Gardening: what to do this month

NOW is the time to get your garden looking fabulous for summer. Here’s what to do this month.
Lawns:
Cut your lawn as short as possible. Take a hard iron rake and collect all the old grass that has been accumulating. This is called thatch which can destroy your lawns. Thatch can prevent water from reaching into the soil and the roots of the grass. Once you have removed all the thatch, continue to rake the grass with the iron rake. This cuts the runners and encourages new shoot production. Take a fork and spike the soil to aerate it and allow air movement into the root system. Sprinkle a handful of Superphoshate per square metre over the entire lawn area.
Then take a mixture of topsoil, compost and river sand and spread a thin layer over the entire lawn surface area. You can buy this mix from Gromor. Water the lawn well every 2-3 days. The new growth will appear soon after. You should then feed your lawns every three weeks with a high nitrogen fertiliser. 3.2.1, LAN and 5.1.5 are a few examples of high nitrogen fertiliser.
Insecticides:
Remove all dead and dying parts of plants. Infected plants can spread infection to other plants so it is best to remove them from your garden. If the plants are infested with insects, either remove that part of the plant or use a natural insecticide to spray these plants. If you have a well-grown healthy plant, they generally won’t be attacked by pests. It is only the weak and neglected plants that get attacked by disease or insects.
Bulbs:
Many bulbs and underground rhizomes will be emerging from dormancy and will require encouragement to grow. The blood lily, Scadoxus puniceus, has all but finished for the season and will now be going to seed. Seed-eating birds feed on the fruits and then carry seeds to other parts of your garden. Protect these bulbs and any other underground growing point by mulching, composting, fertilising and watering.
Grasses:
Plants lots of indigenous grasses which are the new “in” plant. They are easy to grow, look good, need very little attention and bring lots of birds to the garden. Aristida junciformis (Gongoni grass), Themeda triandra (red grass), Eragrostis curvula (weeping lovegrass), Digitaria eriantha (digit grass) and Melinis repens (Natal redtop) each has its own character and, if planted correctly, will complement each other. You can mix and match for the different textures.
Groundcovers:
Lift some of your groundcovers such as tulbaghias (wild/society garlic), Crassula multicarva (fairy crassula), Chlorophytum bowkeri or any of the other species of Chlorophytums and your Bulbines. Compost the soil, add 3.2.1 fertiliser and replant. Water well. Cut back your Plectranthus ciliatus, add compost and fertiliser, and water well. New growth will appear soon after.
Planting:
Encourage birds and butterflies by planting plants that attract them. Grasses, milkweeds and some of the Citrus family trees like Vepris lanceolata (umZane or white ironwood) or the Xylotheca kraussiana (African dog rose), which is the food plant for the red acraea butterfly, are good examples of plants that are readily available and will provide life for your garden.
Repot indoor plants:
Remove the plants from the pot, remove the old soil from the roots and wash the roots with clean running water. Remove any old, dead or dying leaves because they can cause fungal problems and death. Buy new potting soil, add some compost and fertiliser, and replant, ensuring they are not planted too deep. Make sure you also put the plant in the right sized pot and always plant in the centre of the pot.
Add slow release fertiliser to the potting medium, such as osmocote, which will release small amounts of nutrients every time you water the plant. Take indoor plants outside every two weeks and give them a good soak with water to rejuvenate them. Ensure you do not over-water because too much water will rot the roots. – IOL