May in the garden

May in the gardenpleases us with the fresh green of young leaves and with more and more colorful flowers. Warmer and longer and longer days will encourage you to stay outside and to dogarden work in MayFor garden plants, however, frosts that still occur until mid-May may be dangerous. Often there is a cooling down on May 12 to 14, the so-called Zimni Ogrodnicy and on May 15, Zimna Zośka. Therefore, we should remember to protect the plants most sensitive to temperature drops during these days. And what else? Here are the most importantgardening work in May "

May in the garden is the time of beautifully flowering trees and shrubs. However, we must watch out for harmful beetles appearing in the orchard.

May in the orchard

• A good start for young trees in the orchard will be ensured by proper watering and loosening of the topsoil. The perfect time has also come to fertilize fruit trees in the spring. In mid-May, we supply young trees and bushes with multi-component fertilizers. Older trees and shrubs were worth topping up in April, but if you haven't already, do it at the beginning of May.
• " If May is rainless, abundant watering becomes especially important for young trees and shrubs planted in the spring. a bowl into which you pour up to 10 liters of water. Better to water it once abundantly than often a little. "

• " In early May, perform manual removal of the so-called winter buds (dried apple and pear buds, from which neither flowers nor fruit grow) attacked by a flower. This will prevent this pest from spreading further. "
• May frosts may damage flowers or fruit buds. We can use agrotextile to protect flower and bush buds. In orchards, good results are also obtained due to the combustion of cut and dried branches with the addition of slightly moist grass and peat. Read more on: spring frosts in the orchard.
• The orchards look beautiful this month as the fruit trees are blooming. The reason for poor fruit setting may be the lack of an appropriate pollinator. If you do not have a pollinator variety in your orchard, place a few flowering shoots of a variety that pollinates your tree well in a bucket of water near the flowering tree. For many apple cultivars (including Katja, Delikates, Prima, Fantazji, Jonagold, Ligol or Szampiona) a good pollinator is James Grieve. For the Conference pear tree, Bonkreta Williams and Confectionery, the Favorite (Klapsa) will be a good pollinator. The owners of Renkloda Ulena's plum tree, which is self-pollinating, do not have to worry about the problem.

• Mid-May is the best time to hang traps attracting insects whose caterpillars feed on fruit and buds. The traps are quite effective in the fight against fruit and windworm. When buying traps, pay attention to the validity period and the period of activity of the preparation contained in them.
• Pear trees can be attacked by pear rust fungus. In such a case, the plants are sprayed with the same preparations as for the treatment of scab, eg Magnicur Gold, Delan 700 WG, Kaptan 50 WP. If the disease does occur, remember not to grow Sabine junipers near the orchard, which are the intermediate hosts of the pathogen causing rust. If Savin junipers grow nearby, the disease will return every year.
• " The end of the flowering of plums is a period of danger from the fruiting body. This pest destroys fruit buds and causes them to drop. Protective spraying is carried out at the end of flowering (when about 80% of the petals have fallen) with Calypso 480 SC.Later, we look at the buds and remove those with visible bites or larvae droppings. "
• " Nice weather favors the appearance of aphids. To deal with them, we start protective treatments as soon as the first colonies of this pest appear. First of all, we remove the most severely infected leaves and tops of shoots with aphid colonies. We spray with nettle, garlic or onion extracts. If there are a lot of pests and we reach for chemistry, we can use the preparation for amateur applications - ABC against pests on fruit trees and shrubs AL. "

May in the vegetable garden

• From the beginning of May, you can start sowing cucumbers for seedlings. They are usually grown in litter boxes or multi-pots. At the turn of April and May, we also sow melons closely related to cucumbers.
• In May, we sow corn. The heat-loving sweetcorn should not be sown until the end of the month.

• The first harvest of vegetables sown under covers and in foil tunnels is possible, min. onions, chives and radishes.
• We also harvest winter sowing crops and perennial vegetables such as asparagus, garden rhubarb or sorrel.
• Many amateur gardeners choose the easiest way to grow vegetables, which is to sow vegetables directly into the ground. Continuous harvesting of vegetables will enable us to systematically sow seeds - from the beginning to the second half of May, we sow radishes and lettuce, we can sow carrots and beetroot for winter storage throughout the month. Since the middle of the month, we have been sowing string and tic beans and seeds of thermophilic pumpkin vegetables.
• Sown seeds should be protected against damage that can be caused by birds in the garden. To scare away birds, you can use knitting strips of aluminum foil blowing in the wind and reflecting light.
• In the second half of May, when the risk of frost is over, we plant a seedling of vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, celery, pumpkin and other pumpkin vegetables, such as patison.
• Growing vegetables require care - watering, loosening and weeding of the soil, interrupting species grown from sowing. Thermophilic species respond positively to soil mulching.
• Tomatoes have a strong growth period at the end of May. Their stems are quite weak, so each plant should be equipped with a strong stake to which the plant is gently tied. Tomatoes need a lot of water, which should be poured into the groove around the plant.
• Strawberries need more water in late May and early June. We water the inter-rows without a shower. The spout of the watering can should be kept as close to the ground as possible, so that the water does not wash the soil and soil the fruit.
• In the place intended for vegetable beds, it is worth sowing plants for green fertilizer, such as rye, lupine, field field or mustard. When sown densely, they quickly create a green carpet, hindering the growth of weeds. Then they should be dug, which will fertilize the soil and improve its structure.

May in the ornamental garden

• It's time to plant biennials.
• In the first half of May we can still sow some summer annuals.
• In May we can still replant and divide perennials, remember to trim the overgrown, above-ground parts of the plants.
• Perennials that have already sprouted young shoots should be protected against night chills. If a large drop in temperature is expected, sensitive plants (e.g. Dahlias) can be covered with mulch material or even boxes or cardboard boxes.
• Young shoots of climbing plants and lanes should be tied as loosely hanging shoots do not tolerate strong winds. To avoid crushing the shoots, we tie them so that they do not stick too tightly to the support.
• The beginning of May is the period when seedlings, flower seedlings and sprouted bulbs and tubers should be hardened, e.g.tuberous begonia. We will start planting after cold gardeners (i.e. from May 16). Meanwhile, in order to get the plants accustomed to external conditions, it is good to ventilate the frames in good weather. Good growth depends on the right amount of light.
• The period of intensive growth of bulbs ends in May. We loosen the substrate and remove weeds all the time. At the beginning of May, we make the last fertilization with easily digestible multi-component fertilizers. Plants will use these nutrients to produce new bulbs and tubers. Break out flowers at the base of faded plants. When the bulbous leaves begin to turn yellow (which means they are in a state of rest), we stop watering them.
• Shrubs and trees that bloom in spring and produce new shoots in summer are recommended to be cut right after the flowering period. This applies to species such as the Iwa willow or the three-lobed almond tree. Cut the shoots short, usually 2-3 eyelets long, thanks to which many young shoots will appear on the tree.Read more on: cutting ornamental trees and shrubs.
• May is the perfect time to prune your pine trees. This month we are trimming the so-called candles, i.e. new increments with no needles yet. This way we will shorten them without damaging the needles themselves.
• Young plants to be bushy should be strongly pruned. Fuchsia and dahlias should not have more than two shoots, remove the rest to achieve strong plant growth.
• Cinquefoil develops best in cool rooms, where the temperature in winter is slightly above zero degrees. From May, we can plant it to the ground, in a bright position, but not directly exposed to the sun.
• In May we should finish the preparation of apical shoots. If we do not do this, they will become too voluminous and root badly.
• If we noticed curled leaves on the box trees (resembling cabbage heads), it means that the bushes were attacked by a pest - boxwood honeycomb.During feeding, this pest secretes honey dew and wax in the form of snow-white twisted threads. As a preventive measure, the systematic cutting of bushes helps. We start spraying from the beginning of May, when we notice the first symptoms of honey feeding. Spray the plants with Mospilan 20 SP (0.02% concentration), Actellic 500 EC (0.1%) or Provado Plus AE (spray preparation).

• " Wild shoots may appear on rose bushes growing from under the bud. If you notice wild boars, break them off immediately, while at the same time shoveling soil from the area of ​​the root collar. "
• At the end of the month, lilacs start to fade, it is good to remove the faded inflorescences immediately, thanks to which these plants will bloom just as profusely next year.
• This spring is warm and sunny. This promotes the rapid growth of algae in the ponds. Algae are particularly troublesome in small and shallow ponds, where water heats up easily and algae have excellent growth conditions.Therefore, it is now important not to overfeed the fish (rotting food remains are a great medium for algae), and to shade the pond to limit the heating of the water. Fish out long, threadlike algae by winding them on a stick submerged in water.
• Chemical algaeicides, which can be purchased in aquarium stores, can also help us in the fight against algae. We should not overuse them, because these measures, unfortunately, can also inhibit the development of plants in our pond. A much better choice is the Trigger-3 biopreparation, thanks to which the biological balance necessary for its good appearance in your pond is quickly established. Trigger-3 is a preparation with a biological effect of purity. It contains selected bacteria and enzymes. Thanks to this, the preparation is safe for fish and other creatures living in the pond.

Flowers on the balcony and terrace

• " After the period of cold gardeners, that is from mid-May, we move plants in containers from the room in which they wintered to their summer stands on the balcony or terrace.If large plants planted in clay containers are too heavy, consider using much lighter plastic containers. In the first days after moving, the plants can be harmed by excess sun, so you should prepare newsprint or wicker covers. "
• " Even after cold gardeners, we can safely go shopping and plant plants in balcony boxes. "
• If the balcony is windy, young and fragile shoots should be supported, thick sticks, a dozen or so cm long, stuck densely into the boxes, will additionally protect the plants against pigeons. Geraniums will suffer less from strong winds if the stem is covered with soil until the first branching of the shoots.
• Herbs such as basil, mint, rosemary and leaf parsley grow perfectly on the balcony. Place the container with herbs from your own seedlings or with plants bought in the store in a well-sunny place.

Lawn in May

• If moss appears on the lawn, the soil should be loosened with a fork or pin roller. You can also use special, adjustable devices to remove dead grass and moss.
• Manual lawn weeding is often not possible or too strenuous. If, after mowing, you can see what weeds have invaded your lawn, you can use an appropriate weed control agent. It should be scattered when the lawn is still damp with dew.
• Moles can cause a lot of damage in the garden. You can use smoke candles to get rid of these animals quickly. Carefully pushing away the mounds, we find the entrances to the corridors. Lighted candles should be put in them and the entrance closed with soil. Remember, however, that as an animal useful in nature, the mole is under partial species protection and we can only fight it in the garden.

How to plan work in the garden?

If you want to prepare as best as possible for gardening work for a given month and be sure that you will never miss anything important that needs to be done in the garden again, use the resourceful gardener's planner calendar book. It is a practical gardening guide with a gardening calendar for the whole year and a place for your own notes. More information in the description on our store's website: -)