March is the month for spring!! What a wonderful feeling to be able to spend more time outside to enjoy what Mother Nature is unfolding before our eyes. The lengthening of days is a welcome site and the warming sun on our faces is a very great feeling. We “spring forward” with Daylight Savings Time on Sun., March 9 this year. That in itself is exciting.
March is what I call the foundation month in your landscape. Just as a house is only as good as the foundation it is sitting on, the success, or failures you experience in your landscape this year can be traced back to the tasks you complete this month. The first thing you need to do this month is go for a walk. Walk around your yard and make notes about the things you see. Did the winter storms do any damage to your trees or shrubs? Did the winds blow all of your neighbors’ leaves onto your property, leaving them packed in and around your shrubs of in some corner of your planting beds? Did you get all of your perennials cut back last fall, or are the tops still lying around cluttering your beds? If you said yes to any or all of the above questions, then the first thing you need to do this month is take care of these items.
Here is a list of other interests for the month of March:
· Once you have your landscape beds cleaned up and all of the early pruning and cutting back completed, it is time to spread a little fertilizer around your trees and shrubs. A general purpose plant food with a 14-14-14 formulation would be greatly appreciated by any and all of your plants. Don’t forget your perennials. Just because you can’t see them right now does not mean they would not benefit greatly from a feeding.
· Begin your weed prevention program this month by applying a pre-emergent weed control product such as Preen to your landscape beds. Now is also the time to apply Fertilome crabgrass prevention on the lawn. You will need to water these applications in or apply them just prior to a gentle spring rain.
· Mowing time is right around the corner. Mow lawns now to remove old growth and the last of winter’s leaves before new growth begins. Thin spots in the lawn can be over seeded now. If you intend to treat for crabgrass at this same time, check with a professional before starting the process to get the right products to ensure success.
· The new crop of seeds for the 2008 season are now in garden centers, along with all of the supplies needed to start those seed indoors. Early-spring, cool weather vegetables can only be grown during cool weather, so they are planted very early in the year so that they can be harvested in early spring. These plants include peas, lettuce, radish, kohlrabi, collards, turnips, potatoes, spinach, onion sets, beets, carrots, [parsley, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage and Chinese cabbage. This month is also great for setting out strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, grapes and fruit trees. Grow your own just like Grandma and Grandpa used to do!
· Start seeds indoors this month for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Check with your professional to get a vegetable garden schedule and easy “how-to tips.”
· Houseplants can still be replanted in an attempt to get them ready for spring, moving them to containers 2 inches larger in diameter than their current pot. Continue to check houseplants for over wintering insect populations.
· Nesting boxes for Bluebirds can be set up as well as Purple Martin houses. Purple Martins return to our zone 5 region between St Pat’s Day and the end of the month. Bluebirds however, are here year round, but now is the time for nesting. So clean out those houses and be prepared for the show!
· Ornamental grasses and liriope should be cut back the first part of March to the height of 2-3 inches.
· Apply dormant oil sprays now to all fruit bearing plants, fruit trees, roses and all plants that appear to be disease susceptible. This will prevent problems in season and should be applied when the nighttime temperatures will remain above 40 degrees over night after spraying.
Enjoy the new birth of spring this month and I will see you in the garden!
Sandi Hillermann McDonald
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