Fruit and Nut Trees
- Cedar-apple rust: Begin fungicide treatments for apple and crabapple trees when orange jelly galls appear on junipers after rain. Treat hawthorns as well.
- Fire blight: Manage this bacterial disease now, and consider planting disease-resistant varieties to prevent future issues.
- Disease-prone trees: Continue with regular fungicide sprays for susceptible fruit and pine trees.
Trees and Shrubs
- Watering: Properly water newly planted trees and shrubs to ensure successful growth.
- Pruning: Remove winter-damaged branches and prune spring-flowering plants once they finish blooming.
- Powdery mildew: Catch early for effective control, and look for resistant cultivars.
- Leaf spot diseases: Apply fungicides as necessary for ornamentals.
- Diplodia tip blight: Apply fungicides when buds begin to break.
Flowers
- Planting: Mid-April is ideal for planting summer-flowering bulbs, annual seeds, and bedding plants once frost risk is minimal. Delay mulching until spring rains end and soil temperatures warm.
- Transplants: Harden off transplants in a sheltered outdoor area before planting.
- Spring bulbs: Leave foliage on bulbs like daffodils and tulips as long as possible before cutting back.
General Landscape
- Hummingbirds: Set up feeders with a sugar-water mix as they arrive in early April (no red coloring needed).
- Insect control: Monitor for pests like lace bugs, aphids, and spider mites. Use non-chemical controls first, and only spray if predator populations are insufficient.
- Water garden: Clean out and prepare for the season, and divide and repot water garden plants.
- Fish feeding: Start feeding when water temperatures exceed 50°F.
- Nutsedge: Wait until May to treat emerging nutsedge.
Lawn Care
- Warm-season grasses: Start establishing warm-season lawns (Bermuda, zoysia, or St. Augustine) in mid-April.
- Fertilizing: Begin fertilization for warm-season grasses with the following yearly nitrogen recommendations per 1,000 sq. ft.:
- Zoysiagrass: 3 lbs
- Buffalograss: 2-3 lbs
- Buffalograss/grama mix: 3 lbs
- Bermudagrass: 4-6 lbs
- Centipedegrass: 2 lbs
- St. Augustinegrass: 3-6 lbs
- Mowing: Start mowing with Bermuda and zoysia cut to 1-1.5 inches, and buffalograss at 1.5-3 inches.
- Spring Dead Spot Disease (SDS): Visible damage appears in bermudagrass. Encourage recovery practices and avoid fungicides for SDS at this time.
- Grub damage: Check for grubs before treating. Apply soil insecticide and water in if needed.
Vegetable Garden
- Cucurbits and okra: Wait for warmer temperatures before planting.
- Succession planting: Stagger plantings to ensure a continuous harvest.
- Pest control: Cover cucurbit crops with row covers to protect from insects (remove at bloom time). Watch for cutworm and flea beetles in the garden.
source:https://agriculture.okstate.edu/announcements/gardening-tips/april-2024.html#
