Things to Do in March
Garden Soil
Prepare garden soil, if dry enough to work. Check soil for moisture. I know I said this last month and I hate to repeat myself, but do not work or plow the garden if the soil is wet. One way to determine if the soil is too wet is to squeeze a handful of soil. If the soil packs into a tight, sticky ball then it is too wet and tillage should be put off until the soil dries out. If the soil crumbles fairly easily, after it has been squeezed, it is all right to till. Add organic matter. Compost, Lava Sand, Texas Green Sand, Humate and other minerals can be added.
Seeds
Seeds of some vegetable varieties can be planted as soon as the soil temperatures begin to warm up in the spring. Improved germination will occur as the soil warms to 50 degrees. We now have organically grown herbs and vegetables suitable for planting at this time.
Fertilization
Fertilize now. Use a complete fertilizer like Green Sense 5-2-4 at a rate of 20 pounds per 1000 square feet.
If you have a heavy weed infestation, apply Corn Gluten Meal as your fertilizer. I would not apply CGM after March 15th, in the southern region of the U.S. where our warm winter has already let weed seeds germinate.
CGM works in the following manner. Soon after sprouting, plants send out secondary roots, or feeder roots, that draw nutrients from the soil. CGM stops these roots from developing. Without these feeder roots the seedlings die. CGM also acts as a fertilizer with a 9-1-1 ratio. We recommend Humate to be applied in conjunction with CGM for it’s mineral content. Humate works as a microbial stimulator with a high concentration of organic acids, specifically humic acid, which improves the plants ability to take in vital nutrients.
Weeds
If you have just a handful of weeds pull them, or wait until we have warm days and pour 10% vinegar on them.
Blooms
Spring bulbs are in their glory now. Remove spent flowers and stems, but allow foliage to die down naturally before removing. This is how they store their energy for next year’s growth. Prune spring-blooming shrubs after flowering is completed. Forsythia, Quince, and Lilacs.
Planting
This is still a great time to plant trees, shrubs and perennials. Remember that spring winds can be strong. Do not stake the trees unless your trees are in a predominant wind situation. Young trees allowed to move with the wind develop greater trunk strength than trees that are rigidly staked.
We have a very large assortment of Roses, Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Herb’s and Vegetables. However, you may hold off on some of the tender annuals until after Easter. Plant Petunias, Dianthus, Snapdragons and other early flowers for spring color.
Landscape
Decide on landscape to improve problem areas or make areas more attractive.
Contact a Landscape designer for help. Contact Carol Feldman.
Slugs
Start controlling slugs now. Shallow containers filled with beer or yeast placed in the ground work as traps. Remove plant debris and loose boards from the garden to eliminate slug hiding places.
Observation
If weather permits, drink your morning coffee while you walk in your garden. Stop and smell the roses, if blooming like mine are, or other fragrant bloomers. Look for insects under leaves and holes in leaves. Check for variation in leaf color. Find out what these problems or symptoms may be and what are the safest forms of treatment.
Birds
Feed the birds regularly and see that they have water. Birds like suet, fruit, nuts, and bread crumbs as well as bird seed. If the bird feed is wet, change it out. A spoiled seed will not attract birds but if they do eat them they can get sick and die.
If you enjoy attracting birds to your garden, plant trees and shrubs that both provide cover and produce food. Crabapple, dogwood, holly, pyracantha, wax myrtle and hawthorn are great plants for attracting birds. A WaterWorks Bird Dripper supplies fresh water to any bird bath.
Did you know that Rohde’s was the first commercial property in North Texas to be certified as a Wildlife Habitat by The Texas Parks and Wildlife and The National Wildlife Federation?
Seaweed and Kelp May Be the Same Thing but, Not All Kelps Are Alike!
Seaweed has been used as a fertilizer since the beginning of agriculture. With the development of chemical fertilizers Seaweed lost some of its popularity. With the call for the use of more earth friendly materials by environmentalist, farmers and homeowners we are going back to the use of natural sources of fertilizers and fertilizer supplements.
T.L. Senn, Ph.D. Department of Horticulture at the Clemson University has studied seaweed for over thirty years. He has found that the chemical composition of seaweed is mainly determined from the conditions in which it grew. Most seaweed used for agricultural purposes is harvested from the littoral shore zone, the space between high and low tides. Seaweed in this zone is subjected to sun and air, and then to complete submergence at varying periods. Norwegian kelp, specifically ASCOPHYLUM nodosum is the one he most liked to study, because the supply of the product is stable, and it is subject to rigid quality control. Dr. Senn found that Seaweed increased the production of fruit, vegetables and flowers, prolonged shelf life and provided crop resistance to drought, insects and disease.
Seaweed is a rich source of elements and minor minerals, chelators, amino-acids, and plant growth regulators. Research has found that plants treated with Seaweeds that contain plant growth regulators are less susceptible to environmental stress conditions. Increased frost and drought resistance is achieved by reducing the transpiration rate, the plant loses less moisture under drought and frost conditions, resulting in less damage due to water stress. Seaweed extracts aid in changes in the metabolic pathways, veins that conduct fluids, permitting the roots access to extremely low moisture levels which during a drought are normally not available to plants.
Without flowers, plants cannot reproduce. Flowering changes the structure of a plant, from a vegetative to a reproductive state, which is a period of high stress to the plant. Dr. Senn found that plant growth regulators influence plant growth, development of buds and fruiting in many crops. Seaweed extracts supply plants with readily available micronutrients and growth regulators that are vital to healthy male and female flower part development.
If you would like to find out more about SEAWEED also known as kelp, Dr. T.L. Senn’s book Seaweed and Plant Growth is available at Rohde’s for only $12.99 plus shipping and handling.
Green Sense Kelp products are formulated with ASCOPHYLUM nodosum.
Escargot......It Ain’t!
About this time last year I had a customer come into the store wanting to buy flowers for her back yard Easter egg hunt. Because of the time of the year we decided on cool season flowers, Petunias and Snap dragons. She had us deliver and install 63 flats of flowers.
Easter came and went. About two weeks later she called me up to complain about her flowers. She said that they looked beautiful for the party, but now half of them were dead and the other half had big holes in the leaves or had fallen over. I told her that I would drive by her house and take a look.
On my way to work the next day I went out to her house. It was about 6:30 am and I thought that since the sun was not very high in the horizon I would be able to sneak up on some insects and see if any one of these had decided to feast on these new plants.
When I arrived, I walked into the back yard. Since it was early I really did not expect to see any one, but as I walked around the gazebo the owner of the house was bending over picking something off of a plant.
“Good morning,” I greeted this startled women.
“Shriek,” she screamed, as she tried to hide the fact that she did not have make up on.
“Arrrrrg,” I yelled, as I noticed that she did not have her make up on. *Mental note. Call before coming out here again no matter what time it is.*
By the time we both calmed down her husband had come out to see what was going on. My luck would have it that I did not bring Alfred my ferocious guard dog to protect me, because this man came out of the house with a menacing looking dog that was foaming at the mouth. My adrenaline started to flow, as I am very afraid of dogs. I knew that any second now this dog would catch my scent of fear and break loose from his master and rip me to pieces. This dog was struggling to get at me and my customers husband was doing his best to restrain him.
I started to walk back towards the gate as the Mrs. explained to her husband who I was and what we were going to be doing in the garden. He told me to wait while he took the dog back in the house.
Now that I was out of danger's way I started to ask the Mrs. what she was picking off of her plants.
“Escargot,” she said as she showed me the bucket of snails she had been gathering that morning. “We just got back from Paris and the last meal we had was escargot and I loved it so much that I thought I would try to cook some for dinner.
“How long have you been gone?” I questioned.
“We left the day after Easter and got back two days ago.”
“Well the good news is that I know what is wrong with your flowers. The bad news is that you do not want to eat your flower’s problems.”
I started to explain to this lady that the Cuisine escargot comes from France and are usually grown on a special diet, therefore they are healthier and tastier then the garden variety that she was picking. I told her that snails and slugs are hermaphrodites, or in plain English they have male and female organs; it only takes one to make hundreds. The snail is not as prolific as the slug which is capable of laying up to 400 eggs a year and can hatch in a few weeks depending on weather.
The slugs and snails seek damp environments, like under the gazebo, and come out at night or on cloudy days. They will hide under rocks, or leaves following the same tracks that they took to get to their food source.
After further investigation of her garden I made the following recommendations:
- Get rid of hiding places such as old pots, turned over wheel barrows and large leaves. The leaves should be shredded and composted before being put back over the garden.
- Don’t let weeds grow in the effected area, they are good homes for the eggs to be deposited.
- Keep doing what you are doing. Come out in the morning or at dusk and pluck those slime balls up.
- Encourage birds and frogs into the area. To them these delicacies taste like escargot. Come on into Rohde’s and buy some Decollates snails (Rumina Decollata). These bad boys of the snail family go after the young snails and eat them up.
- Use traps such as butter tubs or old cottage cheese containers. Fill the container with beer and dig a hole in the soil to accept this. The beer attracts the slugs and snails, they fall in and can’t get out.
- Strips of copper placed around the more desirable plants protect them by building up enough electricity to shock small insects and snails and slugs.
- Plant Rosemary Hill’s Hardy (three feet) in the background and some Trailing Rosemary (twelve inches) in front to help discourage snails and slugs. As the Rosemary grow, cut some of the foliage, spread it around the flower area and where you notice slime trails.
Throughout the time, that I was talking to my customer, her dog was jumping against the window, the loud bark and it’s nasty flow of saliva had me close to hysteria. In my many years in the landscape business I have been bitten numerous times. I knew that if this Chihuahua got loose I would instantly be ripped to shreds. If Alfred had been with me I think(?) he could have taken him.