Sonoma County Master Gardeners Helping Local Gardeners

• Sonoma County had very late frost this year. The official last frost date for the County is April 15, but nights were frosty in much of the County for a week beyond that. The frost nipped some tender new growth on perennials and many summer vegetables that were planted out too early (now you see one reason why we recommend waiting until May for your tomatoes!) In most cases you can trim off the unsightly foliage and the plants will recover. If your young vegetable plants were hit it is probably a good idea to replace them.
• Now is the time to prune all of your Spring-flowering trees and shrubs – this will force growth and ensure a good bloom next Spring.
• Deadhead your Azaleas and Rhododendrons once they’ve finished blooming. An estimated 70% of a Rhododendron’s energy goes into the formation of seed. Use a whisk broom to lightly dislodge the dead blooms of Azaleas. Use pruners, or your two fingers to remove the spent flowers of the Rhododendrons and cut just above the two new leaflets.
• Once your lilacs have finished blooming, pick off the spent flowers so the plants don’t spend time making seeds. It will also help the blossom production next year.
• You can still plant/transplant, but watch the sun and heat: when transplanting young plants, use lightweight lawn furniture propped up here and there to create shade for the plants as they get accustomed to their new location.
• Growing vines up tree trunks can be very beautiful. But, certain vines growing up tree trunks can cause terrible damage, and are best left to grow on inanimate surfaces. Ivy, for example, can overwhelm a tree completely and choke off its food supply. Other vines to keep off your trees are wild grape, wisteria, honeysuckle, and bittersweet. Stick with vines like Clematis that can be kept under control and will not damage trees.
• To delay the inevitable bolting, keep your greens evenly watered and put a floating row cover over the plants. Anything you can do to keep the heat off their backs will put a damper on the bolting process, which is actually controlled by day length, which is why it is inevitable!
• Earwigs a problem? Try this: Roll up several thicknesses of dampened newspaper with a little oatmeal, cornmeal, lined along the inside. Place it next to your trouble spots. The next day, discard the newspaper into the trash, or submerge the newspaper rolls into a bucket of hot water. You’ll have to do this every night, which is a pain, but after a week or so, you’ll cut down quite a bit of the population. If you feel you’re losing the war on earwigs, you can take some comfort knowing that they have a beneficial side, too. They like to eat aphids, caterpillars, fruit worms, spider mites, and thrips.
• Use your bulb planter to dig a hole for those little 6-pack sized annuals. It makes the perfect size hole with just a couple of twists.
• Give a little thought to the placement of your compost pile. It will do its best in an area where it will get a little afternoon shade. If you have the space, put the compost pile in an area where you want to plant the next season, and let that beautiful compost work its way into the soil and you’ll get a running start on improving that area..
• Take advantage of that compost pile and let it do more work for you! Plant a few tomato plants right at the edge of the pile. Cherry tomatoes are a good choice. You can even encircle the entire pile with tomato plants and let the run-off compost fertilize them all summer long.
• Containers, especially clay pots, tend to dry out and can be rather demanding for water, particularly if they’re in the full sun. So mulch them! You can add a layer of very small bark chips, gravel, decorative stones, or even composted material.
• If you get a little stream of soil leaking out of the drainage holes of your containers, place a small piece of window screening over the bottom of the hole to keep the soil from escaping. Pests will also be discouraged from coming in through the bottom and using it as a hideout.
• Sow vegetables such as beans, beets, carrots, chard, corn, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, melons, pumpkins and potatoes. This is the month to transplant TOMATOES into the garden, either those that you started indoors or starts from the nursery.
• Stay vigilant about aphids – Spring is the worst time for aphids in Sonoma County gardens – the hot Summer weather drives them away. Use insecticidal soap or spray with water from the garden hose as necessary. Wash off spittlebugs
• Continue to feed your lawn. If the thatch layer is more than ¾” deep, de-thatch, as a deep thatch layer can slow or prevent water absorption. Aeration will relieve compaction and make water and air absorption easier. It is possible to have a beautiful, healthy lawn with minimal reliance on chemical fertilizers and insecticides. Consider replacing some or all of lawn with less-thirsty alternatives (see University of California website Healthy Lawn Care)

©Sonoma County Master Gardeners