Your lawn and garden not only highlights the look of your home, but the surrounding landscape offers you and your family a measure of relaxation and respite from the stress of daily life. People all over the world enjoy their gardens, from ornamentals to edibles and in south Florida this enjoyment can be yours year-round. This year, Xtreme Landscaping offers you these handy lawn and garden tips for March in subtropical south Florida.
Pests
As the weather gets warmer and new growth is occurring, this is the time of year that insect populations begin to increase and become more active. Grasshoppers are among the first to hatch and should be destroyed as soon as you spot them. Aphids will appear and attach to new growth. Mites can be found on crotons, mango, citrus, copperleaf, and avocado. March is also the time scale and thrips begin to appear. Chinch bugs and other damaging insects will begin appearing in lawns and should be spot treated quickly to prevent damage.
Sprinkler System
March is a great time to inspect your sprinkler system for any problems. Verify all components are working properly and your system is efficiently using water. Make any needed repairs.
Planting
Now is the time to plant your summer bulbs and tubers to be sure you can enjoy exceptional summer color. These are great choices for smaller areas where grass doesn’t grow well. Lilies (day, crinum, rain, blood, and spider), cannas, caladiums, amaryllis, elephant ears, and society garlic are the best choices. Remember to plant your gladiola corms four inches deep and six inches apart, adding stakes as they grow.
March is also the time to replace any cool weather annuals with spring and summer annuals. These annuals should be among your plantings for this time of year: zinnia, crossandra, marigold, gazania, coleus, cosmos, melampodium, amaranthus, gloriosa daisy, portulaca, salvia, begonia, vinca, aster, balsam, torenia, and ageratum.
As long as the rains are coming regularly, March is the time to plant palms, citrus, trees, and shrubs.
This is the month to plant vegetables and herbs. You want to move seedlings outdoors when the soil has warmed, and temperatures don’t dip too low. It is the ideal time to plant arugula, tomato, beans, cantaloupes, watermelon, pumpkins, corn, carrots, celery, okra, radish, endive, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, mustard, and onions. Herbs to include in your garden now are: angelica, comfrey, anise, dill, garlic, fennel, ginger, lovage, parsley, ginger, sassafras, sarsaparilla, and sweet basil. In addition to their culinary contributions, many herbs are beautiful and attract butterflies all season long.
Fertilize
Everything, including your lawn will begin to grow quickly in March, making it the perfect time to fertilize. Lawns should be fertilized with 16-4-8 fertilizer while shrubs, trees citrus, palms, and groundcovers will appreciate an all-purpose fertilizer. Be sure to include iron in your fertilizer mix to keep your landscaping lush and green all season long.
Pruning
March is the time to remove any uneaten citrus from your trees, so they won’t continue to claim the nutrients this year’s fruits will need. It is time to prune evergreens and summer blooming foliage, but don’t prune spring blooming plants now – their blooms are coming in now! Other shrubs and trees can be pruned with new growth begins to come in after the dormant season has ended, always pruning after the last flowers and before the new buds appear.
Mulching
This month, mulch your flower beds to minimize weeds and conserve moisture. Remember to keep mulch at least two inches from leaves and stems.
As you resume your gardening in March, call on the professional team at Xtreme Landscaping when you need assistance getting your lawn and garden in shape for the coming year.