Timely Tips

What to Do April, 2024
Weekly Gardening Timely Tips from
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County

April 13 to 19

Perennials: Continue dividing overgrown perennials. As daffodils fade, snap off the tops to prevent seed pod formation. You may leave the foliage until it is yellow or brown. Next year’s bulb and flower development depend on food produced by the leaves, so avoid braiding or wrapping the leaves to make them look neat.

Flowers: Observe borders and other potential garden areas with an eye to find areas where bulbs might brighten or fill in spots next year. Put a marker in the ground, or make a reminder note on the calendar to purchase bulbs in late summer for delivery and planting in the coming fall.

Fruits and Vegetables: Continue to harden off and plant hardy vegetables. If you start seedlings in peat pots, break off the rims as you transplant them. If part of the peat pot sticks out of the soil it can wick moisture away from tender roots. To prevent early flowering, wait to plant cauliflower and broccoli until nighttime air temperatures are consistently at or above 50°F. In the berry patch, remove dead canes from brambles before they interfere with new growth. If you have wrapped fig trees examine them for new the appearance of new growth.

Trees and Shrubs: Continue to plant deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. Take some time to enjoy the beautiful flowering trees all around now and in the coming weeks: early flowering cherry and plum, service berry, flowering quince, magnolia, crabapple, dogwood, lingering andromeda, forsythia, and more.

Lawns: Continue to overseed thin or bare patches. Keep your lawn cut to a height of 3 to 4inches, removing no more than one third of the grass blades in the process. Steer clear of newly seeded patches that could be damaged or ripped up by equipment.

Houseplants: Inspect plants often for pests and manage any present as soon as possible. Contact your local Cooperative Extension for advice.

General: Do you know how to tell a friendly insect from a pest?Learn how at the next Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester 2024 Home Gardening Webinar Lecture Series: Recognizing Insect Natural Enemies of Pests with Dr. Amara Dunn-Silver, Biocontrol Specialist with the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, Cornell University.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024, from 10 to 11 am, remote on Zoom, $5.

For more information, contact westchester@cornell.edu or 914-285-4620. See https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.cce.cornell.edu/attachments/59393/2023_Home_Gardening_Lecture_Series_11-3-22.pdf?1667500184

Last updated April 12, 2024