April

• Cut back flowering shrubs as the blooms fade.

• Transplant items now before the weather turns hot replacing cool season plants with warm season plants.

• Fertilizer the lawn after new growth has started. Choose a fertilizer (not a "weed and feed") with little or no phosphorus unless a soil test indicates the need for it. A fertilizer with controlled-release nitrogen yields longer-lasting results.

• Monitor landscape plants weekly for insects as well as aphids on tender new growth.

• Give your bulbs a feeding once they have finished blooming and allow the foliage to remain until it begins to turn yellow.

• Fertilize fruit trees, nut trees and shrubs and mulch around trees and shrubs.

• Make sure you water if the rains are not regular.

• Keep an eye out for insect infestations, particularly grasshoppers and treat accordingly.

• Now is a good time to start sunflowers from seed. Sunflowers are a great way to teach schoolchildren about gardening and the earth as the plants are easy to grow and grow well, providing a great reward for the kids!

• Plant the last of your corn, melons and other spring crops and move to more tropical vegetables in the Southern areas of the state. Crops that need only 50 days can still be planted.