Spring has sprung, or has it just always been spring? This year really has been a mild and rain free (not good) winter, and I think both the plants and us humans are a little confused. Well, in any case I’m going to give you a list of chores for this month confused or not.
1. Fertilizing – By the end of the month you should be able to start your plants on their regular fertilizing schedule. Citrus, avocados, hibiscus, and bauhinia to name a few love a low nitrogen organic fertilizer. If you have a California Native garden or a California Native area of your bed, you don’t need to fertilize.
2. Check your mulch – If your planter beds have used up their mulch, it is time to replenish. bring it up to 3” deep. Your mulch will help you conserve moisture, control weeds, and it looks nice. California natives use shredded redwood bark (gorilla hair) or gravel depending on which types of plants you have.
3. Insects Control – You can handpick bugs off your plants, wash them off, or spray with organic insect controls. Another great option is finding the proper beneficial insect for your problem and add them to your garden. I actually found aphids on some of my iris two weeks ago! Early, yes but in this heat – you can see how they might be confused. I simply washed the iris off with water and so far I have not seen them return. (I didn’t even use soap).
4. Plan Ahead for Veggies – Don’t forget to add Tomatomania to your calendar their first event in SoCal is this weekend at Roger’s Gardens (Corona del Mar) and they run right through the end of April ending in Goleta, which I think is a great excuse to hit Santa Barbara! If you want seedlings but don’t want to take the trip to one of their events, you can email me at [email protected] and I’ll be happy to pick up some plants for you provided you live near me.
5. Irrigation Check – If you are in drought-prone areas (all of SoCal this year?) and you don’t have irrigation, you can add a simple drip-irrigation system. You can also install Hunter Precision nozzles or MP Rotators which conserve water. Even California Natives will need some water this summer because we had very little water in the winter when they needed it to store up for the summer. If you can supplement your native’s water through March you can really help them out, they become more resistant to summer drought if they are well-watered now.
6. More Veggie Prep – You can sow seeds for peppers, okra, lemongrass, and watermelons now.
7. Fruit Planting Tip – If you live in LA (city), OC, Ventura, or SFV you can plant avocados, papaya, and mangos. If you live in SCV you should stay away from those but planting guavas, citrus, persimmons, tabebuia, and tibouchina trees is fine. For a wonderful selection of subtropical fruits (and a lot of great information) visit Papaya Tree Nursery. (Call ahead to make an appointment).
8. Mark You Calendar – Plan on spending March 24, 2012 at Green Thumb with Elaine Giftos Wright and I for a Free Seminar at Green Thumb’s Spring Open House. Feng Shui In The Garden is our topic, and we’re going to help you learn how to use Feng Shui to add abundance and harmony to your garden. We speak at 10 am!
Enjoy refreshments, vendor’s booths, children’s activities, tool sharpening. Take advantage of 10% savings on most items purchased in store during this Open House Event! [email protected] We’d love to see you there! Green Thumb is located at 23734 Newhall Ave. Newhall, CA 91321.
And..
Next week is my next Complimentary Teleclass, also called “Feng Shui In The Garden” (notice a theme?). Elaine and I will be giving a lot of great information that you can use in your garden. The call and the seminar will cover different things; so don’t be afraid to attend both!
This info on this call is good for any climate, any zone, anywhere! All you need is the desire to make your garden shine. Thursday March 15, 2012 at 6:30 pm PDT
Please take a look at this link for more information and to sign up for the call. 
