M arch is a transition month, one foot in winter, the other in spring. The weather is warming and the first of the spring bulbs are starting to bloom. March is a prime gardening month here in Texas.
The warm toasty throw that I used to cover my iceberg feet in February has been put on the closet shelf with the hopes that I will no longer need it. The lawn mower blade, shears and bypass pruners were sharpened last month. The 2-cycle trimmer and edger started okay. My hoofs are pawing the ground, my head is down and horns pointed forwards and I am ready to charge ahead. The blood is coursing through my veins with a message to get out and work. Save the remarks about the horns, please.
March weather can be very fickle - it could still freeze since average last freeze is around March 12-15, and yet it still could be very balmy and pleasant most of the month. Freezing weather mainly affects the timing for planting cold-sensitive plants, like tomatoes or begonias. If you decide to take chances with tender plants, be prepared to give them a protective covering.
Yes, the weather is often a mixed bag - from gray and rainy days to balmy afternoons filled with mellow sunshine. The night temperatures are in the 50-60's and the days are in the 70's.
This is the start of one of the busiest planting times of the year. You can now plant almost anything from seeds to citrus but wait a month or two to put in tropical plants. They'll do better in the warmer weather. Now is the time to plant all sorts of permanent plantings such as trees, shrubs, vines, summer annuals, some cool-season and most warm season vegetables, and herbaceous perennials.
SCALPING: Control winter weeds by starting your regular mowing regime. Get your mower blade sharpened now if you haven't done it yet. If you decide to scalp your lawn, wait until all danger of freezing is over. The average last freeze for our area is mid-March. If you do scalp, turn that huge amount of clippings into a fine soil amendment by composting it rather than filling up the landfill with the clippings.
PREEMERGENT: If you missed applying a preemergent weed preventer in February and you had a summer weed problem in your lawn last year (such as grass burs), then go ahead and make an application now. You may have missed a portion of the weeds that germinate in early spring (like crabgrass), but will still control the many other types that can germinate anytime during the warm part of the year.
LAWN FERTILIZING: Wait to fertilize your St. Augustine or Bermuda lawn until the end of March, or after you have mowed actively growing grass (not weeds) twice. There are several different formulations of fertilizer so either check with the Extension Horticulture Department (call 817-426-3639) or tell the salesperson at your garden center what type of plants and grass you want to fertilize and they can help you select the correct fertilizer for your needs.
If you did not “scalp” your lawn late in February, you can do so now. This will remove browned blades; expose new growth to the sun and remove many of the weeds. Set the mower one or two notches lower when you scalp your lawn. Be sure to raise it back up. Collect clippings and use them in the compost.
In cooler weather, water approximately every 10-14 days, applying 3/4 inch at a time. Even though grass is growing, do not fertilize yet until the end of the month. A cold snap could damage new succulent growth stimulated by fertilization.
March marks the beginning of the lawn care season. By now many of the grasses that were dormant over the winter are greening up. All lawns need to be fertilized at the end of month. First, rake the lawn to remove the dead blades and debris. Don't forget to add this material to your compost pile. If you had your soil tested, apply lime to increase pH (alkalinity) or sulfur to lower pH (acidity).
If you are planning on using a pre-emergent to prevent crabgrass or grass burs, you must do it early in the month and then repeat it 90 days later. But first, know that thick, lush lawns can usually crowd out many weeds.
If you have St. Augustinegrass or Bermudagrass, fertilize it late this month with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio fertilizer, (N, P, and K) high in nitrogen. Calibrate your fertilizer spreader to be sure that you are applying the amount you intend and wash residue off the leaf blades by following up with a light irrigation. If you have fescue grass, fertilize it early in the month with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio fertilizer.
PLANT FERTILIZING:
Begin fertilizing roses every 4 to 6 weeks from now until September. After camellias and azaleas finish blooming, fertilize them with 2 to 3 pounds of azalea-camellia fertilizer per 100 sq/ft of bed area. Fertilizer ratio of 10-10-10 should be broadcast over the entire garden. Fertilize the garden 2-3 times during the growing season. If your soil has poor drainage, plant in raised beds.
PRUNING: You can prune evergreen and summer flowering trees and shrubs this month. But, prune spring flowering shrubs (forsythia, quince, azaleas, Spirea, etc) only after they finish blooming, if needed. Hydrangeas also bloom on prior year's growth, so prune after they bloom.
Plants that produce flowers in the summer or fall can be pruned now. They include abelia, hibiscus, oleander, rose, crape myrtle, cassia, mimosa, and princess flower. Now is also a good time to prune shade trees like oaks, maples and hickories.
Evergreens like podocarpus, holly, boxwood, ligustrum, juniper and wax myrtle can be pruned any time during the year. Never prune plants during a growth flush (leafing out)
Shear back Asiatic jasmine, if needed, to encourage new growth from the base. As the lovely blooms of daffodils and jonquils fade away, it is tempting to remove or hide the leaves. However, let them yellow naturally. Next year's flower buds are being formed at this time, and healthy, green leaves are needed to insure an even better display next year.
MAINTENANCE: Now is also a good time to clean up the garden, prepare the soil, build a compost pile, and stay ahead of the weeds.
Dig and divide summer and fall blooming perennials this month. Cannas, coneflowers, fall asters, mums, perennial salvias and Shasta daisies can be invigorated and increased for expanding your beds or sharing/trading with other gardeners.
This is a good time to remove those bird nests that are in disrepair or unsightly from last year. This is also a good time to start hanging baskets of petunias, begonias, impatiens and other annuals.
Hanging baskets add another dimension to the landscape, allowing you to bring color and accents to other areas around your house.
The mulch underneath azalea, camellia and other shrubs may have partially decomposed, adding organic matter to the soil, but leaving areas suitable for weed invasion. Add more mulch where needed, using organic mulches such as pine needles, pine bark or cypress bark. Pine shredded mulch will decompose too quickly, but it does make good compost.
SPRAYING: You also need to begin a spray program for controlling blackspot on roses. Uncontrolled blackspot will defoliate most hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda roses, causing them to decline in vigor and suffer in bloom production. Protect roses with appropriate fungicide applied weekly or monthly.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Hold off until May on planting the warm-season grasses like Bermuda, zoysia and St. Augustine. If you are having a problem with clover, chickweed, dandelions, henbit and other broad-leaved weeds, apply a broad-leaved weed killer. This can be done in any type of turf (look for a product with 2 4 D). When you have established a thick and lush lawn, many of these weeds will not be a problem.
March 20 is the official date when spring begins.
March 15 is the "Ides of March", a term that comes from the earliest Roman calendar. The Ides is the 15th day in March, May, July, and October, and the 13th in the other months. The soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March," has forever imbued that date with a sense of foreboding. But in Roman times the expression "Ides of March" did not necessarily evoke a dark mood—it was simply the standard way of saying "March 15."
St. Patrick's Day is Friday. March 17th. St. Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland and was born in Wales about AD 385.
I keep telling people my birthday is the 15th of the month every month hoping for a party. The party never happens and I am now 154 years old like the leprechaun.
By Derald Freeman, TCMGA MG