Experts recommend light yardwork, for now
The summer-like weather is prompting many people to think about gardening again, but experts warn it's too soon to do anything besides light yard cleanup.
Fertilizing should wait until mid-April to May, depending on the strength of the fertilizer and how far north you live, said Buck Laursen of All Green Lawn Management in Stevens Point.
The soil should be dry, and the frost should be out of the ground before you consider any lawn treatment.
"If we get out too early, all we're going to do is tear up the lawn," said Al Ostrowski, co-owner of Ostrowski Lawn and Landscape of Kronenwetter.
This early in the season, using too heavy of a tool, like a thatch rake, can do damage to lawn growth, so use a lightweight plastic rake.
"If you're just trying to get dead grass and leaves up, (raking is) good for your lawn," Laursen said.
Another spring gardening no-no is removing mulch around perennials too early.
"This is Wisconsin, and we get some hard freezes in April," said Helen McGowan, co-owner of Red's Market in Rothschild.
Members of the YWCA Federated Garden Club said all they recommend right now is reading gardening catalogs to order supplies or sharpening and organizing garden tools.
Club co-president Jan Cramlet said it is fine to cut back ornamental grasses now, before the new growth shows up, but flowering shrubs should not be trimmed back yet.
Source: Wausau Wisconsin
