Keith Hansen

Hard to believe that March is almost here! Heralds of spring - daffodils, ornamental pears, red maples, bridalwreath, quince and others - are trumpeting spring's arrival loudly and beautifully.

This winter has been relatively mild, yet the fruit trees have received plenty of necessary chilling hours produce a normal crop of fruit. Texas AgriLife Research in Overton keeps track of chilling hours (and other weather data); go to etweather.tamu.edu for current and historical weather records. It is an interesting site.

Keep your fingers crossed that we do not get a late severe freeze that could damage our various plants as they come out of dormancy this month. The average last freeze for our area is around March 15, but like last year, it can also snowed in April!

Bluebirds are out and about, scouting out suitable sites to build nests. Time to get bluebird houses set up for these delightful insect-eating birds. Purple martins will also be returning to raise start another family. Both types of birds require bird houses located well away from structures and large trees.

Tree fruits should be fertilized (according to soil test results) before spring growth begins. There are Extension publications available at Extension offices and on the internet for all of the major fruit crops in Texas. These guides provide recommendations on all aspects of growing and producing tree fruits and berries, from planting to harvest.

Newly planted peach trees should have been cut back to about 24 inches at the time of planting. If you have not done this yet, it is not too late. After growth begins in the spring, select the strongest three to five shoots arising from the top 6 inches on the main stem. They should be evenly spaced along the trunk. Remove all other shoots along the trunks or limbs. These few branches will grow vigorously for about 4 more weeks and then begin to harden and turn brown, near the trunk. At this time, select the major scaffold limbs. It is recommended that only three, evenly spaced scaffold limbs be retained, but some growers will select four scaffold limbs per tree. Allow the major limbs and non-competing side shoots to continue to grow.

An important key to establishing and growing fruit tree and berries (or any other kind of plant) is to keep the area around the base of the plant free of weeds and grass. They aggressively compete with the new plant's small root system for water and nutrients. The easiest way to do this is to maintain a 3 or 4 inch layer of mulch in a 5 foot diameter, but do not allow mulch to touch the base of the trunk.

Finish planting cool season vegetables soon, and get ready to sow and transplant frost-tender, summer vegetables later in the month -- just be ready to protect frost-sensitive plants in case of a late freeze. Floating row covers or frost blankets work great to provide a few extra degrees of protection, plus it helps keep insect pests like aphids and thrips off of the plants.

The following should be planted right away - transplant: broccoli, cabbage, and collards; seed: beets, carrots, collards, mustard greens, lettuce, radish, turnips, Swiss chard and spinach. Summer vegetables can begin to be sown and transplanted later in March. These would include: beans, sweet corn, cucumber, melons, tomatoes and squash.

Delay planting okra, sweet potatoes, okra, eggplant (transplant) and peppers (transplant) until early April since they don't do as well as other summer crops in cool soil and air temperatures.

Wait another month to fertilize your lawns. Let the grass green up naturally without pushing it into growth. Spring green up of lawns is in response to temperature and day length, not fertilizer. Fertilize in April after mowing actively growing grass one or two times. This practice results in a turf that is more resistant to summer stress by helping develop a stronger root system. The best weed prevention is a sound lawn maintenance program of frequent mowing, proper fertilizing and timely watering. Mowing infrequently or at the wrong height, over or under fertilizing, and frequent, shallow irrigation are some of the factors that lead to poor turf quality. No amount of weed preventer or weed killer can overcome poor lawn care practices.

Late February and early March is the time to apply a preemergence herbicide (weed preventer) if crabgrass or sandburs (grassburs) was a problem last year. Follow label directions carefully and do not exceed application rate.

The old rule-of-thumb for fertilizing azaleas is to do so once they finish blooming, and this is not wrong. However, Fred Galle, azalea expert and author of the book "Azaleas,'' says that they can be safely fertilized beginning in early spring as growth starts.

The most important aspect of azalea fertilization is to make two or three smaller applications rather than one large dose in spring. Applying too much fertilizer will burn the shallow, sensitive roots of azaleas. Also, evenly distribute fertilizer over the root zone. Keep fertilizer away from stems and off the leaves, and then thoroughly water to wash if off leaves and into the soil.

Renew the mulch around your azaleas and other landscape shrubs if it has decomposed or washed away. Pine straw, bark mulch and shredded leaves are some good options.

Nurseries and garden centers are getting in fresh shipments of plants, making this a great time to visit to see and what's new, get ideas, and purchase those plants you have identified for landscape design plan. You do have a landscape plan, right? If not, and you are landscaping a new home, or renovating an established landscape, you should create a plan to help avoid making mistakes often created by impulse buying.

Smith County Master Gardener's First Tuesday gardening series starts next Tuesday in the IDEA Garden. This month's topic is on "Stretch Your Gardening Dollars, Get More Color for the Money." Master Gardener Anne Pattullo gives suggestions on perennials and reseeding annuals for the garden.

Tidy up and encourage new growth of groundcovers by shearing back Asian jasmine, mondograss, and liriope. Ornamental grasses should also be cut back now before new growth starts.

Complete pruning of evergreen and summer flowering shrubs in early March. Wait to prune early spring flowering trees and shrubs (forsythia, quince, azaleas, spirea, etc) as soon as they finish blooming, if needed. Do not prune hydrangeas until after they bloom in the summer.

Begin fertilizing roses this month. You also need to begin a spray program to control blackspot on susceptible rose varieties.

Keith Hansen is Smith County Horticulturist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service. His web page is http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu His blog is http://tceblogs.tamu.edu/mt/etg Texas AgriLife Extension Service educational programs are open to all individuals without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.

Keith Hansen
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