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Tree and Shrub Care
• Water your landscape as needed. 1” of water per week is ideal.
• Pruning: Trees and shrubs are starting to show signs of growth. Therefore, March is a
great time to prune your small trees and shrubs. Warmer temperatures are right around the corner, so more aggressive pruning can be done. You will shorten the plants recovery time by doing it now as compared to heavy pruning in the fall. The early Spring pruning allows shrubs to flush out and start to grow quicker. While we are cutting back, your monkey grass is ready too. Cut just above the shoots or new growth. This allows the monkey grass to flush out beautifully when the temperatures are more favorable.
• Mulch: March is a great month to top off or apply mulch. Mulch helps to protect the plant, keeps weeds out, and helps the soil better retain moisture. A result of 3-4” of mulch is recommended. Always remember to keep mulch at least 12-18” off from your foundation wall. This helps keep termites and other wood-destroying organisms from having easy access to your structure. You might want to fill the area with pea gravel or some type of stone.
• Fertilizer: March 1 also a great time to fertilize your landscape. Apply a liquid fertilizer, such as 18-3-6, to the foliage of the plant to encourage growth and overall health.
• Pre-Emergent: Weeds in flower beds are the archnemesis for homeowners. Apply a
Pre-Emergent to prevent a variety of weeds from germinating in order to reduce
hand-pulling or spray applications.
• Post-Emergent: Weeds are also up and active this time of year. Apply a post-emergent,
such as Round-Up, to control active weeds. Round-Up is a non-selective herbicide. Be careful not to drift onto other trees and shrubs.
APRIL
Warm Season Turf: Bermuda and Zoysia
• Mowing: With no cold snap in site, it’s time to officially start to mow your warm season grasses. Starting out, cut your lawn a little lower than normal to expose more sunlight to the soil. This allows the soil to warm quicker and provide an earlier green up for our warm season grasses. Do not scalp the lawn. Scalping opens the soil and can not only stress the plant but can also provide the room weeds need to grow. Do not bag clippings as the leaf debris will be turned into compost (organic matter), which will later be used by the plant for nutritional value.
• Watering: Water as needed 1"-2" per week.