Spring Forward

When you think of the upcoming Spring months, you think of gardening and open windows for letting fresh air into your home. So Spring is always a good time to make sure your system is ready for summer. Make sure to schedule a Maintenance for your HVAC, Contact us today 561-264-8302. Another great way to save this summer is checking for leaking windows and cracks in your doors frames, these cracks can let out valuable cool air or let in hot air.

Besides throwing open windows and HVAC maintenance, investing in House Plants can be part of your Spring preparations. You can have clean air in your home with fresh air plants, these plants can help keep your indoor air fresh, filtered and clean! See below for the best indoor plants.

Now, let’s get to a few early preparations for the spring gardening season that will bring benefits all year-long.

Prune Fruit Trees

Fruit tree pruning is best done in late winter or early spring. Prune well before buds begin to break into bloom or the tree may be stressed resulting in a reduced crop. Pick up and remove the pruned clippings, especially if you intend to cut the grass under the tree during summer.

Here are some steps to follow:

1. In winter, look for branches that rub against each other.
2. Cut rubbing branches with bypass pruners or pruning saw.
3. Remove thick, vertical branches with pruning saw.
4. Open up center of tree by trimming away smaller branches using bypass pruners.
5. Trim very top of the tree using long-handled loppers.
6. Remove about one-third of branches; prune again each of the next two years.
7. Loosely wrap hardware cloth around trunk to create a protective shield.
8. Use shovel to remove all grass from around tree trunk.
9. Spread 2 to 3 inches of bark mulch under tree.
10. Wrap soaker hose around base of tree and water for about 2 hours during spring and summer.

Prepare your lawn for spring

Rake the lawn to remove dead growth and debris. This helps bring light and air to the soil level, encouraging the grass to grow. Re-seed bare patches of lawn. Rake bare spots firmly with a metal rake before seeding. Sprinkle grass seed into a bucket of soil and spread evenly over the bare spot. Keep well-watered until seeds germinate and the new grass establishes. Pre-emergent herbices such as corn gluten may be applied now.

Vegetable Crops

Here is a list of common early spring crops to plant with your family this season….

1. Spinach: Fresh baby spinach, is fairly quick to sprout and grow in a spring garden. You can grow them close together and harvest the leaves when they’re still small, which can be as short as three weeks from planting. Spinach is also a great plant for the fall garden.

2. Chard: This beet relative is another excellent spring vegetable that is easy to grow from seed, and can be eaten fresh, cooked or in a smoothie. Growing some red and white and yellow chard along with the traditional green chard can add some color to spring salads while also livening up the look of the garden.

3. Lettuce: While lettuce can be grown into the full-sized heads, but also growing it just for baby greens is not only quicker and easier, it will provide a near-constant supply of salad greens from spring until well into summer. Baby greens can be harvested in a couple of weeks, and by planting successions of seeds every week or two, you can have a constant supply of greens for the kitchen.

4. Radishes :are one of the fastest vegetables you can grow, ready to be harvested in as little as three weeks. Many of us are only familiar with the round red or pink and white radishes often sold in grocery stores, but they come in a lot of different colors, shapes, and sizes, and can be spicy or sweet.

5. Kale: Is another excellent spring vegetable that is easy to grow from seed, and because it can be harvested as a baby green and as full-sized leaves, can provide a lot of food from a little effort. Whether you like to eat it raw as part of your salad or in your smoothies, or you prefer it steamed or stir-fried in a main dish, kale can be a great green addition to any diet.

6. Peas: Snow peas, and other pod peas, are another great spring vegetable that kids tend to love. The seeds are big enough for children to plant. Shelling peas and snap peas tend to take a bit longer, but they’re also a big hit with kids. Peas take anywhere from 50 to 65 days to mature. For best germination rates, pea seeds should be soaked in water overnight before planting them.
Indoor Plants

Here are some links to the perfect plant addition to your home, plus great air circulation for a cleaner home!!

  • English ivy (Hedera helix)
  • Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
  • Golden pothos or Devil’s ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)
  • Peace lily (Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’)
  • Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
  • Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
  • Snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata‘Laurentii’)
  • Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn.Philodendron cordatum)
  • Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn.Philodendron selloum)
  • Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
  • Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
  • Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans ‘Massangeana’)
  • Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’)
  • Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’)
  • Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)
  • Gerbera daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
  • Pot mum or florist’s chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
  • Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

2024/03/19