Do Not Hurry to 'Spring Clean' Garden
2023-03-28
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.
2For half the world, spring has begun.
3Temperatures are warming and daylight lasts longer.
4People who like to garden may be ready to get their hands dirty and start clearing the ground for new plantings.
5But garden experts warn -- not too fast.
6Jessica Damiano is one such expert.
7She says that removing plant matter too early can disturb important insects not ready for the cool early spring temperatures.
8In the fall, Damiano explains, she skips cleanup.
9She lets plant matter remain on the ground.
10It serves as shelter for insects over winter.
11In early spring, those insects are still sleeping.
12Removing the plant matter before the insects begin their life cycles would mean removing them from your garden.
13Fewer insects mean less food for birds and fewer flowers and vegetables for the gardener.
14Damiano says experts do not all agree on the best time to start cleaning the ground and garden area in the spring.
15But they usually agree to wait until the temperatures are regularly above 10 degrees Celsius.
16That is when sleeping insects "wake up."
17Some experts define "regularly" as at least five days in a row.
18Damiano says she usually waits seven nights.
19However, even then, she says to keep the plant matter on the ground for another week or so before removing it from your property.
20This gives any insects that are still "sleeping" enough time to wake up.
21Early cleaning of a garden is often followed by early mulching.
22Applying mulch makes the garden look neat and clean.
23But Damiano reminds us that soil and plants are not just for show.
24They are part of a living ecosystem.
25Mulch is an important part of a healthy garden.
26It keeps soil wet, limits the growth of weeds, and helps keep soil temperatures even.
27But timing is important.
28Mulching before the soil has warmed enough will keep in the cold and slow the reawakening of the plants.
29This can also limit their growth.
30And if the soil is wet, early mulching can lead to mold, mildew, and fungal diseases.
31Before applying mulch, wait until it is safe to plant annuals and warm-season vegetables in your area.
32For Damiano in New York state, that means waiting until the end of May.
33Timing is also important for fertilizing.
34For grasses, Damiano says not to fertilize until mid to late spring.
35At this time, grass has left dormancy and begins active growth.
36Fertilizing too early will not help grasses grow. In fact, it can hurt the grass.
37Grasses that are fertilized in early spring cannot fully make use of those nutrients in the fertilizer.
38They may start growing when they should be spending their energy on root development.
39Strong roots are necessary to help grasses survive hot summer weather.
40Also, fertilizer that cannot be used by a dormant or partly dormant plant threatens the environment as it goes through soil and into groundwater.
41For that reason, in parts of the United States, people are not permitted to fertilizer too early.
42And because it does not help the grass, fertilizing too early is simply a waste of money.
43What about early blooming flowers?
44Tulips and daffodils are two early blooming flowers.
45After they or any spring bulb has bloomed, the leaves continue to produce energy for the following year's bulb.
46Damiano says it okay to remove stems.
47But she says to remove the leaves only after they have turned yellow.
48For those who do not want to wait to garden, Damiano does have an early spring task.
49Now is a good time to repot houseplants.
50Move them into the next-size pot - no more than 5 centimeters wider than their current container.
51And give them a bit of fertilizer.
52As the season's longer days cause them to restart active growth, this extra nutrition will help.
53And that's the Health & Lifestyle Report. I'm Anna Matteo.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report. 2For half the world, spring has begun. Temperatures are warming and daylight lasts longer. People who like to garden may be ready to get their hands dirty and start clearing the ground for new plantings. But garden experts warn -- not too fast. 3Jessica Damiano is one such expert. She says that removing plant matter too early can disturb important insects not ready for the cool early spring temperatures. 4In the fall, Damiano explains, she skips cleanup. She lets plant matter remain on the ground. It serves as shelter for insects over winter. 5In early spring, those insects are still sleeping. Removing the plant matter before the insects begin their life cycles would mean removing them from your garden. Fewer insects mean less food for birds and fewer flowers and vegetables for the gardener. 6Damiano says experts do not all agree on the best time to start cleaning the ground and garden area in the spring. But they usually agree to wait until the temperatures are regularly above 10 degrees Celsius. That is when sleeping insects "wake up." Some experts define "regularly" as at least five days in a row. Damiano says she usually waits seven nights. 7However, even then, she says to keep the plant matter on the ground for another week or so before removing it from your property. This gives any insects that are still "sleeping" enough time to wake up. 8Early cleaning of a garden is often followed by early mulching. Applying mulch makes the garden look neat and clean. But Damiano reminds us that soil and plants are not just for show. They are part of a living ecosystem. 9Mulch is an important part of a healthy garden. It keeps soil wet, limits the growth of weeds, and helps keep soil temperatures even. But timing is important. 10Mulching before the soil has warmed enough will keep in the cold and slow the reawakening of the plants. This can also limit their growth. And if the soil is wet, early mulching can lead to mold, mildew, and fungal diseases. 11Before applying mulch, wait until it is safe to plant annuals and warm-season vegetables in your area. For Damiano in New York state, that means waiting until the end of May. 12Timing is also important for fertilizing. 13For grasses, Damiano says not to fertilize until mid to late spring. At this time, grass has left dormancy and begins active growth. 14Fertilizing too early will not help grasses grow. In fact, it can hurt the grass. 15Grasses that are fertilized in early spring cannot fully make use of those nutrients in the fertilizer. They may start growing when they should be spending their energy on root development. Strong roots are necessary to help grasses survive hot summer weather. 16Also, fertilizer that cannot be used by a dormant or partly dormant plant threatens the environment as it goes through soil and into groundwater. For that reason, in parts of the United States, people are not permitted to fertilizer too early. 17And because it does not help the grass, fertilizing too early is simply a waste of money. 18What about early blooming flowers? 19Tulips and daffodils are two early blooming flowers. After they or any spring bulb has bloomed, the leaves continue to produce energy for the following year's bulb. Damiano says it okay to remove stems. But she says to remove the leaves only after they have turned yellow. 20For those who do not want to wait to garden, Damiano does have an early spring task. Now is a good time to repot houseplants. 21Move them into the next-size pot - no more than 5 centimeters wider than their current container. And give them a bit of fertilizer. As the season's longer days cause them to restart active growth, this extra nutrition will help. 22And that's the Health & Lifestyle Report. I'm Anna Matteo. 23Jessica Damiano writes regular gardening columns for The Associated Press. She publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. Sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. 24___________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26garden - n. a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are grown 27mulch - n. a covering (as of straw or sawdust) spread over the ground to protect the roots of plants from heat, cold, or evaporation, prevent soil loss, control weeds, or enrich the soil 28ecosystem - n. a system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions 29annual - n. something that lasts one year or season specifically : a plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season 30fertilizer - n. a substance (as manure or a chemical) used to make soil produce larger or more plant life 31dormant - adj. not active but capable of becoming active : dormancy - n. state of not being active 32blooming - v. having blooms unfolding : flowering 33bulb - n. an underground resting stage of a plant (as an onion or tulip) consisting of a short stem base bearing one or more buds enclosed in overlapping leaves 34_________________________________________________________________ 35We want to hear from you. In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. 36We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 37Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.