Year-round Landscape Maintenance Activities

1. Year-round Landscape Maintenance Activities Rick Durham Department of Horticulture University of Kentucky

2. Topics: • Fall • Install woody plants • Mulch • Fertilize • Divide/transplant perennials • Cleanup • Winter • Cold protection • Spring • Prune woody plants • Divide/transplant perennials • Install annuals • Fertilize annuals/perennials • Summer • Water • Fertilize annuals • Pest issues

3. Spring Pruning

4. Why prune? • Thin dense growth • Encourage abundant flowering • Direct growth • Remove damaged or hazardous growth

5. When to prune? • The rule of June 1 • If plant flowers before June 1, prune after flowering • If plant flowers after June 1, prune late winter or early spring • Shade trees, generally prune in early spring

6. After flowering: Redbud, dogwood, magnolias, crabapples, pears, plums, deutzia, forsythia, hollies, honeysuckles, azaleas, rhododendrons, lilacs, viburnums, others Late winter, early spring: Butterfly bush, most clematis, hydrangeas, beautybush, glossy abelia, crape myrtle, roses Shade trees: Some bleed excessively when spring pruned, prune in full leaf (June). Birch, elm, pine, spruce, fir, maple When to prune?

7. Tools

8. Pruning examples

9. Natural vs. sculpted?

10. Proper plant selection

11. Topping? Never!!!!

13. Bottoming?

14. Branch angles

15. Why the problem?

17. Proper cuts • Cut flush with the bark collar • Use three-point method for larger branches • Paint or sealant is generally not needed

18. Too close About right

19. Don’t leave stubs Undesired Desired

20. Removing unwanted growth

22. Careful!

23. Shrubs

27. Proper shearing

28. Thinning out

30. Heading Back

31. SpringDivide and Transplant Perennials

32. When to divide? • Flowers in late summer/fall – divide in spring (aster, hosta, sedum) • Flowers in spring/early summer – divide in fall (daylily, paeonia, most bulbs) • Overcrowding - reduced vigor - reduced flowering • Dividing/separating – restores vigor

33. Division and Separation • Division • Cutting apart a plant with multiple crowns or cutting through the rhizome • Dust cut surfaces with fungicide or allow to cure before replanting • Separation • Pulling apart plants with multiple growing points • Treat wounded surfaces or allow to cure before transplanting

34. Spring - Fertilizing Annuals and Perennials Perennials • 2-3 lbs./1000 sq.ft. 5-10-10, two spring applications • Avoid late summer and fall applications Bulbs: • Fertilizer at planting (3-4 lbs. 5-20-20 per 1000 sq. ft) • Additional nitrogen as foliage emerges in spring Annuals: • Fertilization, 1-2 lbs. complete fertilizer at planting • ½ to 1 pound every six weeks later

35. Summer Activities • Water – 1 inch per week • Fertilize annuals • Deadhead annuals • Pest management

36. FallInstalling Woody Plants

37. Installation in compacted soils • Plant high • Excavate wide, shallow hole (1/2 depth of root ball) • Back fill with existing soil and mound to top of root ball • Apply 3 inches of mulch • Staking optional depending on plant material

38. Installation using a berm or bed • Good for wet sites or localized remediation of compacted sites • Fill soil is amended • Bed/berm need not be tall, 8-12 inches. • Mulch • Bed/berms near existing trees will impact roots (fill)

39. Long-term Maintenance • Mulch – types and amounts • Ideal to extend the mulch area as plant grows • Limit mulch to 2-3 inch depth, replenish as needed • No mulch near root flare • Hardwood mulches decompose quickly • “Barky” mulches decompose more slowly, coarse bark more slowly than fine bark. • Cedar mulch – occasional reports of plant toxicity

40. Long-term Maintenance • Water • Most established woody plants can tolerate mild to severe drought • Ideal for most plants is ~1 inch water per week • In times of drought, best to supplement: • Younger trees • Densely planted trees/shrubs • Trees/shrubs on shallow soils • Apply to broad area under and near tree canopy, active roots are generally in the top 1-2 feet of soil.

41. Long-term Maintenance Fertilization • Soil test • Timing • Type • Amount

42. Soil testing • Sample any time • Take 8-10 samples scattered around front and back yard • Adjust pH as needed • Apply all nutrients except nitrogen according to test recommendations • Apply nitrogen based on management expectations

43. Timing - Nitrogen • Woody + Turf (cool season grasses) • Mid Fall application after woody plants are dormant • Too early – may get renewed growth • Too late – frozen soil • Spring – damaging to turf • Newly planted trees – none first year • Trees alone – late winter/early spring • Split applications are desirable

44. Type of fertilizer • Formulation • Complete vs. incomplete • Nitrogen source • Urea – 46-0-0 • Ammonium nitrate – 33-0-0 • Complete fertilizers – 10-10-10, 20-20-20, 5-10-10, etc. • Compost/organics

45. Amount of nitrogen Apply 2-3X the diameter of the drip line Pounds of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft • 0 – some continued growth of older plants, immature plants may be delayed • 2 – healthy growth of mature plants, may stimulate additional growth on younger plants • 4 – may push unnecessary growth on older plants, produces desirable rapid growth on younger plants • 6 – usually excessive

46. Planting Mulching Fertilization Clean-up Division Herbaceous Perennials – Fall & Winter Activities

47. Perennials - division

48. Bulbs, bulbs, bulbs . . . . • Fall is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs • Plant at a depth ~ 2-3X the bulb diameter • Fertilization can wait until new growth emerges in spring (bone meal at planting is ok) • Dig and store tender bulbs

49. Tender bulbs – lift and store Gladiolus Canna Caladium

50. Cool season annuals • Certain plants will put on a good show in fall • Ornamental cabbage and kale • Others may become established in fall and put on a great show in spring • Pansies • Dianthus (Sweet Williams)