Springtime tips from Kootenay Landscape

Prepare, prune and fertilize are the one-two-three of springtime gardening

Kootenay Landscape has the personnel, equipment and expertise to maintain beautiful green spaces. — Photo courtesy Kootenay Landscape

Dwayne Thompson, co-owner of Kootenay Landscape in Cranbrook, B.C., has some suggestions for spring maintenance of your home or business landscape.

• Spring is a good time to power-rake or de-thatch your lawn. It’s an important step that allows moisture to penetrate the soil instead of running off. Aeration of the soil is important, too, as it prevents the grass becoming root-bound; it allows the grass to grow thick and dense and prevents weed growth.
• If your fruit trees need pruning, it should be done before they bud out. If you’re not sure about the appropriate time to prune your particular tree or shrub, there’s lots of information online, and your garden centre can likely answer your questions.
• To fertilize properly you should soil test a few points in the area in question. The soil in your vegetable garden will have a different composition from that under the evergreens in your yard, and you’ll need different fertilizer for the two areas. Soil samples can be collected and analyzed professionally, but generally a do-it-yourself soil sample kit, available at your garden centre, is all that a homeowner needs.
• It’s a good idea to have your irrigation system checked in order to make sure it doesn’t put out more water than it needs to. Small leaks in the system can worsen over time.
• Xeriscaping is considered low maintenance, but you will still have weed growth to deal with. Weed seeds and dust will blow in and the seeds will find a way to root in the dust. Those weeds need to be removed before they penetrate the landscape fabric, so they don’t become a recurring problem.