5 Things To Do In The Garden In March

Spring for many of us is the time where the stretch in the evenings and milder temperatures mean we can turn our attention to our gardens. No matter how big or small, we all like a bit of colour and what better way to add some to your life than by gardening! Proven to reduce stress and anxiety, gardening is a hobby we should all take up!

Pruning

March is often the last month to prune trees and bushes alike. The best time for pruning is in spring after the plants and trees have leafed. Young fruit trees especially need to be pruned in spring in order for them to expend all their energy on fruiting. Using a hand pruner, cut off any downward growing branches or dead branches. For trees such as apple trees you should prune suckers that are growing near the trees base, in order to insure nutrients in the soil go to the tree.

Transplanting

March is an ideal time for transplanting small trees and shrubs if you are reshuffling your garden. Dig a trench around the tree or shrub, make sure it is at least two feet deep. If possible you should always replant the tree as quickly as possible. Dig a hole roughly two to three times the width of the tree or shrubs root ball. Carefully lower the plant in the hole and make sure it is positioned fully upright. When placing soil back into the hole make sure to firm the soil around the root ball with your hands to avoid any excess air pockets forming.

Begin Feeding Your roses

For many of our gardens, bright roses are our pride and joy. However, they take a lot of attention in order to reach their full potential. As roses leaves begin to grow in spring they are hungry for nourishment. Starting now using water soluble rose food such like Miracle-Gro every two weeks provide roses with the nutrients required to blossom with that glossy foliage we all know and love! Young roses can be more sensitive so the best idea is to use fish based fertilizer where possible. For an added advantage adding a tiny bit of epsom salt to any fertilizer will help your roses grow healthy roots and flowers.

Treat Your Lawn For Moss

Nobody wants to see areas of moss covering their lawn and its best to eradicate this problem in March before it gets any worse. Use sulphate of iron and if your area of moss isn’t too big it’s best to rake it out if possible. Following the winter many of us can find moss growing on our roofs also, to remove it from the roof you will need a ladder and some slip resistant shoes! Start by hosing and brushing all the moss loose from the roof shingles and then apply a cleaning solution.

Force Rhubarb

One of the Ireland’s favourite crops to grow as it is easy and who doesn’t love a rhubarb tart or crumble when Autumn comes around? Forcing rhubarb is basically covering the crowns to stop light from reaching them which will encourage the plants to begin to grow early. Make sure to have some good recipes when the time comes around, rhubarb also freezes well so it can be enjoyed all year round.

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