In May, it is essential to carry out tasks that ensure a high yield and support plant health at the dacha. There are particularly many tasks to complete at the beginning of the month. Agronomist Natalia Minina discusses the important activities to plan for the dacha in May.
1. Weeding
The first step is to remove weeds and plant debris. Many of them, such as shepherd's purse, are sources of pathogens and can trigger diseases in garden plants throughout the growing season. Additionally, weeds produce a vast number of seeds (up to hundreds of thousands in the summer), creating further problems.
2. Pruning Leaves and Loosening Soil Around Strawberries
It is necessary to remove all damaged or diseased leaves. Then, carefully loosen the soil between the rows, avoiding deep loosening to prevent damaging the roots. This process is important as it provides oxygen access to the root system and promotes normal plant development.
Along with loosening, fertilizers can be applied to already fruiting plantings. Young bushes usually have enough nutrients added at planting, so it is not necessary to fertilize them. Complex fertilizers and humates are suitable for feeding strawberries, ensuring stable growth and a good harvest.
3. Plant Grafting
The period before bud break is optimal for grafting on woody fruit plants. With grafting, several varieties can be obtained from one plant. It is important to consider the simultaneous ripening of the fruits of the grafted varieties — early and late varieties should not be grafted onto the same tree. The cleft grafting method is best suited for spring grafting.
4. Treating Fruit and Berry Plants for Diseases and Pests
In May, it is necessary to carefully inspect the trunks of fruit trees for frost cracks — long longitudinal splits in the bark. They should be sealed with garden paste. If the crack is large, it is recommended to wrap it with burlap, but remember to remove it in mid-summer.
Cracks represent serious wounds through which many fungal and bacterial spores enter, causing various diseases. Thoroughly sealing the crack promotes quick healing and recovery of the plant.
It is also necessary to treat for insect pests before the flowering of fruit trees and shrubs. Both chemical and biological preparations can be used, as well as infusions of mustard, onion, and garlic. Pay attention to currants: if there are swollen buds, they should be removed, as they may contain the bud mite. To repel the glassy-winged sharpshooter from currants, the bushes can be dusted with powder made from dried flowers and leaves of tansy.
5. Vegetative Propagation of Shrubs and Perennials
May is a suitable time for propagating shrubs by dividing the bush or through layering. If the bush is not large enough for division, layering can be used. For this, a branch should be bent, secured in the soil (staked), and covered with earth. Soon roots will appear, and in the fall, several new plants with a well-developed root system can be obtained.
Perennial plants such as astilbe, sage, and bergenia can also be propagated by dividing the bush.
6. Sowing Vegetable and Green Crops
At the beginning of the month, sowing of crops such as carrots, parsley, dill, and spinach can begin in open ground. Warmer crops, such as lettuce and radishes, are better sown under film. In dry weather conditions, it is important to provide additional watering.
7. Planting Potatoes
In May, potato planting usually occurs, but it can sometimes be difficult to determine the optimal timing. A birch tree can help: as soon as male catkins appear and pollen flies, it means the soil has warmed sufficiently, and planting can begin.
However, before planting, do not forget to protect the tubers from pests and diseases by treating the planting material with fungicidal and insecticidal preparations. Biological preparations based on the Bacillus subtilis strain can also be used, which help improve immunity and tuber formation in plants.
