Garden tips for March | Master Gardener | lifestyle

Plant: Spring is the second season of large planting. You can plant all varieties of trees, bushes, perennials, floor covers and vines. Heat lovers such as cucumber, tomato, melon, beans, eggplants and pumpkin towards the end of the month. You can also plant potatoes, radishes, chives, green, beets and herbs of all kinds. Citrus fruits, avocado and other frost -sensitive scenic can be planted late a month.

When buying citrus fruits, please buy from a reputable kindergarten from Tulare or Kings County so that we do not spread the Asian citrus pyllide. This means saying “no” to the neighbor or family member, who has an additional citrus tree for you, and that means that you do not bring citrus trees from anywhere else to the county. There are regulations on the movement of large amounts of citrus fruits to save the California citrus industry and our gardening trees. You can find out more about the CDFA website or the plague note of the University of California at: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/pmg/pestnotes/pn74155.html

Many plants, locals and not, bloom strongly in March. If you need fast color, plant ancillatum, Alyssum, Bachelor buttons, Begonia, Celosia, Cleome, Coleus, Kosmos, Duster Miller, Gomphrena, Inpatient Patients, Lobelia, Marigolds, Capital States, Nicotiana, Petunias, Portulacas, Salvias and Verben. It is also the month to start planting summer blooming such as Cannas, Calla Lily, Crocosmia, Dahlia, Gladiolus, Liatris, Lilies, Ranunculus, Tuberose and Zephranthes.

Maintenance: Together with flower and uplifts, March also begins the big insect season. Handings or spraying with a strong water current is the least toxic option. Ornamental plants can often withstand these insect creses with moderate infestation, but in the vegetable and orchard only tolerate small populations and help if the useful insects cannot reduce the number of pests within a few days.

If you need to use pesticides, first identify your pest. Many useful insects were killed for hurry to destroy the entire insect life in the garden. Some frequent lectures that are often confused with pests are top flys, Syrphid flies, spiders, parasitic mites and parasitic wasps. Read more about biological controls for insect pests at: http://ipm.ucanR.edu/pmg/pestnotes/pn74140.html.

The hand that picks large insects is easier in the garden and in ecology. The use of traps such as rolled newspaper or boards is another way to catch and remove insect pests such as snails, snails and ear water.

If you have to use chemicals for snails and snails, use bait that contain iron phosphate that are not toxic for children, wild animals or pets. Bait that contains metaldehyde are extremely poisonous. Tolerate some plant damage, especially through caterpillars and in particular on your decorative (non -displayable) plants. Imagine as the pretty butterflies and moths they become. Insects are also an important source of food for the nesting and hatching of birds as well as for other insects, toads, lizards and small mammals.

Now stable that you turn bait out for Argentine and other not native ants and turn the chemical every three months. The elimination of ants helps with the control of insects such as aphids.

Spitting bugs are occasionally an unsightly annoyance, but do little damage and do not stay long. They look like little blobs made of wet foam on the leaves. They seem to prefer rosemary and sage. If you can't endure it, a strong water tip can remove you.

Thraw well your new transplants and prevent you from drying out completely. This attention for irrigation is one reason why plants are more difficult in spring than in the autumn-obtack some feathers are wetter than autumn or winter, and maybe this will happen this season. When we have a dry source, deep water trees and large shrubs and stop their controller to deliver all the plants all the month through moisture (according to your city's water plan). During active growth, the season is not the season to try to tolerate your plants. Remember that your new transplants need water where your roots are located and right below. Let the top of the floor dry out a little between the waterings and then soak the root ball thoroughly.

If your autumn and winter plant transplants show a little first-class growth, but otherwise look healthy, don't be annoyed. They are growing roots, which helps them to withstand the dry and hot months.

March is also a good month to fertilize roses. Use a special fertilizer intended for roses and make two smaller feeding instead of one. You also cannot fertilize native perennials and established citrus trees that escape from calm. Your local plants in California do not need a fertilizer, although you can give your acidic Manzanita a weak dose of fertilizer marked for camellias, azaleas and magnolia. If you have container plants, including Californian local species, you can give you a fertilizer with a time publication that will take all year round.

Weed fighting is in high gear. Grasses of the cool season have seeds; Weeds bloom on warm season. Regardless of whether you use mechanical, chemical or a mixture of control methods, remember that weeds try to protect the earth's crust by reducing erosion. If you delete an area of ​​weeds, what will replace these plants? Use stone, bark or living mulch (floor cover plants) to keep your floor on your property. Small levels with naked dirt are fine and offer habitat for lonely floor nesting bees. When spraying herbicides, remember that many of your plants, including roses and California local species, are very susceptible to damage caused by small amounts of drift, and you may not see this damage immediately. Follow the instructions of the label and protect desirable plants.

Conservation: When planting, remain at least one plant that increases the variety and usefulness of the garden for pollinators and/or other wild animals. By matching a plant with its soil and climate (including water availability), fewer pests and less maintenance ensures. If you want to try the Milkweed monarch, choose the local varieties such as “narrow leaf” (Asclepias fascicularis).

If you have not yet done this, check your drip and sprinkler systems, clean filter, check for leaks and provide the necessary improvements. Get ready for summer. Make sure your system is as efficient as possible. You can consider upgrading to an “intelligent” controller that can better adapt to the weather needs of the garden. I have now tried some of them, and most of them are reliable, affordable and easy to use with a smartphone app. You should continue to check your system regularly to ensure that there are no leaks or other problems.

With all this work, it is also important to take the time to take the time to enjoy the bounty of the garden. Don't be afraid to leave the work for another day and simply read a book in the sun or shadow or watch the busy activity of your California garden in spring. For many gardens, this is their fame season. Take the time to celebrate the beauty where you work hard to create in cooperation with plants and many other creatures.