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anced. If not, sharpen the heavier side more until the blade balances on the handle.
Trees and shrubs
• Prime spring-blooming shrubs, such as forsythia, weigela and early spirea, after they have completed flowering.
• The best time to plant shrubs and trees is on a windless, cloudy day.
• To determine if soil is ready to work, squeeze a handful into a tight ball, then break the ball apart with your fingers. If the ball of soil readily crumbles in your fingers, the soil is ready to be worked. If the soil stays balled, however, it is still too wet to work. Re-test in another week.
• Have you taken soil tests of your garden, lawn, orchard and berry patch recently. Don’t guess about fertilization. Soil analysis will help you base fertilizer and lime applications on the present condition of the soil and the nutrients needed by your plants. Contact your local Extension Agent for instructions for sampling soil.
• Before planting bare-rooted shrubs and trees, soak the roots in water overnight.
• For more compact pyracantha bushes without the risk of losing the crop of berries, pinch back new growth now.
• Do not add organic matter to the soil when planting trees. It does not help the tree become established and may create conditions that encourage the roots to stay inside the planting hole instead of spreading into the surrounding soil. Do dig a large planting hole, but refill it with the original soil that was removed.
• Do not coat pruning cuts with tree paint or wound dressing, except for control of certain
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