Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-05-16
GARDEN
CHORES

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hind schedule because Of the
many week ends OF rain. The
ofiicial report indicates only Ia
Inches but some gauges show
over z inches for the FIRST 10
days Of May. Obviously. those
who try to follow the accepted
practices and refuse 10 work wet
soil are unhappy with the situa-
ton. Undoubtedly some are like
the plowman who said. IF you
want a garden this spring you
gotta work the soil q bit on the
wet side"
The delay Is. Of course, put
ting the planting Of glads,
dahlias. ANNALS. ported plants.
shrubs and trees for behind
schedule. Some will take
chances and put out balled and
burlapped (B. a. b. hoping that
the weather win not change to
hot and dry before the newly
set out plants have become
established. This may mean
running q bit Of risk but It is
Offset by losing a years growth.
Raise Cutter Bar
The lawnmower should be
railed to cut Ia to 2 inches.
This adjustment Is necessary II
the grass plants are to be tall
enough and well branched- to
shade the soil during the heat
of the summer. To cut at a
inches or even I inch Is to re-
move the protective cover and
the soil temperatures win soar
during the peak Of the summer.
This means that the bluegrass
viii 60 dormant Just that much
sooner and the crabgrass viii
take over. Bluegrass win not
grow in hot soils. The cutting
at the higher levels is a help
In this direction but, actually.
1t would be better II we could
also mulch the soil TO help keep
1t still cooler.
Spray and Dust
Rainy weather is no time to
let up on the protective spray
o. busting program. Aphids
thrive in this kind Of weather
and all plant diseases spread
best when 1t is cloudy and
damp. The all-purpose dusts
and sprays are easiest to use.
They are formulated by experts
in the employ Of the manu-
facturers and usually contain
the best Of the modern day
pesticides. The members Of the
Potomac Rose Society have
access to their own special
brand which is based upon the
latest research for. this area.
Kill Crabgrass Seedlings
Normally this Is the time of
the year that the crabgrass
seeds begin to sprout, but the
soil is still cool and 1t is doubt-
full If they will show UP for
another week or two. However,
1t is too late to use the mate
rails that kill the dormant
crabgrass seed. When the seed
lings do show up 1t is far more
practical to use one of the ma
terials that kill the seedlings
than 1t is to try digging the
plants which will only bring
more seed into the terminating
zone which will replace the
plants dug out.
Spray Tall Grass Clumps
II mosquitoes and gnats are
troublesome try spraying the
clumps Of foliage and grass that
hold SUFFICIENT moisture for
these pests to breed in when
ever cloudy. rainy weather pre-
walls. Malathion is one of the
more effective materials for
this purpose.
Cut Back Shrub Canes
Now that the flowers have
fallen from some Of the early
spring Towering shrubs we
should go in with the looping
shears and take out some of
the oldest, dark colored canes.
Cut them of close to the ground
so that the new growth will
start as low as we can make. it.
This helps to avoid having
bare-legged shrubs. insures
having the best quality bloom
that the bush is capable of
producing. and this pruning
will keep them from becoming
too large for the yard.
Start Mulching Beds
It is a bit early to start
mulchine the flower and rose
beds. but rather than let the
weeds take over and also to do
away with the endless job of
cultivating it is suggested that
a start be made. Clean out the
weeds. cultivate the soil lightly
and spread the mulch. Then
add a bit Of fertilizer in addi-
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