Plants & Pests with Nicole
April 2024
Upcoming Events
- Nicole Out of the Office April 3-8
- GroBigRed Programming
- April 10 - Rain -- Use it, Don't Lose It!
- Yard and Garden - Begins April 12
- Container Gardening Program at Tall Tree Tastings - April 18 at 6pm
- $15 fee (pay when you arrive that evening)
- Contact Denise at Tall Tree Tastings to sign up
- Tree Pruning/Planting Workshop at Pawnee County Extension Office - April 23
- Arbor Day - April 26
- Crete Community Classes at Public Health Solutions in Crete (830 1st Street, Crete)
- April 30 - Vegetable Gardening 101 at 6pm
- May 21 - Herb Gardening 101 at 6pm
- Nicole Out of the Office May 6-10
Starting Seeds Indoors
Crabgrass Control
Crabgrass typically germinates when the soil temperature reaches 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit, for a 7-day average. Check your soil temperature at go.unl.edu/soiltemperature. It is best to wait until we have reached the temperature window to ensure that your herbicide lasts as long as possible within the germination timeframe for the crabgrass. Don’t use crabgrass preventer if you recently overseeded or if you plan to overseed yet this spring. Don’t use herbicides on newly seeded turf until you have mowed three times unless specifically stated on the label, like it is with mesotrione products which you can use at seeding.
Seeding a Lawn
You can overseed or seed a new lawn anytime in April. When the time has come, overseed with the same type of grass that is already growing in the lawn, or use 100% Kentucky bluegrass or 100% tall fescue or a mix of these 2 types. You can use 100% buffalograss if you are looking for a warm season grass. Apply a starter fertilizer when starting a new lawn. Fertilization does not need to be on existing lawns until the end of April or wait until it greens up to see if the early season fertilization is necessary. If you overseed the lawn this spring, do not use a crabgrass pre-emergence herbicide because it will destroy the desired grass seed as well.
Clover Mites
Arbor Day
April 26th is Arbor day, which is as always on the last Friday in April. Any time now would be a great time to plant a tree. When planting a tree in your landscape, be sure to dig the hole twice as wide and only as deep as the root ball of the tree you are planting. You may need to dig around on the rootball some to find the roots, the first lateral roots should be planted just below the soil surface. Make sure you add a mulch layer that is 2-3 inch deep and goes out at least 2 feet wide around the trunk of the tree, but go as wide as you would like. Also, make sure you keep the tree well-watered. Watering weekly for about 15 minutes on a slow trickle should be sufficient for a new tree if natural rainfall is not present. For Tree Selection, visit my Gage County Tree information page or the Nebraska Forest Service
Asparagus
About Nicole
Email: nstoner2@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/gage/gage-county-horticulture/
Location: 1115 West Scott Street, Beatrice, NE, USA
Phone: 402-223-1384
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleStonerHorticulture
Twitter: @nikki_Stoner