little better in our mild winter climate. Plant in full to mostly sun, amending the soil liberally with Gold Rush to facilitate drainage and mulch with two inches of Gold Rush. Plant so that the roots are only one or two inches below the soil surface.  Bare root plants will be available by the first of May.
• Deadhead and feed daffodils, Dutch iris,  Grape hyacinth and other long-lived perennial bulbs with Master Nursery Bulb Food when they're done blooming. Fertilizing at this time is crucial, as they soak up the sun and store food in the bulb, all for next year's blooms. Accordingly, don't cut, braid or tie foliage!
• The key to strong and sturdy dahlias is planting them in 12 inches deep holes and covering them with only 3 inches of soil. Install a 5 or 6 foot one inch by 1 inch stake next to the bulb if you are growing the large 'dinner plate' or cactus dahlias. Let them grow and then gradually cover them with soil until the hole is filled. Planted this way, dahlias will develop strong and sturdy flower stalks. To get more blooms, pinch tips back when they are 12 inches tall.
• When planting tuberous begonias, remember to leave about one-quarter inch of the bulb exposed.
• Prepare soil for bulbs by broadcasting two inches of  Gold Rush, and working in about 4 to 6 inches deep. Once you have planted bulbs, you can also broadcast a starter fertilizer such as Master Nursery Master Start, a scattering of cottonseed meal or Dr. Earth All-Purpose Fertilizer. Alternatively, you can add Gold Rush and Master Start to individual holes, mixing in well with native soil.
• Apply Master Nursery Bulb Food when bulbs break ground and again when they finish blooming.

FRUITS

• Fruit trees are still available. If  you don't find your favorite selection in the nursery, it can be ordered.
• It is too late for oil, copper or sulfur sprays (i.e. dormant sprays) on your deciduous fruit trees.
• There are reports of peach leaf curl on peach trees despite having treated them with the three necessary dormant sprays in November, December and January. Research at UC Davis states that there is no control once symptoms appear. As the infected leaves fall, they should be collected and disposed of -- not composted. The tree will replace the fallen leaves.
• Bacterial canker and Brown rot of apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums manifests as twig dieback or oozing from short fruiting spurs or branch tips and a decrease or absence in fruit production. Often there will be a good bloom of flowers which shrivel and turn brown and then produce little or no fruit. While it is too late to spray for this disease this year, next year apply two additional sprays of Micro-Cop,  Ortho Garden Disease Control, Liqui-Cop or Daconil at pink bud and full bloom. When pruning this summer or next winter, you should also remove dead or oozing wood or wood with any visible cankers.
• To control worms (codling moth larva) in your apples and pears, spray with Sevin when all the petals have fallen (so the bees are not killed) and again 4 weeks later. Sevin often causes fruit thinning (which is probably a good thing). Spraying once 30 days after full bloom will avoid thinning. Codling Moth traps will help reduce the number of wormy apples, but their main function is to detect the presence of the pests so that you know it is time to spray.   For gardeners who are going organic, Monterey Garden Insect Spray containing Spinosad will meet your needs.
• Watch for aphids on plums and cherries, which disfigure leaves by causing them to curl and is often mistaken for peach leaf curl. Spray with Master Nursery Pest-Fighter or Malathion when leaves are three-quarters to 1inch long. The curled leaves may be unsightly but it is not a serious problem. Do not spray when the tree is in bloom and being visited by bees.
• If you had fire blight (pear blight) on pear or apple trees last year, a preventive spray of Liqui-Cop (1 Tablespoon per gallon of water) is helpful. For apples, apply when buds are at the silvery tip stage; for pears, apply when in bloom.
• If needed, spray apple and pear trees for woolly apple aphid, which appear as a white cottony mass, usually in crevices, pruning cuts and on the roots next to the trunk use Master Nursery Pest Fighter or Malathion.  Do not spray when the tree is in bloom and being visited by bees.
• Paint deciduous fruit tree trunks and also citrus trees up to the first scaffold branches with a white, water-based, interior latex paint, cut 50% with water. This is especially important for new trees or trees planted in blazing hot locations. 
• If you haven't had a chance to prune your fruit trees, it's still safe to prune.  If you're unsure of which wood will fruit, trees in flower or just beginning to set fruit are the branches to save and the others to trim out.
• Select and plant citrus now.
• Citrus should be pruned to remove dead wood, crossing branches or long water sprouts. 
• Check citrus for scale, a sucking insect that usually clusters along fruit stems, new growth and the undersides of leaves. If found,  the U.C. Agricultural Extension Service recommends that you spray the trees with a mixture of Master Nursery  Pest Fighter Year Round Spray Oil and Malathion.  Wait two weeks and apply a second application, and never spray oil more than four times during the growing season. Ants running up and down the trunk often indicate the presence of scale, so look carefully, as more than one kind of scale may be present. If you have scale on your citrus, you may also have sooty mold (a black powder which rubs off easily) on the leaves of your plants. Mr. Ed uses liquid detergent ( 2 Tablespoons to each gallon of water) in his hose end sprayer to clean off the sooty mold before spraying with oil or Malathion. Check also for snail damage as snails will climb the trees to feed on the leaves.
• Fertilize citrus in March, May, July, and September with Master Nursery Citrus Food or Dr. Earth Citrus & Fruit Tree Fertilizer.
• Deciduous fruit trees can be fertilized around Memorial Day and Labor Day with Master Nursery Fruit Tree & Vine Food or a month earlier with Dr. Earth Citrus & Fruit Tree Fertilizer.

GROUNDCOVERS

• Now through mid-May is the best time to plant groundcovers, as they become easily established before the heat of summer. Erigeron, Ceanothus and Manzanita are excellent groundcovers for hot, dry locations (though they do need water while becoming established).
• Fertilize groundcovers with Formula 49 on Memorial Day and Labor Day until well established and then only about Memorial Day.
• Mow low-growing groundcovers such as ivy, periwinkle and Peruvian verbena if you haven't already done so.
• To ward off slugs and snails, bait with Sluggo (safe for pets and people), Lilly Miller Slug, Snail & Insect Killer Bait or Cooke Pest Granules.

IRRIGATION

• Before the dry season starts, check all of your irrigation devices. Start them up to be sure they are not plugged, that they cover the area they are supposed to and that lawn or shrubbery does not interfere with water distribution. Download our Irrigating Plants Care Guide for best methods of water distribution.
• In Redwood City, phone 780-7436 for a "water house call" both inside and outside for a water conservation analysis.  In the Santa Clara Valley Water District, call (408) 265-2600 x 2554.  Redwood City is still giving away low flush toilets or up to a $150 rebate for replacements.  Check out the BAWSCA website for more conservation ideas.

LAWNS

•  Spread seed or lay sod March through May. For details on preparing an area for installation, check out both our Lawn Preparation and  Lawn Preparation to Replace Bermuda Grass Care Guide. Sod orders placed with Wegman’s usually take 2 to 3 days for delivery. Call us for details! 
• Now is the time to treat lawns for grubs to prevent raccoons and skunks from digging and rolling up your turf later this summer. Advanced Lawn Grub Control is available as a spray or pellets and will eliminate the grubs and other meaty things in your lawn which the raccoons and skunks feed on. Or, Beneficial Nematodes, microscopic parasitic worms, can be sprinkled on the lawn and will only attack grubs, fleas and harmful larvae. Molemax or Grants Mole Repellent doesn't kill anything but works quite well in chasing away gophers, moles and skunks.
• Feed lawns with Master Green Lawn Food or Master Green Weed & Feed.  For organic products, use Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer. If you have Fall & Winter Feed left, it is okay to use.
• If you have had problems with Bermuda grass in your lawn, apply Turflon Ester, which also controls annual and perennial broadleaf weeds in established lawns. For crabgrass and some other weed grasses, as well as a host of other tenacious broadleaf weeds, use Trimec Plus.
• For oxalis and broadleaf weeds, use  Turflon Ester which is particularly effective for controlling oxalis.
• Trimec Plus is the only product to control wild onion and nutsedge in lawns or tilled areas.
• It's time to set mowers to summer levels: 2.5 inches to 3 inches for fescue and bluegrass lawns and 1“-1.5” for Bermuda grass lawns. Remember: You cannot use pre-emergent products for 3-4 months prior to seeding a lawn or laying sod. You can, however, use Roundup or Master Nursery Kleen-Up 3-4 days before seeding or laying sod. Click here for our New Sod Care Guide.
• If you leave lawn clippings, you can reduce fertilizer use by 30 to 50 percent without any danger of thatch or unsightliness. 
• Spring is the time to aerate and dethatch your lawn while the soil is still soft. Aerating is particularly important so that water will penetrate the soil and sod rather than running off.

PERENNIALS

• As the season warms up, many perennials become available. Check out these perennials for sun: Scabiosa, Erysimum, Sage, Penstemon, yarrow, Foxglove, and Delphinium.  For the shade, check out Astilbe, Hosta, Heucheras, Heucherellas, and Columbine.
• A few perennial grasses, such as purple fountain grass, can still be cut back to 9 to 12 inches through mid-April. Fertilize lightly with a lawn fertilizer that does not contain an herbicide.
• Bait now with Sluggo or the products mentioned under Groundcovers. Especially vulnerable are perennials such as columbine, hosta and delphinium.

ROSES

• As new leaves emerge, watch for aphids. Apply Master Nursery Pest-Fighter for Fruits & Vegetables or Safer Insect Killing Soap.
• Spring rains make ideal conditions for Blackspot. Spray Ortho Rose Pride (Triforine) or Ortho Garden Disease Control (daconil) now as a preventive.  Mr. Ed has already sprayed twice with funginex (Triforine) as a preventive.
• Rub off leaf buds that are facing the center of the plant. This will redirect growth to outward buds and help keep the center of the rose open for air circulation. Watch too for sucker sprouts below the graft and remove as needed.
• Prune climbers such as Cecile Brunner, Belle of Portugal and Lady Banks roses (which bloom only once) after bloom.
• Prevent weeds in rose beds by applying Concern Weed Prevention Plus. This product contains corn gluten, which prevents seeds from germinating and contains 9% nitrogen, providing a slow-release fertilization. Never use Round-Up or any other herbicide within 100 feet of roses; it's the surest way to deform new foliage and developing buds. If there are little annual weeds or grasses coming up around the roses "Burn Out" can be safely used.
• Begin monthly feedings with Master Nursery Rose & Flower Food. For an organic alternative, apply Dr. Earth Rose & Flower Fertilizer, which contains alfalfa meal, every other month. Alfalfa meal contains the chemical triacontanol, which spurs the formation of new canes. If you do not use a natural fertilizer, supplement your regime with alfalfa meal every April and July.  Remember, the organic fertilizers do not contain Iron or Sulfur so if your roses appear chloratic, give them a treatment of Iron Plus or Iron sulfate. 
• If you prefer to use a systemic insecticide with fertilizer, apply Bayer Advanced Garden All -in-One Rose and Flower Care every six weeks. Mr. Ed experimented with this product in one of his rose gardens, but was disappointed with the results.
• Last year was a bad year for Rose Slugs and many bushes were left with small irregular holes in the leaves. In severe cases only the veins were left as a leaf skeleton. Spray now with Sevin or Malathion if any bushes show symptoms. For the organic gardener, use Monterey Garden Insect Spray (with Spinosad). Spinosad will control all chewing insects.

SHRUBS & VINES

• Rhododendrons, renowned for their whopping trusses and masses of color, are bursting into color. We carry over 30 hybrids, including larger sizes.
• Now is a good time to plant drought tolerant shrubs such as:  Silk tassel, ceanothus, cotoneaster, Fremontodendron, manzanita and rosemary. Remember, once these plants are established, they only need water about once a month and should never be planted where they are irrigated by lawn sprinklers.
• Deciduous clematis are beginning to bloom. As the month progresses, a great selection of the large-flowering and the longer-blooming hybrids will be available. Excellent in part to full sun, rampant and colorful, these vines simply require that their roots be kept cool. Mulch freely with bark, plant under the edge of a deck or at the foot of a tree or shrub or cover with Vinca major or Star Jasmine. Mr. Ed planted some deciduous Clematis under star jasmine which had accidentally been allowed to cover a fence. The huge Clematis climbs and blooms against the glossy green star jasmine and are quite striking all summer!
• Mediterranean climate natives continue their unique displays of bloom through April. Check out Boronia, Watsonia, Protea, Leucospermum, Grevillea, and Correa. While you may not be familiar with these plants, they make excellent additions to the landscape with their early bloom, deer-resistance, and tolerance to wet winters and dry summers.
• If you haven't already done so, fertilize evergreen shrubs and vines now with Master Nursery Formula 49 (8-4-4).
• Now's a good time to select azaleas, as their flurry of color continues.
• Both camellias and azaleas are susceptible to petal blight, which appears as brown splotching on petal margins of open flowers, partly open flowers and flower buds. A fungus causes both petal blights. Camellia petal blight can be partially controlled through sanitation: Remove infected flowers and buds and try not to let infected petals hit the ground. If they do, gather and place in trash immediately-do not compost! Azalea petal blight is controlled by spraying weekly with Daconil or Triforine before the buds open.
• Prune tender shrubs and vines (25° -30°F), such as Bougainvillea, Abutilon, geraniums, Lantana, Mandevilla, and Fuchsia, by mid-April.
• Fuchsias grown in containers can still be repotted through mid-April. Pot up into larger containers or root-prune. If you prune the roots, remove about one-quarter to one-third of the root mass and add fresh soil to the pot.  Cut the tops back to the edge of the pot or about 1/2 to 1/3 of the top. Pinch new growth to make the plants bushier.  Fuchsia mites cause the leaves to crinkle up and appear all gnarly.  U.C. Davis recommends spraying once a month with Sevin, starting when the first leaves are about one inch long.  If you had mites last year, start spraying as soon as you prune.  See our Fuchsia Care Guide.

TREES

• The first shipments of Japanese maples have arrived. These trees are field-grown in Oregon, then planted in containers and held for one additional year to root-in and be pruned to shape. This year's selection includes Bloodgood, Bonfire, Burgundy Lace, Fireglow, Emperor I, Oshio Beni, Red Dragon, Shaina, Seiryu, Shishigashira, Sango Kaku, Crimson Queen, Garnet, Inabe Shidare, Tamukeyama, Viridis, and Waterfall. We have a limited supply of Golden Fullmoon maple, a rare and beautiful variety. We'll also be carrying some unusual and harder to find varieties in 1-gallon and specimen sizes.
• Prune flowering deciduous trees, such as plum, cherry, crabapple, and deciduous magnolia, after they bloom. Do not prune flowering fruit trees as you would fruiting trees.
• To eliminate fruit on olives, liquidambar and ornamental plums, apply Florel Fruit Eliminator anytime once they begin blooming through full bloom.
• The Mediterranean olive fly has reached San Mateo County and surrounding areas.  Monterey Garden Insect Spray with the active ingredient Spinosad is now available for control of this pest.  Spinosad should be used in conjunction with the olive fly traps so you will know when to spray.
• Mr. Ed has already seen Oak Moth caterpillars on several occasions. Spray with Bt or Spinosad or Seven  while they are small.

VEGETABLES

• Time to plant basil, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, corn, green beans, cucumbers, and melons from starts. Remember to amend soil liberally, as vegetable crops deplete nutrients from soils rather quickly. We like Paydirt or Gold Rush, which includes chicken manure, giving plants a quick nitrogen boost. Apply them 1 inch deep, scatter Master Nursery Tomato and Vegetable Food over the area and dig in 6-8 inches. See our Vegetable Gardening Care Guide.
• Don't be disappointed if you try to grow herbs on the window-sill of your kitchen window as is being recommended on TV and some magazines. Unless you have a greenhouse window, herbs need to be out of doors in order to grow properly. Indoors they will be tall, spindly and flavorless
• Tomatoes make great container plants. Use at least a 15-gallon container for most types and try Sweet 100s in a 16 inch hanging basket.
• Among Mr. Ed's personal favorite heirloom tomatoes are:  Purple Cherokee, Pineapple and Green Zebra.  Costolusa Genovese is the biggest, ugliest paste tomato going, but is delicious!
• Plant artichokes and rhubarb now from 4 inch pots or 1-gallon pots.
• Cool season greens can be planted through spring. Lettuce, spinach, cilantro, chard, and mustard should all perform well until the heat kicks in.
• Continue planting potatoes. These can be planted in a 15-gallon container to intrigue your grandchildren.
• A yearly application of chicken or steer manure is not enough to replace the nutrients used up by a successful vegetable garden. At least two applications of a balanced fertilizer such as Master Nursery Tomato and Vegetable Food  is needed during the growing season when the soil is first prepared and then about six weeks later.

OTHER THINGS TO DO

• Outdoor container plants must be fertilized with an appropriate granular fertilizer monthly through October. If you are a fan of liquid fertilizers, follow directions on the container. Micacle-Gro won't be enough since it only lasts about one week.
• Camellias, Citrus and Gardenias may need extra Iron if they show yellowing between green leaf veins (chlorosis).  Treat by sprinkling Iron Plus or Iron Sulfate around the plant two or three times a year.
• Consider watering indoor plants with 1 tablespoon vinegar per 1 gallon of water once a month in order to reduce salt build-up and to lower pH.
• Check your potted plants to see whether they will need repotting this season. If so, re-pot now. You can plant up into larger containers or root-prune and replant in the same container. When root-pruning, prune away one-quarter to one-third of the root mass and add new soil. To  help avoid dieback on the top, you should prune one-third to one-half off the top when you prune the roots.
• Mosquitoes are already showing up in our gardens.  Empty dishes, pots and saucers of water.  Use Mosquito Dunks in ponds and fountains.   If you have holes in trees which collect water, squirt a teaspoonful of Horticultural Oil into the hole.
• A note from Mr. Ed: Don't be mislead by heavy handed advertising of a major 'garden soil' sold in bags and which purports that everything else is just dirt. Compare it to Gold Rush or Bumper Crop and see where this lesser product comes up short. And remember, potting soil is not meant to be a soil amendment.
• Another Heads Up: One of the big box stores is touting a 'V'  brand fertilizer which ostensibly makes plants grow better than other products. Maybe it does back East where it is formulated but it does not contain the micronutrients needed here in the West. Again, compare the ingredients with Master Nursery.  
• Check plants for spittle bugs, (the larva of leaf hoppers) and blast them off with a stream of water or spray with Pyrethrin found in Master Nursery Rose and Flower Insect Spray or spray with Malathion. 
• If you are starting plants from seeds or cuttings, our Seedling Heat Mat will speed the process and help ensure success.
• If you are encouraging birds to your garden with food and flowers, don't forget drinking water.  Keep the bird bath clean and full all year round (yes, even in the rainy season).
• Sharp pruning tools make clean cuts that heal quickly. Check out our Pruning Tool Renovation Service, which includes cleaning and sharpening and replacing missing parts. If you're unsure whether we can service your tool, bring it in for assessment.