Spring

Learn the individual horticultural requirements for each tree in your collection.
Be aware of your yard's microclimate and alter this guide accordingly.
There are no hard and fast rules for all trees of a species.

March

• Continue repotting deciduous trees and repot evergreen trees. Azaleas may be repotted if you disturb roots minimally.
• Feed conifers with slow release food if they were not transplanted this year. Foliar feed conifers(especially cascades) with soluble fertilizer every two weeks. Start feeding five-needle pine when needles open from candles. Feed azaleas once with soluble fertilizer, i.e. Miracid. DO NOT fertilize for four to six weeks after transplanting.
• Move your trees to get as much full sun as possible.
• Watch water requirements carefully as tree's water use is now increasing. On windy days be prepared to water an extra time.
• Check new growth in deciduous trees every day. Cut back new growth to two leaves, except on branches that you want to elongate.
• Watch for insects, especially aphids and caterpillars, and spray with insecticide.
• Avoid wiring this month as you can damage or break buds and tender new growth.
• This is a good time to start grafting deciduous trees.

April

• Deciduous and evergreen trees may still be carefully repotted.
• IF weather is warm repot pomegranate and crepe myrtle. DO NOT trim them heavily because they bloom on this years new growth.
• Feed conifers with slow release food. Foliar feed conifers with soluble fertilizer every two weeks. Feed azaleas with 0-10-10. Apply bone meal to summer blooming plants such as crepe myrtle and pomegranate.
• Remove new growth on azaleas or trim to two leaves. Be careful -- avoid removing flower buds.
• Keep a close watch on junipers, spruce, cedars, fir, etc., and pinch new growth to keep foliage compact. Very vigorous candles on black pines may be broken in half to even up the growth.
• Watch for insect and spray if necessary. Spray azaleas with benomyl to prevent leaf spot and bayleton to prevent flower blight. Pull weeds as they appear.
• This is a good time to put up shade cloth or lath for trees that cannot take full sun.

May

• Feed with slow release food. Foliar feed conifers with soluble fertilizer every two weeks. DO NOT FEED SHOW azaleas this month, but young azaleas that need growth may be fed with soluble food, such as Miracid.
• Remove or shorten shoots that hide or cover flower buds on satsuki azaleas. DO NOT remove flower buds.
• Keep a close watch on junipers, spruce, cedars, fir, etc., and pinch new growth to keep foliage compact.
• When needles have opened up on new candles of 5-needle pines you can shorten them (taking as much as 2/3 off) to the desired length.
• Remove weeds from pots before they become established. Remember, scotch moss and baby tears, although pretty, are weeds. Also, livewort is especially bad because it interferes with water penetration.
• This is good time to propagate by air layering.
• Both deciduous and evergreen trees may still be CAREFULLY repotted.