If you’re like us, you cannot wait to get outside and get gardening! The cool, damp weather has hung around too long, but there’s lots to do in preparation for blue skies ahead. Here’s what you need to get done this month.
Check out our March Garden Guide for more tips and remember that trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted 12 months out of the year! The only difference is the amount of water they need depending on temperatures & wind!
1. Wrap Up Your Clean-Up
If you still have pruning and clean-up to do, there’s still a little time! Cool temps have delayed the burst of Spring growth a bit. Overwintered perennials like Lantana, Salvias, and Roses need pruning now – cut them back up to 50%.
2. Plant Your Fruits and Veggies
It’s time! We are thrilled to have a big healthy selection of Spring veggies and fruit trees this year. We haven’t seen peach and plum trees this nice in several seasons. One thing we recommend for all plantings, including veggies and fruit trees, is Nature’s Blend compost – the closest thing we’ve seen to ‘magic in a bag’! One bag can amend about 12 sq ft of clay or sandy soil.
3. Bring Back the Birds, Bees, and Butterflies!
Now is a great time to incorporate plants into your garden that attract & feed the birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. They need your help finding food and shelter, and you need their help pollinating your blooming plants, increasing your veggie production, and eating bad bugs. Bees are drawn to most anything with a bloom but some fav’s are Gregg’s Mist Flower, Esperanza, & Lantana. Butterflies love Butterfly Weed, Salvias, & Mexican Flame Vine. Native plants like Turks Cap produce berries for birds, and Hummers love Duranta, Mexican Honeysuckle, & lots more!
4. Feed New Plants Now, Established Plants Soon
New plantings need a good start with a good organic plant food. We love BioTone, PlantTone, and Hastagro. Add BioTone to your soil when you plant, then use PlantTone once a month and supplement with Hastagro about every 2 weeks to continue feeding throughout the season. For established plants, wait to feed until they are actively growing – typically mid/late March or early April.
5. Flowers for Right Now
Nothing says Spring like planting flowers! The best choices this month are Petunias, Marigolds, Begonias, and Geraniums. These love the warm days and cool nights of our early Spring. Popular late Spring/Summer flowers like Vinca, Moss Rose, and Zinnias will start to arrive in April as temps stay warmer.
6. Apply Pre-emergent Now + Wait to Fertilize Lawns
Lawns are still mostly dormant and not yet actively growing. Now is the time to apply pre-emergent weed control before the weeds start growing. We recommend Dura Turf Crab Grass and Weed Preventer. Hold off on watering – water once a week at most, depending on rain. And wait to fertilize lawns until you see enough growth to mow your lawn regularly, typically late March/early April. We recommend Medina Growin’ Green or Gill Lawn and Garden Food.
Check out our March Garden Guide for more tips!
-Debbie
Ann says
We got a valencia orange from you and the new growth has curly leaves. What can we do to help this abnormality?
Jesse says
Hi Ann – could be a number of different issues, including not enough water and/or not enough nutrients (fertilizer). Or it could just be a deformity in the leaf due to high wind when it was forming. You could trim these off, fertilize with organic Citrus Tone, and adjust your watering. Make sure you’ve got a nice layer of mulch as well to help retain moisture. Here’s a link to an article with more possible causes:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus/curling-citrus-leaves.htm#:~:text=Drought%20stress%20is%20the%20most,(5%20to%2010%20cm.)
jbird says
Thanks to all at Gills. Jesse instantly returned my message and educated me on nematodes. Great way to eliminate grubs and save the earthworms.
Jaybird says
Thanks to all at Gills. Jesse instantly returned my message and educated me on nematodes. Great way to eliminate grubs and save the earthworms.
Cindy says
I love your nursery. I also have first hand experience with Wyatt before he got his award. He was so helpful and nice.
Hats off to you guys for asking people to wear masks. I work in a doctors office and have been wearing a mask daily for a while, surprise, surprise I’m still me and still standing and breathing. Been fully vaccinated but I think it’s a courtesy to wear my mask out in public. It’s a simple, easy thing and if there’s any chance it helps stop the spread I’m happy to be a part of the solution. Certainly glad that way back when they got the vaccine for measles, mumps, etc people had more sense apparently and wanted to take care of the kids.
Theresa Stelzig says
I always remember what James and Michael Womack preach—-Don’t get in to much of a hurry to cut down or dig up frozen (maybe) plants. Most of the frozen material in my yard didn’t come back until August or September, even my ixoria.
Alissa says
I was wondering about bananas also – the leaves are all brown but they are alive inside. If I want them to grow fruit, should I cut them to the ground or let them sprout from last year’s trunks?
Jesse says
Hi Alissa – this is a good info sheet on bananas: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/fact-sheets/banana/.
If you’re wanting fruit, just remove damaged leaves and leave the trunk intact.
Susie Knupp says
Should I cut the banana trees to the ground?
Jesse says
Yes, after the cold weather event this weekend, you could cut back as far as you want. They will regrow from ground level or wherever you decide to cut them back.