March Gardening Tips
March is here and the daylight hours grow longer, your garden plants are waking up as well. Spring is not only magical for us humans but also our leafy friends as longer daylights mean new growth to them. To make sure your plants are stay healthy, here are 5 things you can do in your garden in March:
Repot Houseplants
Before spring growth starts, move your plants into a bigger pot for the new growth. While repotting, make sure to untangle any tangled roots and shake off all the remaining soil from the old pot to make sure the roots are ready to anchor into the new soil. Replant in fresh soil, add in some organic fertilizers and then top it all with a handful of small, round gravels to retain the moisture of the soil and give it a finished look!
Get Pruning
A light pruning will do the job of keeping the shrubs and trees in shape and within their space. Pruning is also beneficial for a strong and healthy growth of the plant. When you remove all the dead and diseased branches, the plant’s energy doesn’t waste on them and is instead channeled into new, healthy growth.
Clear the Flowerbeds
Clear out all the weeds and unwanted plants from the flowerbed to make room for the new, desired plants. Most weeds and small plants can easily be pulled out of the ground by using your hands. Remove the weed from the roots itself so that there is no chances of it growing back again.
For dead and decaying plants, you can use a spade or shovel to dig them out of the ground. Make sure the roots are completely removed.
Mulch Heavily
After you are done clearing up the flowerbed, start mulching. Mulching helps in controlling the weed growth, retaining moisture in the soil and enriching it with nutrients. You can use wood chips, shredded leaves, compost and hay to mulch. Make sure you have 2-3 inches of mulch ion top of the soil to avoid weed growth.
Protect Your Garden
With the changing season of more light and warmer weather come irritating insects hungry for your plants. To keep out the critters, here are some things you can do:
Pick out all the bigger bugs like slugs from the plants and remove them from the garden.
Throw out the sickly plants that attract bugs like honey.
Place beneficial insects that love to munch on harmful bugs such as ladybugs, honeybee and dragonflies.
Use natural insecticides like essential oil sprays and vinegar/salt spray to drive out the smaller bugs.
You can even consider netting your plants for better security