Winter wanes, here comes spring!

By Cindy Poore

I can feel it. I can taste it. Spring. Yes, it is still cold and occasionally wet. But just enough sunny days out there to warm up the earth for optimum growth potential.

And the weeds have heard as well. They have taken over in droves in so many of the places that lay fallow all winter long. We are systematically knocking them down, yard by yard. If you need help with your weed issues, give us a call. We have been busy with weed control, but will be glad to help you.

The best news is that it is finally warm enough to venture outside and survey the damage from winter. Time to tidy up the yard. You have been patiently waiting to cut back the dead leaves and stems of your perennial plants. Iris, daylilies, sages and the like need their dead foliage removed now to allow the new green growth to pop up and get growing. Rake up the drifts of wind-blown leaves to clean up the yard.

How do you know how much to cut back?  When you are not certain how a plant will respond to cutting back, lightly prune back in the fall. In the spring if it is mainly sprouting near the base, then you can safely cut it back to the sprouts. If it is leafing out all over the plant then leave it alone and only cut it back to control size.

If you have not yet pruned your fruit and deciduous trees, there is still time, so go ahead and get that done before they are completely leafed out. Much easier to prune the trees when you can see the branch structure without the leaves.

Next up? FERTILIZE.  Especially for lawns, now is the time to give them a feeding to green them up and help them recover from the winter cold.  Fertilize your trees, shrubs and perennials as well.

You should see spring annuals in the stores now. Still time for some nice color from some pansies or Iceland poppies which could last until June with tons of color.  Put them in large pots in select places around your garden. Plant the pot with a landscape shrub with room for the annuals on the side. Or spend your money on some perennials. Perennials are a good investment as they come back year after year but they will be a bit scarce for a few more weeks.

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March Checklist

Watch your plants carefully for small aphids. They will appear in droves this time of year. The best way to deal with them is to wash off the plant initially a couple of days in a row. If that is not possible or if that does not work, apply a systemic insecticide and that will give a longer term control. Aphids normally will not kill your plants, but will make a sticky mess and attract ants as well.

If you have weeds, hoe them out or kill them before they produce seeds. Seeds beget more weeds and you will prevent thousands potential plants by removing weeds and their carcasses off site early before they bloom.

Time to plant! March is a great time to start planting in the ground the standard landscape plants. March is really time to start your seeds. There is still a possibility for some snow in the high desert and the mountain areas and killing frosts in the inland valley this month and into April. Sowing seeds but starting them indoors or in a cold frame outdoors during this month is a smart move. You can transplant them into the ground in April, early or late depending on your location.

I like to start the seeds in cardboard egg cartons that have a hole poked in the bottom and filled with some starter soil. Plant the seeds, a few per eggs space. Place the egg carton on a rimmed cookie sheet and water the whole thing. Put plastic wrap over the top to keep the moisture in and check on every few days to see that it doesn’t dry out. When the seedlings begin to pop up, remove the plastic wrap and allow the tiny plants to grow up keeping them moist. Transplant the seedlings, egg cup and all in the ground or a much larger pot. The cardboard will decompose and allow the plant roots to expand. Keep transplanted seedlings protected until May.