This is the second year I've offered to do the March tips...Being
aware of our zone will help in purchasing seeds, and hardy plants
suitable for thriving here.
Keep Valentine's Day flowers attractive as long as possible by
setting them in a cool location when you're not around to enjoy
them. Put them in a spotlessly clean vase filled with barely warm
water and floral preservative. Add more water and preservative
solution as the level drops, replacing it as soon as it appears
cloudy. Trim off any foliage that would sit below water, as it rots
easily, and make a fresh cut at the base of each stem whenever you
change the water. If you were lucky enough to receive a flowering
plant, follow the recommended suggestions on the label. Remember
this "indoor gardening" can motivate you to "think spring" and help
keep those winter blues and blahs at bay. Many of the flowering
plants we receive can be planted outdoors in the summer if they have
been well cared for during these final months of winter.
Now is the time to check produce you've kept in cool storage
to make sure nothing is turning soft or rotting. Remove anything
suspect, as problems can readily spread. Winter squash, onions,
apples, and potatoes all have a finite storage life, particularly if
temperatures are warmer than ideal. Non-hardy summer bulbs, roots,
and corms such as dahlias, tuberous begonias, canna or calla lilies
may also soften or shrivel if temps are too high or conditions too dry.
Heavy spring snowfall often weighs down evergreen boughs and
flattens newly emerging bulbs. Let the snow melt off on its own. If
you prefer to remove it from evergreens, scoop it off gently rather
than hitting the branches. They're still brittle this time of year
and prone to breakage.
Inspect your apple or crabapple trees for fire blight so you
can prune out all traces of the disease this month. You might also
find the blackened, dead branch tips on pear or mountain ash. Check
also for black knot swellings on chokecherries and other members of
the cherry family. Prune at least six inches back into healthy wood
when you remove diseased tissue. If possible, dip your pruners into
bleach solution between cuts.
Have shade trees and large fruit trees professionally pruned in
March and April. It's easier to see a tree's structure when no
leaves are present, and the fresh cuts won't pose a disease or insect
problem to oaks, elms, apples, or other trees when pruned in winter.
Some trees-maples, birch, honey locust-are likely to drip lots of sap
from wound sites in spring, but they should be fine as long as no
more than 25% of their canopy is pruned out. Pruning large trees is
generally not a do-it-yourself project though and is worth the
professional consult to preserving and improving shade trees enjoyed
all summer.
Now that I am once again in the "March into spring" gardening
mode I see some needed indoor plant care calling. Plant care is so
worthwhile as they return value to the caretaker every month.
