March
Monthly Garden Tips

We’ll soon know if March is going to come in like a lamb and go out like a lion or the reverse.  Time will tell. What I do know is that it’s time to start working in the garden.

General Tips    Shrubs & Trees    Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs  
 Fruits    Veggies & Herbs    The Lawn    Houseplants   

GENERAL
GARDENING TIPS

• Set up an outdoor thermometer and a rain gauge. Keep a journal of the weather and when plants start to bloom.
• Set up and Clean water features and fountains. Make sure fountain pumps and lights are working properly. Remove leaf guards.
• Get those weeds while they small and easy to control. Pull then by hand or spot kill weeds with a herbicide. Understand that different weeds require different herbicides. Don’t guess which to use. Download our Garden Remedies Guide.
• If your not an organic gardener consider PREEN which will prevent new weeds from germinating for up to 3 months. Don’t delay; apply it now before new weeds germinate, but be aware it must not be used on garden areas you expect to plant seeds.
• The heavy Pittsburgh clay soil, that many of us have, is often very wet in March, so check the soil before digging, cultivating, or tilling. Walking on wet soil will cause it to compact. So after the spring thaw, wait until the ground dries before starting to working in your flower and vegetable beds. Simply make a little ball of it in your palm- if it wads up and sticks together it is too wet, if it is still fairly crumbly- you can work the soil.i>
• Add amendments to the soil, such as compost, and gypsum to allow for better internal soil drainage. These products make the soil more friable and less compact and promote better plant growth. Raised beds will provide better drainage when one has wet heavy soils. Remember saturated soils result in root diseases for plants not adapted to this condition.
• Quality soil is the foundation for good plant growth. Test your soil before planting new areas. Soil tests will give you important information like pH, % organic matter, soluble salts, and major nutrients in soil. Recommendations for amendments will also be provided. A soil test mail packet can be obtained from Penn State Cooperative  Extension at 412-473-2540 Once you receive it, follow directions for how to put in the soil and how to fill out the form. Remember when you dig up soil for mailing to let it dry out.
  

SHRUBS and TREES

• Transplant roses, shrubs and ornamental trees before the leaf buds open.
• Apply the natural slow release Espoma Tree Tone fertilizer to trees & shrubs if growth last year was not as vigorous as desired.
• Deal with pests now. A lime sulfur spray is organic and protects against scales, mites, and borers on fruit trees, roses, and shrubs as well as black spot and powdery mildew. It's a dormant spray, so apply before your plants begin to bud out. (Protect your house; it can spot brick, stucco, and leave spots on paint.) An easier to use alternative (though maybe not as good) would be Bonide Horticultural Spray Oil. After plants begin to bud, use Bonide Copper Fungicide. Use all compounds cautiously; read and follow manufacturer's instructions.
• Trim back winter-killed rose canes to one inch below blackened area and all rose canes to about a foot or two above ground level. (This does not apply to climbing roses.) Once buds begin to form cut the stems back to a strong fat bud.
• You can prune summer-blooming shrubs such as rose of Sharon. Wait to prune your spring-blooming shrubs, like forsythia and lilacs, until they've finished blooming so you don't cut off next year's flowers.
• Now's the time (before it gets too hot and dry) to plant deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, weather and soil conditions permitting.
• Complete the pruning of shrubs, ornamental trees before growth that starts, except for spring flowering shrubs. Prune those which bloom in spring as soon as they finish flowering. Trees which bleed such as birch and maple should not be pruned until after their leaves are fully developed.
• Older flowering shrubs that have grown too tall and are not blooming well can be rejuvenated by using “chain saw pruning,”  This involves cutting the whole plant down to within 3”-4” of the ground.  It is amazing how fast shrubs will grow back following this severe pruning and they will have much better form and flowers in coming years.

PERENNIALS, ANNUALS and BULBS

• Now is the time to plant cool season annuals in the Pittsburgh area if they are properly hardened off. (call for advice) Plants that provide early spring color include pansies, violas, snapdragons, nemesia and alyssum. I highly recommend the new and prolific blooming Voltage Yellow Osteospermum (African daisy) and Techno Heat  Blue Lobelia.
• Plant sweet peas for wonderful fragrance and cut flowers. Plant sweet peas from the middle to the end of the month. Soak seeds overnight in luke-warm water to promote germination. Provide a trellis or other support for the plants to grow up.
• All spring bulbs should be up and growing now. When you see the flower stalk emerging from the foliage, it’s time to fertilize. Use a complete fertilizer such as Espoma Bulb Tone (organic), or Espoma Garden Food 5-10-5.
• If you left any perennials or grasses standing over winter, cut back the dead stems now or when the plants put out new growth. Here's a hint: Cut dead stems back to 3 or 4 inches tall. This will help you remember where late-emerging varieties such as perennial hibiscus and butterfly weed are.
• As temperatures begin to warm, and plants emerge from dormancy, slowly remove protective mulches. Beware of removing mulches too soon since hard freezes are still possible.
• Apply the natural slow release Espoma Plant Tone fertilizer around perennials when new spring growth is visible.
• Most perennials bloom for a 2 to 4 week period. When adding new perennials to your garden, consider those that have great foliage as well as blooms or extend the flowering time by choosing a mix of early, mid and late blooming varieties.
• Feed peonies with Espoma Plant Tone when they are about 2 – 3 inches tall. Put peony supports in place. The round wire basket-weave types are best.
• Early spring is also a good time to divide and transplant summer blooming perennials such as hosta and sedum. Divide as they start to emerge from the soil. Most perennials do best when divided every three years or so, but some vigorous growers could use splitting every two or three years.
  Here's a hint: It's best to wait and divide many spring-blooming      favorites such as bleeding heart and barrenwort after they've finished blooming. You’ll want to hold off dividing your peonies, iris, and poppy until fall.

FRUITS

• Spray fruit trees, berry bushes and canes with Bonide Lime Sulfur Spray. It is organic and protects against scales, mites, and borers. It's a dormant spray, so apply before your plants begin to bud out. (Protect your house; it can spot brick, stucco, and leave spots on paint.) Use all spray compounds cautiously; read and follow manufacturer's instructions.
• If you haven't already done so, now’s a great time to prune fruit trees (including apples, pears, and cherries) and small fruits such as raspberries and grapes.

VEGETABLES AND HERBS

• St. Patrick's Day is the traditional time to plant peas and potatoes. Rhubarb, asparagus, and onion sets can also be planted as soon as the soil is workable
• Plant parsley in your herb garden.
• Plant cool-season varieties, such as radishes, peas, lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower as soon as you can work the ground this month -- these plants survive frosty weather. While you're out, add some pansies to your spring vegetable garden. They'll add color, and you can use the cheery blooms in salads.

THE LAWN

• To repair bare spots in lawns combine 5 shovels of sand, 1 shovel of sterilized topsoil, 1 shovel of grass seed and 1 cup of  Master Select Osmocote ,which is a slow release fertilizer. Treat bare spots with this mixture, cover with straw, and water often so that the soil remains moist. Do this until the grass is growing strong.
• Even though your grass may be starting to green up, it's probably too early to fertilize. Wait a month or so until your grass is actively growing before feeding it.

HOUSEPLANTS

• As the days grow longer, you'll probably start to see more growth on your houseplants. You can typically start watering them a little more and feeding them this month to help them push new growth.  
• Repot those that are root bound. Avoid over-watering as weakened plants are more readily subject to disease and root rot.

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