| PLANT
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Beware of close-out sales on bare-root trees and shrubs. Chances
of survival are rather low on bare-root plants this late in the season. |
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Lettuces, mixed field greens and other cool season vegetables can
still be planted in the vegetable garden. Warm season crops like Bonnie
tomato plants will be showing up at your local Co-op store. Keep in
mind, on average, the last frost in Central Alabama is not until
mid-April, so if planted in March, these plants will need a little
protection if temperatures dip below freezing. Remember last Easter!
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Soak beet seed overnight in luke-warm water, drain and place seed
one inch deep and one inch apart. Cover with loose soil, firm. Break
crust formed by beating rains with gentle action of rake. If
transplanting: transplant seedlings when three inches tall, leaving
plants three inches apart. Cabbage plants should be set 18 inches apart.
Firm soil and water each plant. |
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Carrot seed must be covered very lightly—¼ inch is too much. A
few radish seeds sown in carrot row help mark the row until the carrots
are up. Sow seed thinly and thin established plants to three inches. |
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English peas are best planted one inch apart, two inches deep and
12 inches from next row. Plant at least two varieties for extended
production.
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Plant potatoes right away. Use certified seed and plant on new
potato ground.
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Now is an excellent time to select and plant container-grown
roses to fill in those bare spots in your rose garden.
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Select gladiolus corms for March planting. Plant at two-week
intervals to prolong flowering period.
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Plant dahlia tubers in late February and early March.
FERTILIZER |
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Don’t fertilize newly set out trees or shrubs until after they
have started to grow and then only very lightly the first year.
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Pansies and violas planted last fall are blooming, blooming,
blooming. An application of fertilizer now will give them a boost and
you will be rewarded with even more flowers until temperatures heat up.
Dried blood meal is also an excellent source of fertilizer for pansies.
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Buy your slow-release lawn fertilizer now and be ready to apply
it in April.
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As camellia and azalea plants finish blooming, fertilize them
according to label directions with azalea-camellia fertilizer. Then feed
them again in six weeks. If lace bugs have been a problem in the past,
feed them with systemic azalea foods.
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If you’ve got pecan trees and didn’t feed them in February,
do so now.
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Fertilize asparagus, berries, grapes and figs.
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Fertilize roses once a month from now until the end of September.
Roses are heavy feeders. |
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PESTS
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As hosta and other shade perennials send up new, tender foliage,
watch for hungry slugs. Slug baits used early in the season will help
protect the tender new foliage. Good garden clean up is also helpful .
Check under containers, garden art and other garden structures, removing
and destroying these slimy creatures.
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As fresh new leaves emerge all over the garden - perennials,
trees and shrubs - be on the lookout for aphids, tiny, teardrop shaped
insects that congregate to feed on the tenderest foliage. |
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Check junipers and other narrow-leaf evergreens for bagworm
pouches. The insect eggs overwinter in the pouch and start the cycle
again by emerging in the spring to begin feeding on the foliage. Hand
removal and burning of the pouches are ways of reducing the potential
damage next spring.
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As the new leaves of dogwood trees emerge in the cool, wet spring
weather, powdery mildew attacks. This fungus grows as a thin gray layer
on the upper leaf surface and will often go unnoticed until summer heat
when the affected leaves dry and really show the symptoms of stress. The
time to attack powdery mildew is in early spring; by summer it is too
late. Apply a systemic fungicide such as Immunox or Funginex according
to label directions. A systemic fungicide is recommended because it will
be taken into the leaf tissue, controlling the fungus as it attacks.
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Begin a fungicide regimen for hybrid tea and floribunda roses, if
they are prone to black spot. This requires either a weekly or biweekly
application, depending on the fungicide.
PRUNE
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Prune bush roses. Use good shears that will make clean cuts.
Remove dead, dying and weak canes. Leave four to eight healthy canes and
remove approximately one-half of the top growth and height of the plant. |
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Climbing roses should be trained but not pruned. Weave long canes
through openings in trellises or arbors and tie them with jute twine or
plastic/wire plant ties. Securing canes now prevents damage from winds
and contributes toward a more refined look to the garden when roses are
blooming. Wait until after the spring flowering period to prune climbing
or once-blooming shrub roses.
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Only light pruning should be done on trees, in order to clean up
dead or damaged limbs. Remember, major pruning of large limbs is better
for the trees in January or February.
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Prune azaleas after the bloom season. Try not to prune more than
one-third of the bush. |
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When pruning shrubs, first prune out any dead or damaged
branches; then thin out by removing about one-third of the canes or
stems at ground level, removing the oldest canes only and, last, shape
the rest of the plant, but do not cut everything back to the same
height. |
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If you haven’t already planned your season’s plantings, do it
now. Take advantage of companion planting to strengthen and reinforce
plant vigor while repelling pests. For example, nasturtiums and
marigolds repel whiteflies and aphids.
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Do not remove the foliage from daffodils or other perennial
spring-blooming bulbs. The foliage should be left for at least six weeks
in order to store enough energy in the bulb, before dormancy, to insure
next spring’s bloom. This is why tulips are poor perennial performers
in Southern gardens. Winter turns to summer quickly and the foliage dies
before the bulb can store enough energy to produce next year’s bloom.
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Ventilate your cold frame whenever the temperature is above 45°. |
| ODD
JOBS
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Prepare beds and garden area for spring planting. Use completed
compost for bed preparation - use partially-completed compost as a
top-dressing mulch or return to compost pile.
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Turn the compost pile.
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Mulch all bare soil.
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Check with your local county agent for the average last killing
freeze date for your area. Killing freezes can and do occur after this
date, but it will be a good indication.
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There is often a strong temptation to start removing winter
mulches from your flower beds.... WAIT!!! 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 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 too early.
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If you haven’t gotten around to it, clean out all of your
birdhouses now, so they will be ready when the birds return.
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Most lawns will need a spring feeding but if thatching or liming
needs to be done, do those jobs first.
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Check your lawn mower, especially sharpening the blades, before
starting to mow.
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Check mulch underneath shrubs; add more if needed.
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Remove winter coverings from roses when forsythia is in full
bloom (still watch weather for cool nights).
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Finish your winter cleanup, including floating debris from the
surface of water gardens.
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Check supports on newly planted trees. |
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Check any overwintered bulbs and plants (including aquatics) to
insure they are still healthy and haven’t dried out or rotted.
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Mist or spray your houseplants to clean away the winters dust,
prevent spider mites and add a little humidity. Water containerized
plants only when needed and not by the calendar.
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Repair any fencing, arbors or trellis work that is weak or has
broken over the winter ... before you get too busy!
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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.
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Keep the birds singing; don’t forget to feed them. |
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