In the News - March 2008
March is time to get garden ready
DANVILLE, Ark. - The fickle weather of March makes it impossible to set dates
and schedules for planting, but with spring just around the corner, it’s time to
get serious and get the garden ready; so proceed with caution, says Van E.
Banks, Yell County extension agent with the University of Arkansas Cooperative
Extension Service.
March is the month when many of the beautiful spring flowering perennials
begin to flower and brighten our days, making us anxious for spring, he says.
For shrubs and trees, it is still possible to do dormant sprays on fruit
trees. Banks suggests you dilute your spray by half and spray on days when the
temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit
"If you see buds breaking dormancy, hold off with the dormant sprays and use
another option," he says.
March and early April is a good time to transplant or prune shrubs and trees,
if buds haven’t swelled or broken open.
Shrubs and trees should be fertilized, if this wasn't done in February. Use
an acid-type rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers, broadleaf
evergreens, Rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. An all-purpose fertilizer can
be used to feed roses and other deciduous trees and shrubs.
Divide and transplant summer blooming perennials and fertilize established
ones as soon as new growth appears, Banks says.
"Severe pruning of roses results in nicer long-stemmed flowers and more
compact bushes," he says. "You should also begin to feed roses and spray roses
for blackspot."
Winter jasmine can be pruned after flowering. When pruning honeysuckle, cut
the plant back to 3 feet.
You should begin to plant summer-blooming annuals and summer vegetables, such
as tomatoes and lettuce, indoors. Seedlings started in February can be
transplanted into peat pots.
Primroses and pansies can also be planted now. It is also safe to plant
tender bulbs and tubers such as gladiola, lilies and dahlias now.
"You can continue planting additional bulbs every two weeks until mid June to
ensure a continuous source of bloom," Banks says.
Take a little time to prepare the vegetable garden soil for planting. The
addition of well-rotted manure or compost is good additive for building compost
humus in the soil.
Peas and sweet peas may be planted right now as well as perennial vegetables
such as asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish and artichokes. Add some cattle manure
around your rhubarb.
You can also plant strawberries, blueberries, currants, loganberries,
boysenberries, grapes and fruit trees.
Be sure to keep an eye out for aphids and cutworms, "They can play havoc on
seedlings, tender transplants and new growth," Banks says.
For more information on gardening and horticulture, contact your county
extension agent or visit www.uaex.edu and select Home &
Garden. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of
Agriculture.
March 21, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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