North Mississippi Gardening Tips
March 2008
FLOWERS
Now is the time to plant perennials as they will be arriving in garden centers and nurseries. If you have mail ordered perennials plant the dormant bare-rooted plants as soon as possible. Keep the newly planted perennials moist. Do not let the soil dry out.
For established perennials in your garden, you can dig up, divide, and replant these if they’ve become too crowded or flowering has decreased. For gardeners in the southern part of the state now is not the best time to divide those early spring bloomers.
Most perennials benefit from a boost of fertilizer as new growth begins in the spring. Use a slow-release fertilizer and follow the recommendations on the container. As new growth begins prune away (if you haven’t done this already) any dead, winter-killed leaves and shoots.
SHRUBS
Early spring is a good time to propagate some of your shrubs. One easy, quick technique that has a good success rate is called ground-layering. Use this technique on shrubs that have long flexible stems or tend to be difficult to root using others means. Forsythia, azalea, winter jasmine, rhododendron, fig, grape (muscadine or bunch), spirea, and rose are just a few of the plants that you can propagate this way. Before growth begins, bend one or two young, healthy stems to the ground. Wound the underside of the stem by cutting and removing a strip of the outer layer of bark. Cover the wounded part of the stem with soil being careful not to bury the stem tip. Hold the stem in place with a wire bent into a hairpin shape, or you could use bricks or stones. Do this technique now and the stems will usually be rooted by the end of the growing season this fall. All you have to do at that time is sever the rooted portion of the stem from the mother plant and transplant it. If you wait until later in the summer to try layering you probably will want to leave the stems covered through the winter and separate them in spring.
WATER GARDENING
If you want to add fish to a water garden spend some time now learning more about them. Not only do fish add ornamental interest and movement, but they’ll improve water quality as they eat mosquito larvae, algae, and plant debris. Talk to gardening friends that already have fish, visit your local library, visit garden centers that specialize in water gardening, and check out the internet for information.
When potting aquatic plants use nursery pots, plastic laundry baskets, shallow pans, and large tubs. Use a heavy clay-based garden soil that you can dig from your own yard. It is not a good idea to amend with peat moss, vermiculite, or perlite as these will tend to float away. Do not use bought potting soil, as it is too light. After potting, add a thin layer of pea or aquarium gravel on the surface of the pot to prevent the soil from muddying the water. Water the pot thoroughly before submerging in the water garden.
LAWNS
Now is the time to repair bare patches or replant large areas of warm-season grass IF the average daytime temperatures remain above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If your lawn is beyond simple patching wait until temperatures are stable and moderate (average of 60 degrees or above during the daytime) before renovating. In the northern part of the state this will probably be in May. If your lawn has slowly spiraled into decline, try to figure out what happened and what you can do to prevent this next time. Some tips that might help follow. If your soil hasn’t been tested in the past three years or more, submit a sample to the local Extension office. When you get the analysis back follow the recommendations. If you have trouble interpreting the results the folks at your county Extension office will be glad to assist you. If having weeds in your turfgrass really bothers you remember it is always better to prevent the problem than cure it. A maintenance program of good cultural practices such as mowing at the right height, fertilizing, watering, handweeding or intelligent use of herbicides when needed will keep your lawn healthy and more competitive with any weeds that do appear.
FRUITS
Now is the time to replace the old mulch around semi-bush berries like blackberries and raspberries with fresh pine straw or clean hay before new leaves emerge. This helps to remove some damaging insects that have over wintered in the old mulch.
It is still fine this month to plant strawberries and figs. Actually, in the northern part of the state this is the best month to plant these fruits. If you have blueberries, now is the time to fertilize with an azalea/camellia fertilizer. Prune any winter damaged stems and branches from your figs. As the weather continues to warm insects will begin emerging to attack your fruit trees. Start your home orchard sprays (combining insecticides and fungicides) as soon as you see color on the flower buds. Check with your Extension office for publications that outline spray programs for fruits. Be very careful handling pesticides and follow all recommendations on the label. Check your spray equipment to make sure it is clean and functioning properly. Protect yourself by wearing the correct protective clothing. Jeopardizing your health is not worth it just for a worm-free peach or apple!
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes North Mississippi Gardening Tips monthly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.