For a full pot of shade-loving caladiums, plant several bulbs in a pot. Remove one or two node or eyes to encourage more stem and leaf growth. Photo courtesy Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center
Finally, the weather might be cooperating enough that Hoosiers can begin some of the tasks of the season.
Fertilize trees and shrubs before they fully leaf out. Use an all-purpose fertilizer, such as Espoma Plant-Tone, Milorganite or other natural product. Read and follow the label directions, but usually the product is sprinkled around the base of the plant and watered in. Save a step by applying before a rain to let Mother Nature do the watering.
If you are fighting lawn weeds, apply a pre-emergent herbicide, such as corn gluten, when the forsythia blooms. A pre-emergent does not kill existing weeds. It keeps weed seeds from sprouting. However, if planning to sow grass seed, hold off on the pre-emergent because it does not distinguish between grass seed and weed seed.
Even though you’d like to kill dandelions and other perennial weeds in the lawn, the best time to do that is in late summer. Applying an herbicide now will cause plants to curl, which might make you feel better, but it’s only a temporary set back for the weeds. The reason to treat perennial lawn weeds later in the season is because the plants are bulking up for winter survival, which makes the herbicide more effective.
Want more perennials? Divide them, especially if their flower power has diminished over the last few years. Dig up the plant and use a bread knife, Japanese soil knife or a sharp spade to divide the clump into a few sections. Plant the divisions. Dividing summer-blooming perennials now allows them to get well rooted for their seasonal show. You can also fertilize perennials as they emerge from their winter sleep, or apply a light layer of compost around the plants.
This is the time to pot up cannas, caladiums and tuberous begonias indoors so they will have some size and be ready for planting outdoors once the air and soil temperatures warm up in mid May. To boost the fullness of caladium, dig out one or two nodes or eyes on the bulb before planting.
Sow seeds for warm-season vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, indoors. You will likely need to use supplemental lighting for these seedlings. Keep the lights a couple of inches above the seedlings, raising the lights as the plants grow.
It’s time for ready, set grow!
