Gardening is FUNdamental - May

May is the month of heat and weeds. You may not be able to do anything about the heat, but you can certainly do something about the weeds. If you are a close observer of weeds, you can watch the seasonal changes in the types of weeds that grow. May is a transitional month. The winter weeds are now going to seed and summer weeds are starting to grow. Of course, among the most difficult of weeds is bermuda grass. bermuda propagates by rhizomes, stolons and seeds; one of the few plants to spread in all three ways. Rhizomes are the "runners" the grass sends out along the top of the ground. Stolons are the sharp pointed shoots from the roots. Many people chose to spray bermuda with poison. I don't. If you understand what makes bermuda grow and what doesn't it is not too difficult to control. bermuda cannot stand shade or disturbed soil. To get rid of bermuda either shade it out or cultivate the soil regularly and the grass will die out.

Regular cultivation may mean weeding as frequently as once or twice a week. If you have a bermuda grass lawn that you want to convert to a garden dig and rake out most of the grass then rototill the ground every week or so for about 2 or 3 months and the grass will be gone. However, bermuda is not forgiving. If you leave the grass alone for 3 or 4 weeks it will be back in force. bermuda can grow as much as 3 or 4 inches a day! May is the month for planting citrus. As a general rule, the smaller the plant the sooner it will become established and bear fruit. I have had the best results with 5 gallon citrus. The large trees cannot bear fruit any faster than the roots become established.

More plants are killed from over-watering than almost any other cause. Watering is something that must be done on a strict schedule, especially for trees. A walk through the neighborhood will show many citrus trees that either do not thrive or do not produce. Most of the problem is the watering schedule. Citrus needs to be watered on a strict schedule; every ten days during the summer, (even when it rains,) every two weeks during the spring and fall and once a month during the winter. The watering should be done in a basin around the base of the tree with water standing in the basin for from five to ten hours.

There are very few vegetables that can be planted during May. If you are interested you can plant okra, sweet potatoes and soy beans. In our area the trees we planted (or that previous owners planted) are now maturing. Remember that vegetables need full sun (with some few exceptions). If you feel like you need to do something for your garden in May go buy a good heavy hoe. The weak little traditional eastern hoe just doesn't make a dent in Mesa soil. I have found that a three prong cultivator is very effective and fast for airing the soil and getting rid of most of the weeds.