Spring Cleaning for Wild Things

Spring is just around the corner for the far northern (and far southern) parts of the globe, but for those of us nearer the equator (like Texas, where it's been in the high 70's recently), the breath of spring is already in the air. Although wildscapes don't require a lot of labor to keep up, there are some basic maintenance operations that you need to do.

If you have a lot of property, make sure there are clear trails so that you have access to the back of your lot in case of problems (like wildfire). Keeping trails properly maintained makes identifying problem areas (and disease outbreaks) much easier.

If you have a large property, make sure the area conforms to fire codes. We never know what the spring and summer will be like, and wildfire can damage your buildings and hold back your plans for a long time. Make sure brush piles for animal homes are where you want them.

On small properties (suburban lawns and yards), a general garden cleanup is a good idea. Are a group of plants just not working out for you? Consider replacing them with something else.

Check for diseased trees and plants and get rid of them or treat them. One diseased plant can spell disaster for a neighborhood - as in the case of Dutch Elm Disease.

Know Your Insects -- because you need to check for insects. You do want some of them around your property, but others spell disaster! Two safe sprays (for small areas) are a soap and water spray for hardshelled insects (about 4 capsfull of liquid soap per gallon of water. Do use bio- friendly soap!) and a pepper and water mixture (I use about 2 tablespoons of Louisiana Hot Sauce per 2 cups of water) for softbodied pests. You can crush them, of course - but I'm not fond of brutal homicide. Poisoning them is ever-so-much more genteel.

Check your plant groups. If some of them are doing badly, consider digging them up and reworking the soil. Mulch is your friend in this case, because a well-mulched soil holds water and nutrients better and allows the plants' roots to spread.

Re-evaluate your plans. Is your wildscape supporting the wildlife you wanted to support? If you're getting regular visitors, do you want to start providing homes for them (nestboxes and so forth)?

Take steps to preserve your new plantings. The birds might be overly eager to get at the sunflowers you just planted and the deer might find your new bushes a very tasty dessert. Protect newly planted trees, bushes, and flowers until they've had a chance to become

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