Polk County Lawn & Garden Checklist for May
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For more info, help, and advice on these or other lawn and garden topics, contact your Polk County Extension Director, Scott Welborn.
It’s time to hang up hummingbird feeders. Any feeder can attract hummingbirds, so the most important design feature to look for is ease of disassembly and cleaning. Hummingbirds get the energy they need to maintain their astonishing metabolism primarily from flower nectar and the sugar water they find at feeders. For protein and other nutrients, they also eat soft-bodied insects and spiders. The sugar water we use to fill hummingbird feeders is only a supplement to the birds’ natural diet. It’s not necessary, but a commercial “nectar” mix that includes additional vitamins, protein, or other substances can be helpful. Remember: do not put honey, Jell-O, brown sugar, fruit, or red food coloring in your feeder! If you are trying to attract hummingbirds to your garden, these plants can be particularly inviting to them.
Control weeds prior to planting vegetables and flowers. Glyphosate is a common post- emergent weed killer which allows you to plant very soon after spraying. It is also possible to use certain pre-emergent herbicides in the garden as well. Treflan, which contains the active ingredient Trifluralin is labeled for both ornamental and some vegetables. In ornamental plantings you can utilize Snapshot or Surflan as well as others in ornamental beds to prevent weeds. Grass killers such as Poast–which contains the active ingredient Sethoxydim–can be sprayed directly on most broadleaf crops, and will only kill the grass and not your crop. One can also keep ahead of weeds during the growing season by simply hoeing frequently in the top inch of soil to prevent new seeds from germinating. Organic alternatives include spreading corn gluten to prevent weeds from sprouting or utilizing landscape fabric to physically prevent weeds.
Frost-sensitive bedding plants and vegetables can be safely planted in May. Make sure to tease out the roots of the plants to prevent circling roots.
Watch plants carefully for evidence of aphids and spray as needed. (Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, or chemicals are available). These aphids are responsible for the black sooty mold often seen on Crape myrtles later in the season. If powdery mildew occurs, apply sulfur based fungicides or Immunox fungicide which provides good control. You will also want to keep an eye out for the ambrosia beetle which bores into the tree and leaves straws of sawdust sticking out of the trunk. These beetles infect the trees with the ambrosia fungus which can kill the tree. Protective sprays of bifenthrin can prevent infestation. Once the trees are infected, however, there is no cure.
Ivy can be eliminated with multiple sprays of Glyphosate or a product containing 2-4d or triclopyr, which are broad leaf weed killers. Do not apply herbicides on a windy day to prevent injury to desirable plants. Goats are a good natural way to eliminate this troublesome weed.
If you see an orange substance on the backs of your blackberry leaves it is Orange Rust. This disease can kill leaves and cause a reduced crop. It will persist from year to year, so if you have an infection it is best to destroy the infected plants. It’s also important to remove all wild blackberries that may be harboring the fungus. There are no effective chemical controls at this time. The varieties Cherokee, Cheyenne, Comanche, Choctaw, Arapaho, Ouachita, and Shawnee are considered resistant.
Do NOT cut back spring bulb foliage until it turns yellow and brown. This foliage makes the food for the bulb to bloom next year.
You can prune your rhododendron/azaleas after they finish flowering. Be sure to spray your azaleas with soapy water or horticultural oils to kill lace bugs which will turn the leaves a grey color. You will need to coat the undersides of the leaves to get control of these pesky insects. Imidacloprid is a chemical systemic control that can be utilized after blooming as well.
Aphids vary in color from green, black, brown, red, pink, etc. They are soft-bodied insects and they suck sap from their needle-like mouthparts from buds, leaves, twigs and developing fruit. The results include leaves that may be stunted and distorted and fruit that becomes misshapen. Aphids can be found along stems or on the underside of a leaf. Did you know that aphids have a natural predator: ladybugs! Non-chemical removal of these pests includes washing them off the plant with a steady stream of water or spraying soapy water on the leaves. Repeat again in 3-4 days to catch any survivors. Chemical control of aphids includes spraying Pyrethrin or Malathion.
NOTE: The use of brand names in this publication does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of the products or services named nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned.