May Organic Maintenance

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MAY

Plant*:

• All warm season lawn grasses from plugs, sod, seed or sprigs or by hydro- mulching. Zoysia should only be planted as solid soil. Also the tall prairie grasses from seed including big and little bluestem, Indiangrass, switchgrass, sideoats gramma, eastern gamma, etc.
• Tropical color in beds or pot including bougainvillea, mandevilla, allamanda, ixora, pentas, hibiscus and others.
• All trees and shrubs from containers. Hardened off balled and burlapped plants also. Always remove the burlap, extra soil and ropes from the top of the root balls.
• Warm-season annual color plants: lantana, begonias, zinnia, periwinkle, cosmos, caladiums, impatiens, verbena and others.
• Perennials, including cannas, gladiolas, summer bulbs, mums, asters and other perennials.
• Ground covers, including horseherb, Asian jasmine, English ivy, Persian ivy, purple wintercreeper, liriope and ophiopogon.
• Hot-weather vegetables including southern peas, peppers, squash, okra, melons, and other warm season crops.
• Any and all of the herbs.

Fertilize:

• All annual flowers and potted plants with organic fertilizers. Spray Garrett Juice or aerated compost tea on all foliage every two weeks, or as time and budget allows. Drench root zones of plants for root stimulation with Garrett Juice. Add liquid fish for more fertilizer value.

Prune:

• Climbing roses, after their bloom.
• Spring-flowering shrubs, vines, and trees after they have bloomed.
• “Pinch” away the growing tips of mums weekly.
• Dead and misshapen growth.

Water:

• All planting areas deeply, but infrequently, during dry periods.
• Potted plants regularly. Add Garrett Juice or aerated compost tea.
• Add lava sand and composted mulch to help conserve water.

Pest Control:

• INSECTS: Continue to release trichogramma wasps for pecan casebearer and troublesome caterpillars.
• Release green lacewings and ladybugs for general control.
• For fleas and ticks: Apply natural diatomaceous earth in dry weather and beneficial nematodes anytime. For chiggers, apply elemental sulfur at four pounds per thousand square feet or less or spray with mound drench products or other plant oil products.
• Cabbage loopers and other caterpillars: Release trichogramma wasps and as a last resort spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or the fire ant control formula. Add one ounce of molasses per gallon of Bt spray.
• Aphids on tender, new growth: strong water blast and release ladybugs.
• Lacebugs on azaleas, sycamores: Spray garlic-pepper tea or horticultural oil or one the mound drench products.
• Mosquitoes: Mist or spray plant oil products and apply dry or granulated garlic to site and potted plants. Use Summit Mosquito products in wet areas. Treat skin and/or clothes with diluted vanilla or one of the non-DEET repellents.
• DISEASES: Brown patch or other fungal diseases: Apply whole ground cornmeal at ten to twenty pounds per thousand square feet. Spray and/or drench soil with garlic tea.  
• Bacterial and viral diseases: Spray 3 percent hydrogen peroxide added to Garrett Juice at 16 oz. per gallon.
• WEEDS: Hand remove or use mechanical devices. Spot spray with vinegar based or fatty acid products. Add one ounce of orange oil and one teaspoon of soap and one tablespoon of molasses per gallon of vinegar.
• Treat ball moss if it bothers you with ¼ cup of baking soda or potassium bicarbonate per gallon of water. Ball moss actually doesn’t hurt trees.
• Mistletoe does need to be treated by applying the Sick Tree Treatment.

Odd Jobs:

• Mow weekly and leave clippings on the lawn. Never catch the clippings. They don’t belong in the compost pile unless there is a super abundance of them.
• Turn compost pile and continue to add new ingredients.
• Mulch all bare soil with shredded trimmings from your own property or shredded cedar. Living mulch contains shredded native tree trimmings and compost.
• Don’t forget to feed and water the birds!

*Planting recommendations based on North Texas climate, which is zone 8. Check with your local nurseries and extension service for specific varieties and timing.

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