March: a time to transplant, till and trim
By Greg Burriss
As the weather turns warmer, our thoughts often turn to flowers, green lawns and spending more time outdoors.
If you enjoy working outside and take pride in your yard, then March is a very important month. There are many things that you can do during the next few weeks that will have a lasting impact on your lawn, flowerbeds and the amount of maintenance time that you will need to spend in your yard during the warm months
Here are a few helpful tips and guidelines:
• If your lawn is a warm-weather grass such as Centipede or Bermuda, late March is a great time to mow the lawn very short. This will encourage better growth when the lawn emerges from its dormant state in a few weeks.
• For cool season grasses such as Fescue, early March is the time to apply fertilizer. This will ensure that your lawn is a rich green throughout the spring. Avoid applying fertilizer after mid- March as this may adversely affect how well the Fescue copes with hot summer months. Diseases are prevalent during this time.
• Now is an excellent time to apply pre-emergent . This will prevent weeds from sprouting in the spring and summer. This should be applied to lawns and shrubbery beds in early March .
• Early March is a great time to transplant and plant shrubs, small trees and perennials.
• Late March is an ideal time to prepare your flowerbeds for summer annuals. To do this, be sure to till the soil and work in compost or other enriching material. Let the area set a week or so before planting your summer flowers.
• Fertilize your established shrubs with 10-10-10 or 16-4-8.
• Cut back and fertilize ground-cover plants such as monkey grass. This will energize the plant.
• It is not too late to trim and prune trees and established shrubs.
• Now is the time to check your broadleaf evergreens for Scale, an insect infestation that can kill the plant if it goes unchecked. See the underside of the leaves. Volk Oil can be applied successfully in March to control this insect. It must be applied when temperatures range from 40 to 80 degrees.
• Make sure that all your shrubs and flowers are watered in the spring.
• Now is the time to check the ph- level of the soil . Just take a sample to your local Clemson Extension Service and they can tell what type and how much fertilizer needs to be applied and if lime is needed.
• IMPORTANT: Remember to read the instructions before applying any chemicals to your lawn. Not following directions can be disastrous.
(Greg Burriss is the grounds supervisor at Furman. A version of this column originally appeared in the March 2000 issue of Inside Furman )
Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
