What to Do in Your Backyard in May
Average temperatures in May: High 87 Low 62
Rainfall 3.47 inches
What to Plant:
Vegetables:
Amaranth, boniato, calabaza, cassava, chayote, cherry tomato, collards, dasheen, Everglades tomato, ginger, lima bean, longevity spinach, Long-squash, Luffa, snap bean, Malabar spinach, malanga, New Zealand spinach, Okinawa spinach, okra, papaya, hot pepper, peanuts, pigeon pea, pineapple, roselle, Seminole pumpkin, Southern pea, sugarcane, sweet potato, Swiss chard, tamarillo, yam, and yard-long bean.
Annual and Perennial Flowers:
African iris, ageratum, angelonia, Apostle iris, balsam, beach sunflower, begonias, black-eyed-Susan, blue daze, blue sage, bromeliads, browallia, bulbine, bush daisy, butterfly weed, cat's whiskers, celosia, cigar flower, coleus, coneflowers, coreopsis, cosmos, crossandra, Dahlberg daisy, dusty miller, gaillardia, gazania, gerbera, goldenrod, gomphrena, impatiens, Jacobina, Jewels of Opar, lantana, Justicia, leopard plant, liatris, lion’s tail, marigolds, melampodium, Mexican heather, milkweed, moon vine, New Guinea impatiens, nicotiana, nierembergia, Nun’s orchid, ornamental sweet potato, pentas, periwinkle, phlox, Porter weed, portulaca, purslane, salvia, scorpion tail, Stoke’s aster, sunflowers, terrestrial orchids, toad lily, torenia, verbena, whirling butterflies, yellow alder, and zinnias.
Herbs:
Anise, basil, bay laurel, cardamom, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, lemon balm, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, sweet marjoram, mint, tarragon, and thyme.
Bulbs:
Achimenes, agapanthus, Alocasia, amaryllis, blackberry lilies, blood lilies, bulbine, caladiums, calla lilies, cannas, crinums, crocosmia, Colocasia, day lilies, eucharis lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lilies, hurricane lilies, lily of the Nile, peacock ginger, society garlic, rain lilies, spider lilies, St. Bernard’s lilies.
Shrubs and Trees:
In Florida, most shrubs and tree species can be planted year-round.
Lawn Maintenance:
May is still our dry season. Set irrigation for 1.15 inches two times a week if there is no rainfall.
Check rain sensors are working.
Rake out brown leaf blades in turf that declined from winter.
Some areas of lawns may have died during the winter or with the drought; add new sod or plugs.
Make sure lawns and shrubs are watered thoroughly with rainfall or irrigation before final spring feedings with slow-release no-phosphorus fertilizers.
Retrofit irrigation systems to separate turf zone and landscape bed zone.
If needed, apply an iron-only or minor nutrient fertilizer to regreen yellow lawns.
Check for chinch bugs in yellowing areas of St. Augustine grass; treat at needed
Walk yards on weekly basis to look for sod webworm moths flying up from turf.
For low maintenance, reduce lawns areas needed for family and pet areas.
May is a good month to seed Bahia lawns.
Avoid mowing with dull blades; sharpen blades every five mowings.
Measure leaf blades to make sure the lawn it being cut at the proper height – remember the height of the blades is typically the depth of the roots.
Take a new route at each mowing to avoid ruts in the lawn.
Dig out or spot kill weeds and replace with plugs of grass or sod.
Aerate older compacted and hard to wet lawns.
Turf needs at least 5 hours of sunlight a day. Select shade-tolerant grasses or an ornamental ground cover for difficult shady spots.
Landscape care:
Plant Easter lilies, amaryllis, and poinsettias in the landscape.
Put declining tulips, hyacinths, and other forced bulbs into the compost pile.
Walk yards on a weekly basis to catch pest issues promptly.
Look under the foliage and move hand over shrub foliage to notice any pests flying up.
All winter-damaged ornamental grass fronds should be removed.
Reshape and prune shrubs with dieback or winter damage.
Avoid shearing across the tops of shrubs and perennials unnecessarily; remove out of bound shoots with hand pruners.
Have older trees checked by certified arborists before hurricane season and prices go up.
Look for sap-stained bark, hollow areas, oozing, in twin trunks as signs of tree problems.
Shape young shade trees to have one central leader with evenly spaced branches.
Maintain a 3” mulch layer under trees, shrubs, and garden beds to help conserve moisture, reduce weeds, and enhance landscape.
Older shade trees seldom need fertilization.
Lift up and remove tree limbs affecting traffic along walkways.
Keep new trees and shrub plantings moist with additional hand-watering if there is not enough rainfall.
Use low-volume irrigation to conserve water.
Create rain gardens to redirect excess water from home..
Correct drainage problems before the rainy season arrives.
Make sure new plant selections have adequate room to grow.
Select plants for pool and patio areas that do not drop messy flowers or foliage.
One application of a slow-release fertilizer could feed your plants through summer.
Feed palms with an 8-2-12-4 or similar slow-release palm fertilizer according to label.
Fertilize all flower beds and shrub plantings with slow-release fertilizer as the rainy season returns.
Deadhead spent flowers from annuals to encourage new blooms.
Plant shady gardens with shade-tolerant flowers, shrubs, bulbs and foliage plants.
Cut back perennials finishing their spring bloom.
Complete pruning of azaleas and camellias this month.
Transplant palms when the rainy season returns.
Feed container gardens weekly or use a slow-release fertilizer as labeled.
Control rose pests by using systemic products for insects, only water the roots, not the foliage, and providing good air circulation.
Kill adult lubber grasshoppers by stepping on them or cutting them. Look for pairs.
Turn compost piles every two weeks. They may need to be watered 2x – 3x this month.
Feed water lilies and lotus monthly.
Begin rooting cuttings of favorite shrubs and perennials.
Collect and sow seeds from your favorite plants or save them until the proper time.
Pull or spot kill weeds among shrubs and flower beds.
Reapply mulch if not 3” thick.
Vegetable and fruit plantings:
Check your herbs and vegetables every day. Check for insects and soil moisture.
Feed vegetable plantings monthly.
It’s too late for most tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants; select summer tolerant vegetables.
Maintain 3” mulch in the garden and use low-volume irrigation to conserve water.
Keep bananas and papaya moist and feed monthly to have flowers by late summer.
Give citrus, grapes, and other fruit trees a late spring feeding.
Prune blackberries and blueberries when fruiting is over.
Harvest maturing crops to keep the plants producing.
Remove declining fruit plantings and add new varieties.
Trellis vine crops to save space and prevent diseases.
Use soil solarization treatments to control nematodes and diseases.
Control fruit worms and leaf spots on vegetables with natural sprays as needed.
Control aphids feeding in new shoots with an insecticidal soap spray.
Incorporate aged compost with planting sites to improve sandy soil.
Purchase seeds now for planting in August; seed displays are often removed from stores during summer.
Foliage & houseplants:
Give weak and thinning foliage plants a spot in the shade outdoors to recover.
Check water needs daily.
Plants that are wilting often need to be checked for overgrown root system and not enough soil. If root bound, water plants well, then next day, cut a third of the roots off, and add more soil. Replant in same pot or move to larger pot.
Remove yellow leaves and faded flowers.
Reshape taller tree-form foliage plants and remove declining limbs.
Move orchids outdoor under trees for the summer.
Divide African violets, bromeliads, and orchids.
Place plants in bathtub or sink, wash pests and dust away with soapy water.
If you go on vacation, move plants to bathtub or sinks and fill with several inches of water to keep them watered while you’re away.
Feed outdoor foliage plants with a slow-release fertilizer.
