yearbook
Average temperature: high 79 degrees, low 56 degrees
Summer time returns on March 8th |Spring arrives March 20th
Rainfall: 3.54 inches
1.Moon phase
Full moon: March 3rd
Last quarter: March 11th
New Moon: March 18th
First quarter: March 25th
2. Moon Sign Planting Date
Ground crops: 2, 3, 4, 21, 22, 25, 26, 30, 31
Underground crops: 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18
Control weeds and pests: 14, 15, 16, 23, 24
Pruning trees and shrubs: 1, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20, 27, 28, 29
When to plant
3. Vegetables: Until mid-season, plant beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, endive, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, peas, potatoes, radishes, Swiss chard, and turnips. From mid-month onwards, plant green beans, cantaloupes, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, loofahs, green peppers, pumpkins, pumpkins, tomatoes, and watermelons.
4. Flowers: African daisy, ageratum, alyssum, bacopa, balsam, begonia, black-eyed Susan, blue days, bush daisy, celosia, cleome, coreopsis, cosmos, dahlia, Dahlberg daisy, diasia, dusty miller, pho – Ochlock, Gaillardia, Geranium, Goldenrod, Impatiens, Joseph’s Coat, Daylily, Marigold, Melanpodium, Million Bells, Moonvine, Morning Glory, Nierenbergia, Salvia, Strawflower, Torenia, Verbena, Vinca, Zinnia
5. Herbs: anise, basil, bay, borage, cardamom, chervil, chives, coriander, costumary, dill, fennel, ginger, lemon balm, sweet marjoram, Mexican tarragon, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, watercress
6. Bulbs: Achymenes, African iris, African lily, amaryllis, blood lily, bulb, caladium, canna, crinum, crocosmia, dahlia, daylily, eucalyptus lily, ginger, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, Louisiana iris, rain lily, tuberose, walking iris
lawn care
7. Browning of grass after a freeze is normal. Most should recover with normal care.
8. Fertilize your lawn as new growth begins. Wait until April to fertilize your grass and centipede lawns.
9. Fill in bare or declining areas with sod, plugs, or seeds.
10. Rake up brown leaves or wait for the grass to grow beyond winter damage.
11. Mow your lawn at its normal height and leave the clippings in place.
12. Remove the straw from your shiva lawn and mow it to no more than 2 inches high.
13. Some lawns turn yellow when I apply fertilizer. Apply products containing iron and micronutrients.
14. Weed and feed can be used in place of fertilizer-only products. Follow the lawn label.
15. Many weeds died due to the cold. Rake it out and fill with new sod or plugs.
16. The crabgrass is sprouting. Pre-emergent use of this weed may not be of much value.
17. Learn how to tell the difference between grass weeds and sedges, which have triangular stems and are very easy to control.
18. Chinch bugs were not eliminated by the cold. Apply controls as desired.
19. Degra crickets can affect lawns in Bahia, Bermuda, and Sheba. Learn to identify and control.
20. Lawn aeration helps water penetrate dry areas and compacted soils.
21. Water your lawn separately from trees, shrubs, and other plantings.
22. Water only when the grass begins to die.
23. With the arrival of daylight saving time, new watering rules begin March 8 in most areas.
24. Consider alternative ground covers for areas that are difficult to mow or have grass growth problems.
25. Get your lawn care equipment ready for spring.
in the landscape
26. Damage to shrubs varies depending on the plant, location, and protection provided.
27. Plant damage can be most severe if sprinklers are activated during a freeze.
28. Prune dead or declining plant parts as needed.
29. Many plants are dead in the ground, but given time they can grow again.
30. The palms, which are sensitive to cold, are seriously affected. Give them time to recover.
31. Remove dead leaves from damaged palms, save buds and apply copper fungicide.
32. Spring feed your palm trees, shrubs, and perennials.
33. Trees that provide shade and flower usually do not require special feeding.
34. Don’t expect insects to take a break when it gets cold. Check for pests regularly.
35. Spring is a dry time: Water your plants when they wilt or show signs of moisture stress.
36. Prune spring-blooming shrubs after the flowers fade.
37. Remove any trees or shrubs that block sidewalks or compete with nearby plantings.
38. Consider cutting down necessary trees. Do the work before hurricane season.
39. Complete the pruning of the crape myrtle by removing the seed pods and twig sections.
40. Divide and replant perennials.
41. Complete pruning of bush-type roses. Prune vines when spring flowers fade.
42. Replant your container garden with spring flowers.
43. Add holiday plants to your landscape or houseplant collection.
44. Trim and divide ornamental grasses before spring growth begins.
45. Prune young shade trees to straight trunks that form a central leader.
46. Add trees, palms, shrubs, and vines to your landscape.
47. Make sure the acidity of the azalea planting site is appropriate and adjust the pH as necessary.
48. Divide your outdoor orchid and start feeding it with a fertilizer solution every other week
49. Compost your fallen leaves.
50. Only light topdressing is usually required to replenish the mulch layer.
51. Feed your container garden with a liquid fertilizer or slow-release product.
52. Add or repair nest boxes before spring nesting.
53. Maintain a water garden and replant lilies.
54. Clean birdbaths and fountains.
55. Repair fences and remove mold from hardscape.
vegetable and fruit care
56. Unprotected warm-season crops are severely damaged and need to be removed.
57. Cool season crops will show varying degrees of damage, but most should continue to grow.
58. Early March is the time to plant tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Plant the new plant in the ground.
59. Many tropical fruits are severely spoiled. Prune it back to green forest and wait for it to recover.
60. Some tropical fruits have died and need to be replaced.
61. Renew banana and papaya plantings by removing brown leaves and badly damaged stems.
62. Feed citrus and other fruit trees, shrubs, and vines.
63. Add new fruit trees, shrubs, and vines to your landscape.
64. Pruning of grape vines is completed before flowering.
65. Add container herb and vegetable gardens to crowded landscapes.
66. Add mulch to all plants except citrus.
67. Fertilize your vegetables every 2-3 weeks.
68. Group vine vegetables together on a trellis to save space.
69. Harvest and dry herbs for future use.
70. If pineapples are protected from the cold, they bloom in March and the fruit ripens in August.
Caring for houseplants and foliage plants
71. Houseplants severely damaged in cold locations may recover from lower stems and buds.
72. Remove frozen or weakened parts from all cold-affected houseplants.
73. Care for indoor plants and remove yellowing leaves and faded flowers.
74. Cut off the ends of your holiday cactus and start watering and feeding it more often.
75. Replace declining indoor plants with low-light-tolerant varieties.
76. Move your orchid outdoors or in a bright area and start feeding it every other week.
77. Disinfect and clean used containers.
78. Treat forced bulbs as a bouquet, but keep the pots.
79. Check for mealybugs, mites, and other pests. Apply natural spray if necessary.
80. Trim spindly indoor plants and move them to brighter areas or outdoors.
Tom McCubbin is an emeritus urban horticulturist for the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write to Orlando Sentinel, PO Box 2833, Orlando, FL. 32802. Email: TomMac1996@aol.com.
