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Planters' Almanac

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 7, 2008

PLANTERS' ALMANAC

What To Do This Month

Water wisely: May is typically dry. Ornamental plants and fruit trees need only 1 inch of water or rain per week. Lawns need one-half to three-quarters of an inch when 30 to 50 percent of the lawn shows signs of wilt (blue-gray color, folded blades).

Place a few shallow cans or glasses in the irrigated zones, and measure how much your sprinklers apply. Adjust your timer schedule accordingly.

Seed or sod new lawns: Plug damaged lawns. Buy scarified Bahia grass seed to increase germination. Apply 5 to 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

Lawn color: Correct yellowing, or iron deficiency, in Bahia lawns. The green color will return as the lawn's growth rate slows, but yellowing can be corrected by applying iron sulfate at a rate of 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

Raise the cutting height of the lawn: Leaving the lawn higher will promote root growth and increase drought resistance.

Mulch flower and plant beds: Place 2 to 3 inches of mulch in beds and around plants to reduce moisture loss from the soil and moderate soil temperature.

Air-layer shrubs and trees: Choose pencil-thick branches, and remove a ring of bark about one-half inch to 2 inches wide and about 12 to 18 inches from the branch tip.

Gently scrape the girdled area to remove green tissue; dust it with a rooting hormone. Cover the area with sphagnum moss and wrap with a sheet of plastic tied at both ends, then cover with foil. Peel back the foil in four to six weeks.

When sufficient roots have formed, cut the branch below the rooted area and plant.

What To Plant This Month

Outstanding flowering plants: roses, Confederate jasmine, amaryllis, bottlebrush, jacaranda, bougainvillea, day lily, parkinsonia, Shasta daisy

Annuals: ageratum, begonia, calliopsis, coleus, crossandra, dusty miller, gomphrena, impatiens, marigold, melampodium, morning glory, nasturtium, portulaca, salvia, vinca, zinnia

Perennials: African iris, coreopsis, day lily, gerbera, gaillardia, marguerite daisy, pentas, perennial salvias, rudbeckia, Shasta daisy, verbena

Vegetables: pole beans, lima beans, collards, cantaloupes, okra, Southern peas, sweet potatoes, summer spinach, artichokes, watermelon

Herbs and spices: anise, basil, bay laurel, borage, caraway, cardamom, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, ginger, horehound, lemon balm, marjoram, Mexican tarragon, mint, oregano

Information from Hillsborough County Extension

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