April Gardening Month: 5 Things to Do Now

Gardening in April
Get to the lawn, terrace and the berries

The terrace, the sacred greenery and some berry bushes deserve special care in the gardening month of April. You can find out exactly what needs to be done and which tools are important here. The five most important gardening tasks in April.

April is already a strange month. First you have to be careful not to be taken for a ride. After that the weather takes us on a roller coaster. Most allotment gardeners find their fingers tingling in the first few days and weeks after the change from winter to summer time. Many have already written down or planned out in their heads which ones Gardening work definitely needs to be done in April. Maybe we can give everyone else a little help. With the five most important gardening tasks in April.

1. Scarify (and aerate) the lawn

Regardless of whether it is a play area or a lawn: you have to do something to ensure a healthy lawn. And that takes a little time. In April – depending on the weather – all those troublemakers who deprive the delicate spring stalks of air from breathing should be removed from the greenery. Scarifying is the magic word. Important: Before ventilating, the stalks must be ventilated supplied with lawn fertilizer and at least shortened once become. Once the meadow has been trimmed short, all that remains is for the weather to cooperate. For effective scarifying, the Surface completely dried be. Otherwise, when scarifying, you will tear the fresh blades of grass and their roots out of the ground and your dream of an English lawn will be gone. Whether you are scarifying for… electrical appliance or the Battery variant it remains a matter of taste. If you want to work on your summer figure, it’s best to choose a hand scarifier (e.g. from Gardena).

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While scarifying the turf is lightly scratched and moss and thatch are removed from the green, aerating gives the lawn grass additional air for healthy growth. So-called are suitable for this nail shoes preferably. To ensure that the rainwater drains away better in the changeable April, something else can be done afterwards Lawn sand be applied.

2. Prepare wildflower meadow

Both in Insect hotel as well as in Bumblebee house There has been a lot of activity since mid-March. The only thing missing is a nutrient-rich oasis of well-being for the useful pollen and nectar collectors that are so important for our ecosystem. If you have a heart for animals and still have a little space in your garden, you should have one there Create a wildflower meadow. And that’s child’s play. First: clear the ground of grasses and wild herbs and loosen it up properly. Second: get seeds for the flower meadow (e.g. the Little Plants ORGANIC bee pasture) and spread generously over the bed. Important: Flower seeds are usually gymnosperms. They need as much light as possible so that they germinate. So only work the seeds very lightly into the soil. Your buzzing guests will thank you.

3. Make the arbor and terrace summer-ready

Sleet, frost and winter storms – terraces and small (wooden) arbors have to be tough in the garden off-season. Before you make yourself comfortable on the property again, you should assess and repair any possible damage. Wood is a natural material that works constantly. It should be cared for regularly and carefully, otherwise you won’t be able to enjoy your decking for very long. Cleaning with a light soapy solution is sufficient in most cases. If the dirt is a little more stubborn, it is best to clean the floorboards with a high or medium-pressure cleaner (like this AquaClean from Gardena) on the skin. Be careful when high pressure cleaner Make sure that the water jet does not hit the wood with full force.

If you want to protect your floorboards from mold or rot, you should care for the wood regularly. April is also the right time for this. The following applies: tropical woods are hard and resilient. That’s why they require significantly less care than, for example, larch wood, which fades and “grays” after a short time. If you want to prevent this, treat the boards either before laying or in the spring after cleaning with a special decking or care oil (e.g Larch oil from Osmo). Depending on your taste, you can have one here Patio brush You can also choose wood tones or apply a colorless oil. If the wood is already gray, it can be treated with so-called Degreyer be treated. Important: Especially with larch wood, you don’t have to worry if it turns gray after a few months. Even in gray, the floorboards remain very durable and weatherproof.

Wooden arbors are also constantly exposed to winter storms and rain showers. A visual inspection in the spring doesn’t hurt either. The weather side in particular often suffers and loses shine and/or color. To ensure that your arbor survives the next storms unscathed, the wood should also be regularly treated with appropriate glazes. The best way to protect the wood is to first clean the top layer with a small sander (e.g Triangle sander Mouse KA2000 from Black+Decker) edit.

4. Create and/or till a raised bed

In very wet garden years like 2021, raised beds are worth their weight in gold. Annoying snails have to work really hard to get to the heads of lettuce, kohlrabi, carrots or other vegetables. But raised beds also have other things (here this Model Marina from Stelmet) many advantages and are currently very popular with homeowners and allotment gardeners. Practical: The plant boxes made of wood, plastic or steel are usually available as a kit and can be assembled quickly with a little skill. Make sure the raised bed at least 80 centimeters high is so you can work on it without making your hump slouched. Important: Line the raised bed with the inner walls Pond or bubble wrap out of. This will protect it from moisture and rot.

Ideally, you fill a raised bed with four layers. Before nutrient-rich humus soil is added to the bed for the crops, the soil should first be covered with roughly 20 centimeters of coarse branch material. This is followed by two layers of roughly equal thickness of chopped branches and plant residues as well as fresh compost soil. So the rule applies: from airy and nutrient-poor below, to dense and nutrient-rich above. For the top layer you should go for higher quality Humus or raised bed soil grab. The bed for lettuce, carrots etc. can be around 30 centimeters thick. Important: The layer recommendation only applies to raised beds that are to be filled with fruit and/or vegetables. There’s one here Set of 12 types of vegetable seeds from Little Plants.

5. Cut back raspberries and blackberries

You should also get your hands on the sweet fruits in the garden in April. Or better yet, the canes that are supposed to bear fruit in late summer. For many children, raspberries are at the top of their top berry fruit list. So that there is something to harvest in the gardening year of 2022, the canes of the summer raspberries in particular should now be shortened to around 1.60 meters. With blackberries you have to use secateurs (e.g. this Bypass model from Gardena) can only be applied to the removed rods from the previous year. Here, however, as close to the ground as possible. Afterwards, it’s best to treat the berries to a wheelbarrow full of bark mulch. But wait until the April-wet soil has dried out a little.

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