Decorative garden: a well-kept lawn is the decoration of the garden
The second half of spring is the time when we can still make efforts to improve the condition of our lawn. While there are problems with maintaining your turf, many of them can be avoided in advance.
Spring fertilization is very important for the he althy development of grass, which, depending on the weather, is carried out from the beginning of March to mid-April. In mid-June, the grass will need another batch of fertilizer. The third fertilization in mid-August favors the expansion of the root system. It is best to use long-lasting fertilizer for lawns.In the first fertilization, about 30 g of fertilizer should be used per 1 m2 of the surface. For each of the two fertilization of the lawn in summer, you should provide 10 g less.
The best way to deal with the felted parts of the lawn is by scarifying.The best date is about the tenth day after the first fertilization, when well-nourished grass can quickly cover the defects in the green surface.Scarifying is also possible after summer fertilization.
Lawn planning, seeding and maintenance
Chemical weeds should only be used on large surfaces. They work best in warm weather, so we don't use them until mid-May. We can also use moss killer earlier.
Empty spots on the lawn should be sown only when the soil warms up to 8-10 ° C.The substrate should be loosened and the seeds lightly covered with soil. In summer we water the lawn regularly.
Hedges: green hedge from ground to top
Hedge shrubs are growing very much now. It will be time to cut them soon. Regular cutting gives the hedge a dense habit and is green from bottom to top. The best time to perform cutting is June, and in warm years even the end of May.
It is important that enough light reaches the lower branches of the shrubs. Therefore, a hedge cross-section slightly tapering upwards is the most appropriate. All hedge shrubs can be trimmed this way.Hedges of more shade tolerant species, such as hornbeam, thuja and cypress, may have vertical sidewalls.Do not allow the hedge to be narrower at the bottom than at the top, which can happen as the upper shoots grow stronger than the lower ones. Lack of light causes the loss of leaves, which is often an irreversible process.
For a smooth surface, use a rope that is taut along the side of the hedge.Thanks to this solution, it is easy to avoid cutting out hills and recesses in it.The work will be done more efficiently if we cut the sides of the hedge first and the top plane second.
Balconies and terraces: trim the boxwood
Boxwood bushes, both potted and ground-based, are covered with lots of fresh green leaves. If we now cut them in half, we will give the shrubs a nice shape. The pruning stimulates these evergreen shrubs to branch out further, making the crown thicker.Small hedge secateurs are perfect for pruning boxwood.To prevent the shoots from drying out after cutting, the treatment should be carried out on a cloudy day, and after cutting, the plants should be strongly fed. Strong apical shoots, which are waste after pruning, can be used for cuttings.
Vegetable: growing tomatoes requires commitment
There are certain guidelines to follow when growing tomatoes, otherwise you cannot rely on a bountiful harvest.First of all, make sure that young plants have a compact habit, a strongly developed main shoot and lush green, hard leaves. The smaller the gap between the two lower leaves, the earlier the fruit can be picked.Bushes should not be planted into the ground until mid-May; in a heated greenhouse, cultivation can start at the end of April.
At the beginning of cultivation, tomato bushes should be fed with compost (5-10 l / m2 of soil surface). However, in order to improve the digestibility of nutrients, the substrate should be prepared 2-3 weeks earlier.The compost is mixed with the top layer of the substrate, then the bed is covered with a fleece.Tomatoes are once again fed with potassium fertilizer for tomatoes during or a few weeks after planting; thanks to this, the fertility of the bushes will increase, as well as the aroma of the fruit. Nitrogen fertilization leads to curling of the upper leaves and browning of flowers.
The second important procedure is breaking off all the side shoots regularly. It is best to do it in the afternoon, when it is warm outside - then the wounds heal faster.You do not remove the tops of the main shoots, as some people do. Thanks to this, there are more leaves on the shrub, from which the shrubs can obtain substances necessary for fruit ripening in case of disease. Tomatoes need a lot of water. In order for the substrate to retain moisture better, crops should be padded with thick mulch grass.
Orchard: lots of flowers, little fruit
Profusely developing flowers on fruit trees do not guarantee fruit abundance. There can be many reasons for poor fruiting. Many fruit trees need a different variety that grows nearby to pollinate their flowers. If there is none, most flowers will not bear fruit.
Strongly expanding fruit trees tend to yield unevenly and alternately. They bear a lot of fruit in one year, and much less the next.In the case of apple and pear trees, yield fluctuations are a natural feature of some varieties. Excessive amounts of fruit weaken trees. They become less resistant to frost, disease and pest attacks. Branches often break under the weight of the fruit.The rescue is professional cutting, as well as manual breaking of fruit buds.Cherries and plums are capable of shedding parts of flowers and buds. In this way, the plants themselves regulate the amount of ripening fruit.
