March: Plant Care by Plant Type

Evergreens, Trees, and Shrubs
Spray your yard with dormant oils when temperatures are above 50° F to get rid of any over-wintering eggs that will hatch into future insect problems. If you are following our organic program, fertilize everything with Plant-tone. Severe pruning in order to shape or lower the height of plants is best done now, before new growth takes place. Note that if you do this on flowering plants, you will be sacrificing your flower crop for the year. Scratch the bark on plants that have been winter-burned to see if it is green. If so, it will come back. Branches that are brittle or dead should be cut back to the green area. If you have winter-burned plants, you need to be patient until their new June growth has taken place.

Deer do a tremendous amount of damage in late winter, as food is scarce and they widen their territory looking for food. Deer repellents are particularly important at this time of the year. If a product affects two of their senses—both taste and smell—you will get better control. We prefer Deer Scram, which repels their sense of smell, used with Deer Stopper, which repels their sense of taste. There are many other deer repellents on the market; alternating products is advisable.

Roses
Winter protection should be removed and the roses should be pruned. Use good pruning shears, such as the Felco 2, which gives a sharp, clean cut. Our Web site has an excellent two-page diagram showing you in detail how to prune your various groups of roses. If you are following the organic approach, feed with Plant-tone; if not, feed your roses with one cup of Rose-Tone fertilizer per bush. Spray Messenger on your roses as soon as new leaves are developed. Make sure your rosebeds are well mulched.

Lawns
Fertilize your lawn with Milorganite (6-2-0) as soon as the ground thaws. The forty-pound bags cover 2,500 square feet. This is an organic, high nitrogen lawn fertilizer that is rich in iron and calcium. It also acts as a deer repellent at a time when deer are particularly active.