Seasonal

Back room employees

With the first spring thaw I plan on getting some painting done and prune off the tops of the grasses we left standing all winter. You could never shop Sherbondy's too mulch. Some spring clean-up and remulching of existing flower beds is in order.Use a pre-emergent on your flower and shrubs which contains dimension. This is what we use and will last longer than treflan granules (Preen)

• Prune, prune, prune your shrubs, gently in their beds, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily cut off their dainty heads. (Sung to the tune of Row, Row, Row your boat.) Before the sap doth rise is the time to whack back any overgrown shrub. Most overgrown flowering shrubs can be cat back to 8 to 12 inches tall. You get rid of all the old dead wood and the plant will look nice and bushy like when you really thought it was a great bush. The secret is that the root system below the plant has a food reserve that has to go somewhere. You have a smaller top but you have 10 times more food and water going into that smaller pruned shrub. Hence you get a great shrub in just a couple of months.

• Fertilize shrubs and trees now. Spring rains will move the fertilizer into the plant. It takes a while for the fertilizer spread on top of the ground to make it down to the root. The sooner you apply, the sooner it will be available to the plant.

• Do not fertilize strawberries in the spring. Wait until you have picked your June crop. Then fertilize.

• The finches will be feasting soon. Keep your feeder filled.

• If you don't know what a bag worm cone looks like find out. This little rascal will hatch out later and create all kinds of problems. Pick them off. Seal them up in a bag and dispose of them. They hatch in June and their army will eat everything in sight.

• Clean out blue bird, wren and Martin houses and get them ready to go.

• Spray dormant oil on fruit trees. Use Lime sulfur for peaches, raspberries, and roses.

• Prune up small trees. Make the branch cuts as close to the trunk as possible. They will bleed, but don't fret. Trees heel up on their own. No tree paint or tar, Please!