Spring Garden Maintenance during March-early April

After all of the snow and freezing in Durham Co. this winter,
gardeners can finally start their annual spring preparations!

By Durham Co. Master Gardeners

durhammastergardeners 

 

Now that chances for snow are finally waning, Durham County gardeners can start getting back to business! 

 
Fertilizing

• Fertilize shrubs.
• Fertilize your important shade trees.
• Fertilize asparagus beds early in March before spear growth begins.
• Ponds should be fertilized starting this month and continuing through October.
• Before planting your vegetables, fertilize your garden as recommended by your soil test results. Apply the recommended amount of lime if this was not done in the fall.

Planting

• The average last spring frost date in Durham County is April 15 +/-11days.
• Plant a tree for Arbor Day! Arbor day is always the first Friday after March 15.
• Plant your small fruit plants, grape vines and fruit trees before the buds break.
• March is a good month to transplant trees and shrubs.
• New shrubs and ground covers can be planted the entire month of March. Be sure to follow your planting plan.
• Plant seeds of the following perennials: columbine, hollyhock, coreopsis, daisy and phlox. Sweet William can also be planted this month.
• New rose bushes can be planted this month.
• Plants of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower should be set out in the garden in mid-March.
• The following vegetables can be planted this month: beets, carrots, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, Swiss chard, turnips, potatoes,cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
• Start any annual flowers or warm-season vegetables inside your home that are not commercially available in early March.

Pruning

• Prune fruit trees.
• Prune spring flowering plants like breath-of-Spring (Winter Honeysuckle) and flowering quince after the flowers fade.
• Prune roses late in March.
• Prune shrubs like abelia, mahonia and nandina this month if needed.
• Pick off faded flowers of pansy and daffodil. Pansies will flower longer if old flowers are removed.
• Overgrown shrubs can be severely pruned (not needled evergreens).

Spraying

• Spray the following landscape shrubs for the following insect pests: euonymus-scale, juniper-spruce spider mites and hybrid rhododendron-borer.
• Start your rose spray program just prior to bud break.
• Spray your apple and pear trees with streptomycin for control of fireblight while the trees are in bloom.
• Begin fungicide spray applications for bunch grapes.

Lawn Care

• Cool-season lawns may be fertilized with 10-10-10, but NOT with slow-release fertilizer. (F.Y.I., cool season grasses like fescue should be fertilized before March 15 to not promote brown spot fungus patches during humid summer months.)
• Apply crabgrass herbicides to your lawn late this month to help control crabgrass in the turf.
• Mow your tall fescue lawn as needed.
• Seed fescue and bluegrass if not done in September.

Propagation

• Continue to divide perennials like daylily, shasta daisy, gaillardia and coreopsis this month.

Specific Chores

• Check garden supplies like fertilizer, insecticides and fungicides to see if you have adequate amounts.
• Check all garden equipment, lawn mowers, tillers, hedge trimmers, tools, hoses and sprayers to see if they are in find working order before they are needed.
• Be certain that old plantings of perennials like peony, hollyhock and phlox are clean of last season’s growth.