GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE

BEXAR COUNTY BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

April 25, 2009

Want color in a shady spot? Consider planting caladiums, coleus, begonias, and impatiens plants which are budded and just starting to bloom.

Before placing a plant in your landscape, consider its mature size and its need for sunlight or shade.

If indoor plants have outgrown their existing containers, repotting them up two inches to the next size will greatly encourage them to grow. For best results lightly loosen roots and use a fresh premium potting mix with enriched compost and some slow-release container fertilizer.

You can still plant new shrubs and trees if they are container grown. Use generous amounts of mulch on the surface over the root area, and water as the soil dries; usually about once per week through the hot summer. Visit the Bexar county website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu for recommended varieties for our area.

Fertilize tomatoes when the first fruits set. Spread half a cup of 19-5-9 slow release lawn fertilizer around each plant’s drip line every three weeks.

David Rodriguez is the County Extension Agent-Horticulture with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County. For more information, call the Master Gardener “Hotline” (210) 467-6575 or visit our County Extension website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu.