What To Do In March

Here, courtesy of the lovely folks at Sloat Garden Center, is what to do in your garden in March.  Don't forget to thank them, preferably by shopping there! 

What To Do In March

• Wake up the garden by feeding it. We recommend:
  • Maxsea fertilizer is ideal for feeding container plants. Houseplants will enjoy a feeding with Maxsea 16-16-16 as will your over-wintered containers and baskets
  • E.B. Stone Sure Start fertilizer for new plantings to establish them quickly.
  • Fertilize your garden with E.B. Stone Organics All Purpose.
  • Stock up on top quality, plant-specific fertilizers like: E.B. Stone Organics Rose & Flower, Tomato & Vegetable, and Citrus & Fruit.  All E.B. Stone fertilizers promote healthy plants and the soil beneath them because of mycorrhizae.
  • Continue to prepare planting beds for spring. Test your soil for pH, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium and add the appropriate fertilizer or supplement. We recommend amending your soil with Sloat Loam Builder, Sloat Forest Mulch Plus or Sloat Planting Mix. Also, add E.B Stone’s Agricultural Lime or Grow MoreMaxi-Cal to soil to provide needed calcium for vegetables & fruit to prevent blossom end rot.
  • Rhododendrons and azaleas are budding and blooming. Now is the best time to choose new plants.  Feed plants with EB Stone Organics Azalea Camellia and Gardenia Food after flowering
• It’s Vegetable Planting Time! Organic vegetable starts & seeds are in our stores so you can grow your own food.
• Water wise tip: For new plantings, consider using water holding polymers such as Soil Moist. The non-toxic granules hold water longer than soil alone, thus minimizing moisture loss due to evaporation.
• Apply mulches such as Micro Bark or Forest Mulch Plus to established and new plantings.
• Plant your favorite annuals for spring. Petunias, begonias, alyssum, marigolds, cosmos, and lobelia are budding and blooming.
• Check out impatiens alternatives: We carry a vast array of shade plants that will provide flowers and foliage in shaded spaces: begonias, heucheras, bounce impatiens, and New Guinea impatiens.
• Say yes to summer bulbs! Plant gladiolus and dahlias for summer color.
• Prune freeze damaged plants now (if you haven’t already). But, wait to prune spring blooming shrubs until after flowering.
• Snails and slugs are hatching in your garden right now. Non-toxic Sluggo can help keep them out. If earwigs, sowbugs, and cutworms are also a problem, use Sluggo Plus with spinosad. Edge containers and beds with copper tape.
• Aphids are beginning to appear. Stop them early with Bonide Neem Oil, Bonide Rose Rx 3 in 1 or Monterey Take Down Spray — safe for organic gardening. The best time to spray is at the end of the day after the bees have stopped foraging. Use on roses and all your plants.
• Consider planting companion plants such as Yarrow, Erigeron and Marigold to provide an environment that welcomes beneficial insects.
• Use Serenade bacteria-based fungicide to prevent and cure spring rust and mildew. (OMRI listed)
• Water early in the morning to prevent wet foliage at night. Wet foliage attracts snails and fungal diseases.
• Don't forget to shop at Sloat!