Experts advise gardening caution

With spring just days away and temperatures hitting the mid-80s this week, area residents may be anxious to start greening up lawns and planting gardens.

Local lawn and garden experts urged gardeners not to get in a hurry and advised those itching to get outside to put their energy into preparatory work, until the danger of frost is over.

We asked three local experts, Mike Hamilton, owner of Hamilton Nursery and Landscape, Charles Guthals, owner of Guthals Nursery, Landscaping, Sprinklers and Holiday Lighting, and Curt Jaynes, owner of Gardensource Nursery and Lansdcaping in Portales, to give us their best spring lawn and gardening tips.

Hamilton warned against planting hothouse plants too early.

"The plants are grown with heaters and kept at a constant 70 degrees," Hamilton said. "They don't do well when it's still 40 degrees at night."

Things you can plant now

Charles Guthals said certain cool season grasses such as rye, fescue and bluegrass can be planted now.

Most fruit trees can be planted early, as well as cole crops, which include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Onions, peas and spinach can also be planted, Guthals said.

Curt Jaynes of Portales said beets, lettuce and radishes can also be planted now.

Preparatory work for lawns

Hamilton said warm days are a good time to fertilize lawns. He recommended adding a pre-emergent to help kill crab grass and spring weeds.

If you have dead thatch, no need for power raking, Guthals said. Applying soil activator decomposes the dead grass and lowers the soil pH, counteracting the alkali level in treated water.

Adding some gypsum to your lawn will give it a deeper root system and better water penetration, causing it to require less water, Guthals said.

Jaynes said it's a good time to install new drip systems or inspect and repair old ones.

Preparatory work for gardens

Guthals recommended watering your garden to a depth six to eight inches so it can be easily tilled.

Organic material or compost should be added before tilling and it's not too early to make furrows, Guthals said.

Raised gardens should be a minimum of 16 to 18 inches deep and have one part compost to two parts soil, Guthals said.

Jaynes suggested mulching tilled gardens with grass clippings or hay to help the soil retain its moisture.

Fertilizing tip for gardeners

Guthals suggested that fertilizer be placed directly into garden furrows. "The weeds will grow fine on their own," Guthals said. "You don't need to fertilize them."

Tips for xeriscapers

If you opt out of maintaining a lawn this year and decide to xeriscape, it's the perfect time to start. Hamilton said to remember that rocks absorb heat and xeriscaping is not maintenance free.

"If it's a 100 degrees outside, the grass will be around 80 degrees," Hamilton said. "Rocks in the same area will be between 120 degrees and 130 degrees."

Hamilton recommended creating a cool zone around homes. "Xeriscaping works best if you plant a small grass yard around the house, then branch out with plants," Hamilton said. "Keep rocks furthest from the house."

Hamilton said when the wind blows dirt into your xeriscape, seeds will germinate, requiring the use of a chemical weed killer.

Five seasonal gardening tips

1. Inspect sprinkler systems and watering hoses

2. Add organic material to gardens

3. Till the soil and make furrows

4. Plant seasonal items

5. Mulch to help soil retain moisture

Five seasonal lawn tips

1. Inspect sprinkler systems and watering hoses

2. Apply soil activator or power rake lawns to remove dead material

3. Fertilize

4. Apply a pre-emergent weed killer

5. Sow seed for seasonal cool grasses

Five worst gardening blunders by Tina Galagher at http://www.voices.yahoo.com/

1. Failing to enrich garden soil.

2. Not watering enough.

3. Planting plants too close together.

4. Improper nutrition

5. Planting the wrong plants for your growing zone.