Lawn

• Seed or Overseed cool-season lawns in the spring (late-March to April) or fall (September to late-October). Always use New Lawn Starter when seeding.
• Apply crabgrass preventers from March to mid-April. Do not use a crabgrass preventer if you are overseeding.
• Aerate cool-season lawns from late March through April, or in September and October.
• Mowing at the correct height is critical to the health of your lawn. Mowing too low enables weeds to become established and reduces turfs drought tolerance. Mow frequently enough that no more than 1/3 of the total height is removed at one time. Different varieties of grass need to be mowed at different heights: Bermuda 1 1/2″, Zoysia 1 1/2″, Buffalo 2″-3″, Fescue 2 1/2″- 3 1/2″.

Garden

• The first annuals can be planted for containers and bedding plants, but watch the forecast for freezes and cover if necessary. April 13th is the average last frost date and April 29th is nearly always safe.
• Start planting summer bulbs in April.
• Plant sweet corn around mid-April.
• Plant tomatoes late-April or early-May. 
• Feed peonies with bone meal when they first appear in spring, 1 cup per plant.

Trees and Shrub

• Apply a layer of mulch in landscape beds and around trees. It looks great, saves water, and helps to control weeds.
• To prevent Cedar Apple Rust and Pear Rust, spray apples, crabapples, hawthorns, and pears with Ferti-lome F-stop Lawn and Garden Fungicide starting in April and repeating every 14 days until the end of May. 
• Continue to clean up dead foliage on grasses and perennials before they begin to grow.
• Considering putting down pre-emergent herbicide, mulch, or both in your shrub and flower beds for weed control.
• Hollies, yews, azaleas, and rhododendrons are acid-loving plants, but soils in this area tend to be alkaline. Apply Ferti-lome Soil Acidifier Plus Iron or use a fertilizer specifically for evergreens to create a more acidic soil.
• Oak trees that have yellow leaves with green veins suffer from iron chlorosis. This is a condition where alkaline soils prevent the tree from absorbing iron. To treat, probe holes at regular intervals in the soil around the tree at the outer reach of the branches. Fill the holes with Hi-Yield Iron Plus Soil Acidifier. There are also iron supplements that can be injected directly into the tree.