Spent last weekend clearing the asparagus bed and spot-spraying the bromegrass growing in it. This is a great time to tackle unwanted grass in rock beds or perennial gardens. Products like Weed Be Gon work well — just be sure to read the label. I had a serious Bromegrass problem in my asparagus patch, and early spring applications of Roundup (before the asparagus came up!) took care of it. Two years later, just a few blades come up.
Now’s the perfect time to prune your trees and shrubs. If you’ve got young trees, it’s important to shape them properly before they get older. For fruit and shade trees, you’ll want to keep just one main trunk, called the leader. Start by cutting out any dead or diseased limbs. Then go after those twigs that shoot straight up — they’re not helping. Next, look for branches that cross or rub against each other and trim those, too. And don’t forget to remove any suckers growing from the base; they’re just stealing energy from the main trunk.
For multi-stemmed shrubs like lilacs, it’s a good time to thin them out. Cut out the oldest canes you can take out up to a third of the total mass. And if your shrub is getting too tall, go ahead and cut it back to size now, not removing over 1/3 of its growth in one year.
This has been the winter of frost cracks; they show up as long vertical splits on the trunk, especially on young, thin-barked trees like maples. This happens when a warm day is followed by a sudden cold snap, freezing the sap inside. You’ll often see the damage on the south or southwest side of the trunk. Unfortunately, there’s not much to do about it right now, but keeping the tree well-watered during the summer will help it recover.
Out in the garden, those little winter weeds like pennycress and shepherd purse are already greening up. They’re easy to pull or hoe while they’re still small — under 4 inches tall. You can also spray them now; just don’t wait too long or let them go to seed!
If you’ve recently seeded a new lawn, water it frequently — about 3 to 4 times a day for 5 minutes each if it’s warm and windy. Once the grass starts growing, dial it back to once or twice a day. And when you try to pull the grass, and it won’t budge? That’s your clue to switch to once-a-week watering if it’s dry.