UGA Cooperative Extension

Putnam County Cooperative Extension Office:
Lake Country Master Gardener Association (LCMGA)

May Garden Tips

First Week  

• Prune and fertilize dracaena and ficus. Move to patio.
• Soak the soil around newly planted shrubs.
• Begin fertilizing houseplants with ½ the recommended strength.
• Check azaleas for chlorsis and spray with chelated minerals as necessary.
• Check roses for black spot and insects.  

Second Week

• Prune spring flowering plants.
• Spray violets, chickweed and clover in fescue lawns with Weed-B-Gone.
• Spray suckling insects with malathion or systemics.
• Mark crowded bulbs and move when the foliage has died down.

Third Week

• Lawn planting of bermuda and centipede can be sown.
• Set out summer bulbs and tubers—dahlias, caladiums, tuberoses, elephant ears, ginger lilies, amaryllis, and pineapple.
• Treat for fire ants and white flies.
• Fertilize centipede and St. Augustine lawns with 18-0-18, 20 pounds per 5000 square feet when 50 o/o green.

Fourth Week       

• Set out marigold, petunia, ageratum and begonias.
• Treat scale with horticultural oil.
• Cut grass to recommended height on a regular basis. Cut off only 1/3 of growth to add nutrients.
• If you wait until it gets too high it should be bagged and recycled in the compost bin.

Fifth Week

• Check Iris for leaf spot disease.
• Cut off infected flowers and spray with fungicide.
• Deadhead spent flowers.
• Don’t forget to finish planting vegetable seeds.
• Be sure to add one tablespoon of lime per hole for tomatoes to prevent blossom rot.  

For more information, contact your local county extension coordinator.