MAY IN THE GARDEN The Almanac
Average temperature: High 88, low 66 Rainfall: 3.74 inches
1. Moon phases
Last quarter: May 1 New moon: May 7 First quarter: May 15 Full moon: May 23 Last quarter: May 30
2. Moon sign planting dates
Above-ground crops: 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 17, 21, 22. Below-ground crops: 3, 4, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31.
Control weeds: 1, 2, 9, 10, 28, 29.
Prune trees & shrubs: 5, 6, 13, 14, 15, 23, 24.
What to plant
3. Vegetables: Calabaza, chayote, cherry tomato, collards, dasheen, lima bean, snap bean, Malabar spinach, malanga, New Zealand spinach, okra, hot pepper, roselle, Seminole pumpkin, Southern pea, sweet potato, tamarillo, yam and yard-long bean.
4. Flowers: Angelonia, balsam, begonias, blackeyed-Susan, blue daze, bromeliads, browallia, bush daisy, butterfly weed, cat’s whiskers, celosia, coleus, coreopsis, crossandra, Dahlberg daisy, gaillardia, gazania, gerbera, goldenrod, gomphrena, impatiens, liatris, marigolds, melampodium, moon vine, nicotiana, nierembergia, pentas, periwinkle, Porter weed, portulaca, purslane, salvia, sunflowers, torenia, verbena and zinnias.
5. Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, cardamom, chives, coriander, dill, lemon balm, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, sweet marjoram, mint, tarragon and thyme.
Achimenes, agapanthus, blood lilies, bulbine, caladiums, calla lilies, cannas, crinums, day
6. Bulbs:
lilies, eucharis lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lilies, peacock ginger, society garlic, spider lilies and rain lilies.
Lawn care needed
7. Most lawns are making good growth with normal care.
8. Weeds are plentiful; dig out or treat with a herbicide made for the lawn type as needed.
9. May is a good month to seed bahia lawns.
10. Avoid mowing with dull blades; sharpen frequently.
11. Drier weather is here; irrigate lawns when wilting is noted on permitted days.
12. Rake out brown leaf blades from winter.
13. Finish spring feedings with fertilizers that slowly release nutrients to the lawn.
14. Apply an iron-only or minor-nutrient fertilizer to regreen yellow lawns.
15. Check for local rules that restrict lawn feedings to certain times of the year.
16. This month may be the last time to feed your lawn until October.
17. Unclog sprinkler heads and adjust to ensure proper watering.
18. May is the last of the better sodding months until fall for shady areas.
19. Limit lawns to areas needed for recreation and family enjoyment.
20. Consider a drought-tolerant grass when adding new turf.
21. Measure leaf blades to make sure the lawn is being cut at the proper height.
22. Chinch bugs may be causing yellow to brown areas in St. Augustine lawns.
23. Not all insecticides control chinch bugs; ask for an effective product at garden centers.
24. Aerate compacted and hard to wet lawns.
25. Select shade-tolerant grasses or an ornamental ground cover for difficult shady spots.
Landscape care 26.
Plant Easter lilies and poinsettias in the landscape.
27. Add tulips, hyacinths and other forced bulbs to the compost pile and keep the container.
28. Complete the removal of winter-damaged plant portions.
29. Reshape plants beginning new growth.
30. Palms need little pruning; only remove the brown fronds and old seeding portions.
31. Have older trees checked before hurricane season.
32. Look for sap-stained bark, hollow areas and twin trunks as signs of tree problems.
33. Train young shade trees to have one central leader with evenly spaced branches.
34. Save water by irrigating trees and shrubs separately from lawns and only when needed.
35. Capture water from drain spouts to use during the dry times.
36. Create rain gardens to hold and use excess water
37. Maintain a mulch layer over tree and shrub roots to help conserve moisture.
38. Install and use microsprinklers to water trees and shrubs.
39. Save pots, cell packs and flats from purchases to reuse or take them back to nurseries.
40. Older shade trees seldom need special feedings.
41. One application of a slow-release fertilizer could feed your plants through summer.
42. Correct drainage problems before the rainy season arrives.
43. Make sure new plant selections have adequate room to grow.
44. Select plants for pool and patio areas that do not drop messy flowers or foliage.
45. Keep new tree and shrub plantings moist as permitted by water restrictions.
46. Feed palms with an 8-0-12 or similar slow-release palm fertilizer according to label.
47. Trim faded flowers from annuals to encourage new blooms.
48. Remove limbs affecting traffic along walkways.
49. Create shady gardens with low-light requiring flowers, shrubs, bulbs and foliage plants.
50. Cut back perennials finishing their spring bloom.
51. Fertilize all flower beds and shrub plantings as the rainy season returns.
52. Complete pruning of azaleas and camellias.
53. Transplant palms when the rainy season returns.
54. Feed container gardens weekly or use a slow-release fertilizer as labeled.
55. Control black spot and mites affecting rose plantings.
56. Turn compost piles every two weeks.
57. Feed water lilies and lotus monthly.
58. Begin rooting cuttings of favorite shrubs and perennials.
59. Collect and sow seeds from your favorite plants or save them until the proper time.
60. Pull or spot kill weeds among shrubs and flower beds and add a mulch.
Vegetable and fruit plantings
61. Groom, fertilize and maintain a moist soil and utilize herbs to keep them growing.
62. It’s too late for most tomatoes, peppers and eggplants; select summer-tolerant vegetables.
63. Maintain a mulch in the garden and use microsprinklers or soaker hoses to conserve water.
64. Keep bananas and papaya moist and feed monthly to have flowers by late summer.
65. Give citrus, grapes and other fruits a late spring feeding.
66. Prune blackberries and blueberries when fruiting is over.
67. Harvest maturing crops to keep the plants producing.
68. Remove declining fruit plantings and replant with new varieties.
69. Trellis vining crops to save space and prevent diseases.
70. Feed vegetable plantings monthly.
71. Establish soil solarization treatments to control nematodes and diseases.
72. Control fruit worms and leaf spots on vegetables with natural sprays as needed.
73. Control aphids feeding in new shoots with an insecticidal soap spray.
74. Incorporate compost with planting sites to improve sandy soils.
75. Purchase seeds now for later plantings; seeds supplies are often low during summer.
Foliage and houseplants
76. Replace declining plants in the home with new selections.
77. Give weak and thinning foliage plants a spot outdoors to recover.
78. Check water needs daily.
79. Repot plants that have outgrown their containers.
80. Remove yellow leaves and faded flowers.
81. Reshape taller tree form foliage plants and remove declining limbs.
82. Divide African violets, bromeliads and orchids.
83. Wash pests and dust away with soapy water.
84. Feed outdoor foliage plants monthly or use a slow-release fertilizer.
85. Move orchids outdoors in the shade for the summer.
Tom MacCubbin is an urban horticulturist emeritus with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Box 2833, Orlando, FL. 32802. Email: TomMac1996 @aol.com.