Seems that our weather has kept us guessing, and that includes the weather forecasters.
We go from no frost in the 15-day outlook to a pretty definite light frost sneaking in the mix.
Our average last frost date is May 15. To get an average, some years that last date is earlier and some years it is later. My advice is if you can’t move it and you can’t cover it, don’t plant it until after May 15.
Now is the time to put down pre-emergence crab grass control. After a 94-degree day on Saturday, the ground temperature rapidly increased, enabling that weed seed to germinate, so if you’re going to do it, don’t put off getting it done.
If you have had trouble with scab infecting the leaves of your flowering crab tree, petal fall is the time to do a first application of fungicide to prevent the problem.
First evidence of scab is a small yellow spot on the leaf. That spot gradually enlarges, turns brown, and the leaf dries up and falls. Scab will not kill the tree, but you will have the mess of dead leaves falling on your lawn from the end of July until killing frost. Severity of the infection is determined by weather conditions.
Prevention is much easier that a cure. Captan or Daconil are both effective fungicides to control scab. Daconil is often my “go-to” fungicide because it controls many other blight and fungus problems. It is also my choice for preventing the common blights that plague our tomatoes in mid to late summer.
To prevent scab, three applications two weeks apart should keep your tree clean for the summer.