March is a fickle month here in the High Desert, with temperature swings and unpredictable weather patterns, but don’t let that scare you off from getting your garden going! Now is the time to prep your existing plants by fertilizing, pruning, and proactively treating them for pests and diseases, while also getting your new plants set up for success with the proper soil amendments, frost protection, and irrigation set-up. Keep pests and weeds at bay with preventative measures now and draw pollinators and birds by providing them with early food sources and shelter that will make your garden the place to be this growing season. Remember: you reap what you sow, so sow a healthy foundation for your garden now to reap a season of enjoyment!
Plant Doctor Quips
MARCH
Moana Nursery High Desert Gardening
Timely Tips
- Apply pre-emergent weed control to prevent germination of weeds and other unwanted plants in your landscape. We recommend: Hi- Yield Herbicide Granules for flower beds & non-planted areas, hillsides, paths, etc.Â
- To prevent weeds in lawns, apply Bonide Weedbeater Ultra, a pre-emergent and post-emergent, in early March as weather permits.
- Feed lawn with G&B Organics Lawn Fertilizer. Aerate your lawn, and if necessary, dethatch.
- Rake up remaining leaves and debris, leaving a little for nesting material for the birds.
- Start a compost pile; use G&B Organics Starter Fertilizer for faster composting.
- Top dress with G&B Organics Rose Planting Mix to rejuvenate tired, old lawns.
- Plant fruit trees – pear, apple & peach– on a dry day before buds swell with G&B Organics Planting Mix and G&B Organics Citrus & Fruit Tree Fertilizer; mulch with G&B Organics Soil Building Conditioner.Â
- March is a great time to plant a new tree or shrub as soon as weather permits.
- Bonide All Seasons Horticultural & Dormant Oil will help control aphids, scale or mites that were a problem in the past. If fungal diseases such as scab and powdery mildew have been a problem, spray with Bonide Copper Fungicide or Monterey Liqui-Cop according to the label. Avoid spraying on windy days.
- Feed trees, shrubs and perennials that have been planted more than a year with G&B Organics Paradise Fertilizer.
- Apply systemic Bonide Annual Tree & Shrub Insect Control as needed to protect against insects such as bronze birch borer, aphids, and elm leaf beetles.
- Apply Plantskydd Repellent, Bonide Repels-All or Nature’s Mace to protect spring blooms, trees & shrubs from rabbits, deer & voles.
- Prune summer flowering shrubs & trees.
- Begin fertilizing houseplants with FoxFarm Grow Big Liquid Plant Food or Fertilome All Purpose Plant Food as new growth begins.
- March is a great time to plant a terrarium, or prune for propagation.
- Feed orchids with Grow More 20-20-20 Orchid Food according to label.
- Cut back all ornamental grasses & perennials. Cut close to the ground to get rid of any winter stressed foliage.
- Gently press back any perennials that may have heaved out of the ground over winter.
- Plant cool-season flowers – stocks, primrose, pansies, violets, Shirley poppies, ranunculus, candytuft, thyme, flowering kale and cabbage, etc. with G&B Organics Starter Fertilizer.
- Enjoy summer blooms earlier by potting up gladiolas, dahlias, crocosmia, lily of the valley, etc. indoors at the beginning of the month, then transplant in the garden when weather has warmed up with Happy Frog Steamed Bone Meal or G&B Organics Bud & Bloom Fertilizer for long lasting blooms.
Pottery:
- As weather & soil conditions permit, start an edible garden – plant radish, lettuce and cabbage seeds, onions, potatoes, asparagus, garlic, shallots, strawberries, rhubarb, horseradish and Swiss chard. Amend G&B Organics Planting Mix with G&B Organics Harvest Supreme in a raised bed or a Smart Pot.
- Prune grapevine & raspberry bushes and feed with G&B Organics Citrus & Fruit Tree Fertilizer.
- Start warm-season annual and vegetable seeds indoors with G&B Organics Seed Starter and HydroFarm trays, cell insert & humidity domes.
- With wild birds’ natural food supply at its lowest this month, offer them high energy foods like peanuts, suet, Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter® and mealworms.
- Keep feeders clean and seed fresh; if food has gotten wet or has been sitting, it’s time to clean the feeder and start with new seed.
- Some birds will begin building their nests this month; place nesting materials out for them now and consider a Wild Birds Unlimited birdhouse for wrens, chickadees or woodpeckers if they are visiting your yard.
- Continue to supply fresh water and change it every 5 days to keep it clean.
Feederscape Consultation
If you want our expert help setting up a feeding station at your home or business schedule a consultation today. Our Bird Nerd will help you make your landscape a refuge for birds and humans alike.Â
Our Seasonal Color Team can help you with custom containers, annual planting beds or a simple refresh of your existing garden. Schedule a free consultation today!Â
Need help with your indoor plants? Contact our Interior Plant Services team. They can help you design, install, and maintain your indoor plants! Want a WOW plant presentation? Ask about installing a LIVING PLANT WALL! Examples of plant walls are available to see at both our Moana Lane and Pyramid Way locations.
Our Expert Plant Doctors can help you with your high desert gardening;
Diagnose disease & insect problems on trees, shrubs & lawns;
Identify existing plants in your landscape and how to care for them;
Provide plant placement for DIY customers.
Contact our Plant Doctors with questions about your garden.
Moana Lane Store
Jon Bruyn
Michael Roth
Pyramid Way Store
Angela Turner
Gary Jentink
South Virginia Street Store
Steve Packer
Jennifer Lowery