Saturday, March 20, 2010

Wait Another Week Before You Prune Your Roses

By Tracey Hobson
For the Journal
          Q. Is it time to prune the three roses I have now, and when will the new crop of potted roses be available for this year's planting?
        A. I've been taught to wait until the last weekend of March to prune your roses. That way any new growth the roses set would, in theory, come on well after the weather stopped being so fickle. Since you have just a few roses, I would recommend waiting until next weekend or even the first weekend in April.
        If you can't wait any longer, go ahead but be ready to tent the roses if the weather turns extra chilly — especially if they hurry and flush out lots of tender growth.
        The new crop of this year's container roses will start to show in most retail locations soon. I'm sure there are even several locales that have a wee selection available already. Be assured the selection will continue to grow as this planting season advances. We've only just begin.
        Q. Is now a good time to reseed the bare spots in the lawn? How about fertilizing now, too?
        A. Since we are still experiencing freezing temperatures at night, wait a bit longer. If the grass seedlings freeze during the germination process, they will die and you'll have to do the whole process again. Meanwhile, you could get your lawn spots ready to reseed when it does get a bit warmer.
        If the spots have dead thatch in them, that needs to be raked away. Then, if the soil needs to be brought up to level, so to speak, pour topsoil in those areas and wet it. That will keep the new soil in place until seeding time.
        Fertilization will depend on how "married" you want to be to the lawn this time of year. When you begin with the first feed of the year, you'll be watering, mowing and tending it from this point on. So that's up to you.
        If you would rather perform a few "get ready" tasks and then wake up the lawn a little later, now would be a good time to thatch. This is true especially if the lawn hasn't had a thatching in two or more years. There are rakes designed specifically for this task. You can find them at nurseries, some garden centers and hardware stores.
        Thatching by hand is a lot of work, so if that isn't the ticket there are thatching blades you can attach to the mower and get the chore completed with a bit more ease. All of the thatch can be added to a compost pile, as long as it hasn't been treated with any chemicals.
        Afterward, consider coring or plugging the lawn. Poking gobs of holes and pulling up a dirt plug is a very healthy thing to do for your lawns. Again, tools can be found at varying outlets or, if you are dealing with a large area, consider hiring a lawn service to do the plugging for you. Used to be you could rent the plugging tools. Let your fingers do the walking and research your choices.
        After you've gotten the lawn ready to wake up, look for a fertilizer that contains a high nitrogen level. It's the nitrogen that will get it up and green quickly. My favorite for use in these parts is a product called "Desert Green." Another good choice is Soil-Tex. Both will kickstart your lawns for a good healthy start.
        Also, there are fertilizers on the market that include pre-emergents to help prevent weedy grasses from growing. Be sure to read the packaging as an application could take you out of the re-seeding loop for a time.
        Need tips on growing your garden? How much to water those bushes? How to transplant a tree? Tracey Hobson is a certified nurseryman. Send your garden-related questions to Digging In, West Side Journal, P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103.
       

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