Monthly garden-guide Tips (Conventional & Organic) – March

PLANT:

  • Annual & Perennial Color – Geranium, marigold, petunia, supertunia, alyssum, snapdragon, begonia, coleus, impatiens, dianthus, candytuft, salvia, oxalis, coral bells, blackfoot daisy, hellebores, phlox, gaillardia, etc.
  • Trees, shrubs (including roses), vines, ornamental grasses and groundcovers.
  • Pecan and fruit trees, berries and grapevines.
  • Herbs & vegetables – Lettuce, spinach, turnips & radishes. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, corn, and various beans later in the month.
  • In all new plantings, use Covington’s Soil Builder containing compost, greensand & expanded shale (holds 38% of its weight in water) to break up clay, add nutrients, retain moisture & revitalize microbial activity.

PRUNE: 

  • Groundcovers: Asian jasmine, mondograss, and liriope to remove old growth. Scalp grass.
  • Trees to remove dead or damaged growth, or to remove lower limbs. Don’t “top” trees. Use pruning paint on Red Oaks & Live Oaks to prevent Oak Wilt spread.
  • Evergreen shrubs to re-shape & remove winter damage. Spring flowering shrubs/vines when finished blooming-azaleas, hydrangeas, Carolina Jessamine, forsythia, quince, wisteria, etc.

WATER:

  • Container plants, beds, shrubs & trees as needed to keep healthy and before a freeze to reduce damage. To improve water retention, add Soil Moist & Expanded Shale (or Covington’s Soil Builder) when planting.
  • Top dress landscape/flower beds with a 2-3 inch layer of mulch to help retain moisture, reduce weeds and maintain soil temperature. Keep frost cloth on hand & cover tender plants to protect from late freeze/frost.
  • Trees installed for less than two years must have special care to ensure a strong and healthy root system.  See our Plant Article Tree Care for the First Two Years for all the details.

CONVENTIONAL FERTILIZATION, WEED, DISEASE & PEST CONTROL SOLUTIONS

FERTILIZE:

  • Flowers with Covington’s Premium Flower & Garden Fertilizer to promote new blooms.
  • Newly planted trees and shrubs every 3-4 weeks for the first year with ferti-lome Root Stimulator.
  • Trees, shrubs, groundcovers, perennials with Covington’s Tree and Shrub Fertilizer.
  • Bermuda and St. Augustine with Covington’s Premium Lawn Fertilizer 21-7-14 or Covington’s High Performance all nitrogen 25-0-0 at end of the month.
  • Fruit & pecan trees with ferti-lome Fruit, Citrus & Pecan Fertilizer. To strengthen foliage and increase nut production on pecans, spray Hi-Yield Zinc Sulfate at bud break.
  • Roses with ferti-lome Rose Food or ferti-lome Rose Food with Systemic Insecticide.
  • Herbs & vegetables w/Covington’s Premium Flower & Garden Fertilizer or ferti-lome Gardeners Special.

WEEDS & DISEASE CONTROL:

  • For grassy & some broadleaf weeds, apply Hi-Yield Dimension pre-emergent now to prevent most spring & summer weeds; use ferti-lome Gallery pre-emergent for dandelion & tough broadleaf weeds.
  • Spot treat broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, henbit & clover in St. Augustine or Bermuda grass with ferti-lome Weed-Out (effective to 50º).
  • Spot treat nutsedge & crabgrass with Bonide Sedge Ender.
  • Apply Scotts Disease Ex to St. Augustine for fungal infections including Take All Patch and Brown Patch. For added protection, spread ½ inch layer of Canadian Brown Sphagnum Peat Moss on infected area & water in.
  • Start spray program for fruit/ nut trees. Use ferti-lome Triple Action or Bonide Fruit Tree Sprays.
  • Use ferti-lome Systemic Fungicide for powdery mildew, disease and fungi on Indian hawthorne, photinias, roses, etc.
  • Use ferti-lome Fireblight Spray or Bonide Copper Fungicide on pears, pyracanthas, photinias while in full bloom to prevent fireblight.

INSECT & PEST CONTROL:

  • Control aphids, spider mites, mealy bugs, other problem insects with Bonide Systemic Insecticide.
  • For best control of scale use Bonide All Seasons Hose End Spray.
  • For fungus gnats in houseplants, use Hi-Yield Systemic Insect Granules.
  • To kill borers in trunks of trees, use ferti-lome or Bonide Systemic Insect Drench which protects for months.
  • For rabbits, use Rabbit Scram and/or Bonide Repels-All Spray.
  • Use Hi-Yield Fire Ant Control to control fire ant mounds and infestations.

ORGANIC FERTILIZATION WEED, DISEASE & PEST CONTROL SOLUTIONS

FERTILIZE:

  • Newly planted trees and shrubs with Liquid Fish & Seaweed to help prevent transplant shock, increase beneficial microorganisms, and encourage root development.
  • Flowers and perennials with Happy Frog Acid Loving Fertilizer.
  • Vegetable gardens with Happy Frog Tomato & Vegetable fertilizer.
  • Use Good Natured Texas 2-Step Fertilizer on shrubs/trees, Bermuda, St. Augustine, ryegrass & fescue.
  • Use Corn Gluten Meal 9-0-0 to feed turf and prevent weeds. Also spread Dry Molasses to enhance weed control and encourage healthy soil.
  • Apply Garrett Juice Plus once a month to your landscape to increase beneficial micro-organisms in the soil and to reduce the need for water.
  • Add Texas Greensand for deep greening in lawns, trees and landscape plants.

WEEDS & DISEASE CONTROL:

  • Spot treat grassy and broadleaf weeds with 20% Vinegar. Add 2 oz. of Orange Oil per gallon of vinegar during warmer days to enhance the kill on weeds and grasses.
  • Keep fallen leaves off your lawn—they compact and trap moisture which can lead to turf diseases. Apply Horticultural Corn Meal on landscape plants and vegetables for disease control.

INSECT & PEST CONTROL:

  • Use Mosquito Bits Granules containing BTI to kill mosquito larvae & for fungus gnats in house plants.
  • Use ferti-lome Come and Get It Spinosad Bait for protection from fire ants. To treat individual fire ant mounds, use 3 to 4 ounces of Orange Oil per gallon of water as a drench.
  • Spray Orange Oil in areas infested with pillbugs, sow bugs, ants and spiders.
  • For cabbage loopers on cole crops, use Natural Guard BT at dusk or Spinosad
  • For bugs & fungus use ferti-lome Triple Action Plus containing Neem Oil. Safe to use on fruit trees.
  • Spray Bonide All Season Oil for scale on hollies, crape myrtles & fruit trees.
  • Control slugs & snails with Bonide Slug Magic or Sluggo Plus with Spinosad.
  • Use Diatomaceous Earth for crawling insects.
  • Use eco-friendly Armadillo Repellant in a convenient hose end sprayer to get rid of armadillos.
  • Spray ferti-lome Triple Action Plus for insect problems on fruit trees up to bud break/and after petal fall.
  • Use Rabbit Scram and/or Bonide Repels-All Spray to deter pesky flower-munching rabbits.

This is a great time to plant trees and shrubs, and our Garden Center is open 7 days a week.  We can assist you with all of your plant wants and needs so you can be successful in your garden and landscape.

For landscape design & installation, please call our Landscape Services Team at (972) 475-5888 Ext. 5.  For professional lawn & landscape fertilization, or weed/disease/insect control, please call Brent in our Lawn & Garden Services at (972) 475-5888 Ext. 200 for a FREE QUOTE.