June looks like it is starting off very nice except for a couple of warm days (okay they were HOT). The rest of the spring has been nice except for a couple of hot days. Overall it’s been great spring planting weather and looks like the weather will stay nice for the next couple of weeks at least. WATERING Watering becomes much more important to make sure it is done well as the weather warms up. When watering trees, be sure to give established trees a deep soak once or twice a week depending on temperatures. Newly planted trees should be watered daily for the first week or so then cut back to about two or three times per week. Do not give short daily watering. Give good deep soaks. A good rule to use is to give 10 gallons of water per week for every inch of trunk diameter and be sure to soak to a depth of at least 12 inches. On larger trees you’ll want to soak to a depth of 2 to 3 feet. Use slow drip and let it run long enough to soak deep. Add 3″ of mulch around your trees and shrubs to …

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After a dry February and dry start to March, it looks like things are starting to change to a bit more wet at least for the next few days. Very good news. Looks like a good soaking rain for the weekend which will keep the grass green and help with all newly planted and established plants as well. It is now time to get ready to start fertilizing soon. As soon as deciduous trees and shrubs have their full set of leaves, you should give them their first fertilizing of the year. A balanced fertilizer works well for most things. Use a rhododendron, camellia, azalea fertilizer for your acid loving plants. Fertilize azaleas and rhododendrons after they are done blooming. Same thing for camellias. Citrus should use a citrus fertilizer. Seed potatoes are now available. We have Red, Russet, and Kenebec. They sell for $2.50 a pound. If you’ve never grown seed potatoes, they are very easy to do. And the potatoes you get when you grow your own are much better than the ones you buy at the store. To plant them, cut them into pieces with two eyes per piece. Let the pieces you cut dry enough to …

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Bare root season continues through February. The selection of bare root fruit trees and roses is still very good. The rain this year has been spaced out nicely so the ground is not soggy and the weather has stayed cool for the most part, to keep the trees dormant, so it is an excellent time to plant bare root fruit trees. At the end of the month we pot up what has not been sold bare root and then the price goes up. Take advantage of bare root prices and selection and get your fruit trees in now. Final Dormant Spraying is Due This Month The third and final dormant spraying to prevent leaf curl is due this month. Don’t delay. Get it done before the trees bloom. I spray all the deciduous trees in the orchard. It prevents leaf curl and also helps to prevent fireblight on pears and apples, although not completely, and greatly reduces the aphid and insect problems on all the trees. The third and final spraying is the most important one. You should have done two applications already and the final one should be done before flowers come out. We will be spraying the nursery …

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