Your May Yardwork

Tips for a prosperous backyard from LSU AgCenter agent Lee Rouse

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LSU AgCenter agent Lee Rouse uses his own yard as testing ground for plant propagation, chicken rearing, and getting his children to eat vegetables. Below, he offers nine tips, sorted into three categories, that the smart springtime gardener will follow. Read more about Rouse in our March 2019 article here.

Vegetables

  • Harvest bell peppers this month while still green. Leaving them on the plant to turn colors could lead to fruit rotting.
  • Have stakes ready for tomatoes. They will begin to grow very rapidly in May and with the additional weight of your bounty, the plants will need to be supported
  • Vegetables to get in the garden this month include eggplant, hot peppers, okra, pumpkin, Southern Peas, Sweet potatoes and squash

Ornamentals

  • Prune azaleas and other spring flowering shrubs. Don’t wait too much longer or you will affect the blooming for next spring.
  • Canna leaf rollers are out this time of year and looking to devour your crop. Keep close watch on canna foliage and treat regularly with acephate.
  • As day time temperatures move into the 90s, newly planted landscapes will need to be irrigated. Consider using soaker hose in order to place water directly at the spot it needs to be.

Lawns

  • Consider making first application of fertilizer early in the month, if not already done.
  • If lawns need aerifyng or dethatching, May is the opportune time to do so. It will allow enough time for turn to recover before the end of the growing season.
  • Check irrigation system to ensure they work properly and are set to the correct times. Noticing a problem before leaving for the 4th of July weekend is horrible time to realize something is wrong.

Follow along with Rouse on Instagram, @rouses_horticulture.