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May
Growing Calendar
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Ornamentals
- All Month
 | Pinch
azaleas and rhododendron blossoms as they fade. Double
flowered azaleas need no pinching. |
| Fertilize azaleas after
bloom. Use a formulation which has an acid reaction. |
| Begin irrigating if
spring rains have been sparse, especially plants growing in
full sun. |
| Apply protective
fungicidal sprays to apples, crabapples, and hawthorns
susceptible to rust disease beginning when these trees bloom. |
Ornamentals
- Week 1
| Begin
planting gladiolus bulbs as the ground warms. Continue at
2-week intervals. |
| Plant hardy water lilies
in tubs or garden pools. |
| Continue monitoring
pines, especially scotch and mugo, for sawfly activity on new
shoots. |
Ornamentals
- Weeks 1 - 2
| Don't
remove spring bulb foliage prematurely or next year's flower
production will decline. |
| Canker worms (inch
worms) rarely cause permanent damage to ornamentals. Use B.T.
if control is deemed necessary. |
Ornamentals
- Week 2
| Begin
planting warm season annuals. |
Ornamentals
- Weeks 2 - 3
| Plant
summer bulbs such as caladiums, dahlias, cannas, elephant
ears. |
Ornamentals
- Weeks 2 - 4
| Scale
crawlers are active now. Treat infested pines and euonymus
now. |
Ornamentals
- Weeks 3 - 4
| Begin
irrigating if spring rains have been sparse, especially plants
growing in full
sun. |
| Trees
with a history of borer problems should receive their first
spray now. Repeat twice at 3-week intervals. |
| Begin fertilizing
annuals. Continue at regular intervals. |
| Move or divide bulbs as
the foliage dies. |
Ornamentals
- Week 4
| Pinch
back mums to promote bushy growth. |
Vegetables
- All Month
| Slugs
will hide during the daytime beneath a board placed over damp
ground. Check each morning and destroy any slugs that have
gathered on the underside of the board. |
| Growing lettuce under
screening materials will slow bolting and extend harvests into
hot weather. |
| Place cutworm collars
around young transplants. Collars are easily made from
cardboard strips. |
Vegetables
- Week 1
| Set
out tomato plants as soils warm. Place support stakes
alongside at planting time. |
| Begin planting sweet
corn as soon as white oak leaves are as big as squirrel ears. |
| Isolate sweet, super
sweet, and popcorn varieties to prevent crossing. |
| Keep asparagus harvested
for continued spear production. Control asparagus beetles as
needed. |
| Thin plantings of
carrots and beets to avoid overcrowding. |
| Control caterpillars on
broccoli and cabbage plants by handpicking or use biological
sprays such as B.T. |
Vegetables
- Weeks 1 - 2
| Plant
dill to use when making pickles. |
Vegetables
- Weeks 2 - 3
| Place
a stake by seeds of squash and cucumbers when planting
in hills to locate the root zone watering site after the vines
have run. |
| Remove rhubarb seeds
stalks as they appear. |
Vegetables
- Week 2
| Watch
for striped and spotted cucumber beetles now. Both may spread
wilt and mosaic diseases to squash and cucumber plants. |
Vegetables
- Weeks 3 - 4
| Set
out peppers and eggplants after soils have warmed. |
| Plant sweet potatoes
now. |
Vegetables
- Week 4
| Make
new sowings of warm season vegetables after harvesting early
crops. |
Fruits -
All Month
| Mulch
blueberries with pine needles or sawdust. |
Fruits -
Week 1
| Don't
spray any fruits while in bloom. Refer to local Extension
publications for fruit spray schedules. |
Fruits -
Week 4
| Prune
unwanted shoots as they appear on fruit trees. |
Turfgrass -
All Month
| Keep
bluegrass cut at 1.5 to 2.5 inch height. |
| Mow tall fescues at 2 to
3.5 inch height. |
Turfgrass -
Weeks 2 - 4
| Mow
zoysia lawns at 1.5 inch height. Remove no more than one-half
inch at each mowing |
| Apply post-emergence
broadleaf weed controls now if needed. |
Turfgrass -
Weeks 3 - 4
| Fertilize zoysia lawns now. Apply no more than 1 pound
of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet |
Turfgrass -
Week 4
| Watch
for sod webworms emerging now. |
General
Gardening - All Month
| Birds
eat many insect pests. Attract them to your garden by
providing good nesting habitats. |
General
Gardening - Weeks 2 - 4
| Herbs
planted in average soils need no extra fertilizer. Too much
may reduce flavor and pungency at harvest. |
General
Gardening - Weeks 3 - 4
| Take
houseplants outdoors when nights will remain above 50
degrees. Most prefer only direct morning sun. |
| Sink houseplants up to
their rims in soil or mulch to conserve moisture. Fertilize
regularly. |
| Watch for fireflies on
warm nights. Both adults and larvae are important predators.
Collecting may reduce this benefit. |
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