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 The
fickle weather of March makes it impossible to set dates and schedules
for planting, so proceed with caution!
March is the month when many of the beautiful spring flowering perennials
begin to flower. Aubrietia, Candytuft, Rock Cress, Bergenia, Snowdrops,
Witch-hazel and many others will be brightening your days. With Spring
just around the corner, it is time to get serious and get the garden
ready.
SHRUB and TREES
- In most areas it is still possible to do dormant spraying of fruit
trees until the 15th, after that date dilute the spray by 1/2. Spraying
should be done on a still day with the temperature above 40 degrees
F.
- Late March and early April is a good time to transplant shrubs and
trees. As soon as the soil is workable, but before buds have swelled
or broken open, you can move shrubs and trees.
- Fertilize shrubs and trees if this wasn't done in February. Use
an acid type rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers,
broad leaf evergreens, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. Use an
all-purpose fertilizer to feed roses and other deciduous trees and
shrubs. If you use granular type fertilizers, be sure to water it
in thoroughly.
- Finish pruning fruit trees this month - before the buds swell.
PERENNIALS, ANNUALS and BULBS
- Removing winter mulches from your flower beds- pull the mulch off
gradually as the plants show signs of new growth. The purpose of winter
mulch is to act as a protector from sudden changes of temperature
and chilling winds, so keep in mind that it is still winter. Acclimatize
your plants by removing the mulch over a period of days, allowing
the light and air to reach the new growth slowly. It is much better
to remove the mulch a little later than to remove it to early.
- Roses can be pruned this month. Severe pruning results in nicer
long stemmed flowers and more compact bushes. Begin to spray roses
for black spot.
- Feed roses.
- Sow seeds of summer blooming annuals indoors. Click for tips
- Seeds that were started indoors last month may be transplanted from
the flats into peat pots and given dilute fertilizer.
- If you have a greenhouse, it is time to take cuttings of 'wintered
over' plants such as Coleus, Chrysanthemums, Geraniums, and other
perennials.
- Alternating thawing and freezing can tear plant roots and even force
the plant right out of its hole. If you notice any plants that have
heaved, push them back into the earth, and tamp lightly with your
foot.
- Divide and transplant summer blooming perennials and fertilize established
ones as soon as new growth appears.
- Plant tender bulbs and tubers (gladiola, lilies and dahlias). You
may continue planting additional bulbs every two weeks until mid June
to ensure a continuous source of bloom.
- Prune winter Jasmine after flowering; cut honeysuckle back to 3ft.
- Cut back established penstemons. Divide snowdrops while in leaf.
- Remove all dead blooms from bulbs.
- Fertilize any bulbs that have finished blooming with bone meal or
bulb booster.
- Plant Primroses and Pansies
- Pinch off tips of Sweet Pea seedlings and Mums, when they are 4
inches tall.
- Water all bulbs during times of growth and especially during foliage
and bloom development. Irrigate summer-flowering bulbs during dry
weather. Keep water off foliage and blooms.
- Fertilize tulips as foliage appears and make another application
after flowering. Fertilize all other spring-flowering bulbs after
flowering. Apply 2 pounds of 5-10-10 or 6-12-12 per 100 square feet.
Daffodils and tulips should be fertilized again in early to mid-August.
FRUITS and VEGGIES
- Take a little time to prepare the vegetable garden soil for planting.
The addition of well-rotted manure, processed manure, peat moss or
compost are good additives for building compost humus in the soil.
- Peas and sweet peas may be planted right now as well as perennial
vegetables like Asparagus, Rhubarb, Horseradish and artichokes.
- Eggplant, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, leeks, onions,
early potatoes, and radish seeds may be planted in the garden about
mid month.
- Spinach, Chard, Cabbage, Cauliflower, and other hardy vegetables
can be seeded or set out late in the month.
- Plant Strawberries, Blueberries, Currants, Loganberries, Boysenberries,
Grapes, and fruit trees.
- Add some steer manure around your Rhubarb.
- Time to start tomatoes, lettuce, and many other vegetables from
seed.
HOUSEPLANTS
- Houseplants will react to longer days and brighter light at this
time by putting out new growth. The end of this month is a good time
to pinch them back to generate new growth and to thicken them. You
can then begin fertilizing again with a dilute solution of soluble
houseplant food.
- Turn your houseplants a quarter turn each week to make sure all
sides of the plant receive adequate light, and to keep the shape of
the plant balanced.
- Mist or spray your houseplants to clean away the winter’s dust,
prevent Spider Mites and add a little humidity.
- Remain vigilante in watching for insects and pests. It is much easier
to win a 'bug war' if you are aware of the infestation in it's early
stages.
ODDS and ENDS
- Weeding. Once the weeds go to seed you can be fighting that weed
seed for up to seven years or more (dandelions are NOTORIUS for the
seven year seed life). Most weeds can simply be pulled or cultivated
out of the garden while they are young. If you know you can count
on several sunny days, Round Up is a good product to apply. It only
has the toxicity of table salt seven days after it is applied. The
leaves carry the chemical and kill the weed at the roots. This is
very good for all those weeds with long taproots. If any little portion
of the root is left, a new plant can grow off that remaining root.
If you don’t want to use any chemical methods, check with your
local extension office for more tips. We have a link to a site that
will help you find one in your area.
- Turn the compost pile. Remove any coarse mulch, from the garden,
and add it to the compost
- Keep an eye out for Aphids (spray off with water) and Cutworms (Cutworm
Dust).
- Repair damaged areas of the lawn. De-thatch, rake or aerate. Apply
Dolomite Lime to sweeten the soil if needed. Most lawns will need
a spring feeding but if thatching or liming needs to be done, do those
jobs first. If moss is a problem, a combination fertilizer and moss
killer can be applied, to do both jobs in one easy application. Over-seeding
can be done as the last step, after the lawn has been fertilized.
- Test your soil for pH to see if any amendments are necessary. A
general rule of thumb is to add 4 lbs. of lime per 100 sq. ft. of
garden for every pH point below 6.5, or 1 lb. of sulfur per 100 sq.
ft. for every pH point above 7.5. Sawdust, composted oak leaves, wood
chips, peat moss, cottonseed meal, and leaf mold lower the pH while
ashes of hardwoods, bone meal, crushed marble, and crushed oyster
shells raise the pH. The best way to adjust pH is gradually, over
several seasons.
- March is a good time to note areas of poor drainage. If there are
pools of water in your yard that do not drain. Fill in the low spot
or scoop out a channel for the water to drain away.
- Clean out all of your birdhouses now, so that they will be ready
when the birds return.
- Repair any fencing, arbors, or trelliswork that is weak or has broken
over the winter.
- Check the plants under the eaves of the house and under tall evergreens
to see that they have sufficient moisture.
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