Rick Van Duyvendyk, host of Garden Talk on 980 CJME, advises people to be consistent when watering their gardens. (Dutch Growers/Facebook)

By CKOM News

Gardening

Gardening expert offers tips for spring

Apr 16, 2023 | 10:00 AM

The grass is always greener on the other side of winter.

With the weather getting warmer, many people across Saskatchewan are eager to get their yards in tip-top shape for spring.

Rick Van Duyvendyk, co-owner of Dutch Growers and host of Garden Talk on 980 CJME and 650 CKOM, told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Friday people can get a start on spring yardwork by getting rid of snow mold from their lawns.

“There’s no chemical needed for snow mold. Just take a leaf rake and just fluff it up,” he said.

If there are still piles of snow sitting around, Van Duyvendyk said there’s still a simple solution.

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“Take a shovel out there and just spread it around and let it melt around areas where the snow has disappeared from already,” he said.

Van Duyvendyk said that will get rid of the snow – as well as the snow mold – quicker, noting that underneath the snow is where the snow mold starts.

According to the gardening expert, mid-April is a great time for pruning.

He recommended pruning shrubs as soon as they start peeking through the snow, but cautioned against pruning early-blooming spring flowers like lilacs and double-flowering plums. Early pruning in those cases can cut off the blooms, he said.

“Prune those after they finish blooming at the end of May (or the) beginning of June,” Van Duyvendyk said. “Then they’ll bloom lots next year again.”

He said many people called in during Garden Talk to ask him about what to do about browning spruce trees.

Van Duyvendyk said those who covered their trees with burlap should keep them covered until the frost is out of the ground and the trees start drawing in moisture from their roots.

“The sun reflects off the snow and basically dries out the needles. That’s why (people) are getting that browning,” he said. “(They’re) not trying to put burlap on to protect them from the freezing cold; it’s from the sun in the early spring.”

The gardening expert added that it’s a good idea to spray water on them for the time being, and add some fertilizer at the beginning of May.