Both summer residents and their gardens are looking forward to spring days to start the new season. But most often the first month of spring only on the calendar shows a change of season. In reality, frosts continue to fry, snowdrifts lie, and there seems to be nothing to do in the garden. In fact, already in March, the approach of heat is felt, the day is lengthening, and the trees are slowly starting to leave the hibernation period. Therefore, some work in March in the garden is still carried out. There are not so many of them as it will be in May, but the productivity of fruit trees and the abundant flowering of ornamental shrubs largely depend on March care.
How to use snow to your advantage?
In a temperate climate, snow lies in the gardens almost halfway through March. But due to daytime thaws, it becomes loose, wet and heavy. If the branches of trees and bushes (especially young ones!) Are covered with luxurious caps, arm yourself with a pointed long stick and shake them off. The heavy weight of the adhering snow can easily break the branches, because they have not yet acquired elasticity and remain fragile, frozen.
You should not trample the snow on the lawn and under the trees, otherwise it will condense the moist soil too much and block the access of oxygen to the roots
In lowland areas where drainage is laid, snow is also removed and the water intake grooves are cleaned. Extra dampness is useless here, so it can be reduced by cleaning the ground in advance.
At the same time, all snow available on the earth needs to be used with profit. Remove the layer from the beds with a snow shovel, so that they warm up faster, and lay in the round-trunk circles of trees. He will stop the rapid thawing of the roots, which in March is quite dangerous. Dark soil warms up quickly, and sap flow can begin before night frosts pass. And living, awakened branches are very sensitive to subzero temperatures and quickly freeze. With a large amount of snow, divide it between trees, raspberries and beds with strawberries.
Loose watery snow at night turns into a dense crust of ice, which must be pierced in many places with garden forks to thaw faster
If you somewhere sprinkled cuttings, twigs for vaccination, then throw snow on them, and sprinkle with sawdust on top. Those will reflect the sun's rays and slow down the melting of the snow "coat." Those who have not managed to harvest cuttings from the fall can cut them now, provided that this year the winter was not too frosty (not lower than -25 °). They are hidden in the same snow pile with a cap of sawdust on top.
In areas with a strong slope, it is worth creating horizontal shafts of snow. They will trap snow during melting, and the earth will receive more moisture. But rose bushes sheltered for the winter, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and other heat-loving crops with the advent of warm days should be slightly opened, giving air access to the roots. In this case, you will prevent the formation of mold, which loves secluded places with high humidity.
During the day, under the film of sheltered roses, steam forms, which condensate on the plants by night. To avoid fungus, open the film on both sides
A set of measures to prevent burns in trees
Since in March, temperature jumps are often still observed from minus at night to + 10-12 ° in the afternoon, the crust cannot quickly change to such a regime. As a result, under the sun's rays, trunks and branches receive burns, and at night - frost bouts. In order to protect the garden from damage, it is in early March (and not before Easter!) That spring whitewashing of trees is carried out. You can buy lime and extinguish in boiling water, or you can use special paint. Bleached on a calm day at a positive temperature in the street.
The thin bark of young trees is particularly affected by differences in night and day temperatures, so it is advisable to whiten them as early as possible
In addition to trunks, the needle of coniferous decorative shrubs is very sensitive to the March sun. They will endure frosts -40 °, but under the scorching sun the tender upper branches will instantly burn out. Therefore, in early March, rare conifers (thuja, juniper, etc.), and from the evergreen - boxwoods should be covered with non-woven material or wrapped with newspapers and tied.
Planned pruning and garden treatment
During the winter, some trees could be damaged in the form of frost pits, frozen twigs, and cracked bark. Before the sap flow begins, the wounds must be treated and healed, and everything that has frozen out should be cut off.
Wounds are cleaned with a knife until healthy wood appears, smeared with copper sulfate (10 grams per liter of water) and covered with garden varieties. If you find a solution of succinic acid on sale, it accelerates healing. With this composition, the cut places of the barrel are lubricated, and then the rest of the treatment is carried out.
To check which branches froze over the winter, just cut off the tops and look at the wood. If it is light, it means alive, if it turns brown, cut more.
In March, it’s time to spring pruning to remove frostbitten or improperly growing branches. In this case, you certainly need to wait for stable temperatures above zero.
Which branches are pruned:
- twisted
- broken down;
- underdeveloped;
- frost-bitten and seemingly blackened;
- growing inside the crown;
- which cross and cling to others.
Try to cut so that there is no stump left. Saw the spot with a garden var.
Fruiting bushes are usually formed in the fall, so in March they only correct what goes unnoticed. Cut off the fruiting branches of raspberries, the old trunks of currants and gooseberries. The tops of young raspberry branches are shortened by 10 cm so that the berries are larger.
Ornamental shrubs are also pruned, taking into account the branches frozen out during the winter. If in the fall you did not have time to trim the forsythia, lilac, jasmine and other plants that begin to bloom early, then it is better not to touch them. Otherwise, the bush will bloom poorly. If they slightly froze, then shorten exactly to the place where the living tissue begins. When pruning any plants, the waste is immediately burned or crushed and laid in a compost pit.
Pest control - getting ready in advance
As soon as the thawing of snow begins, the mice leave holes and pass into the cellars and cellars. To destroy rodents, pickled grain is laid out in secluded places in the garden or other baits are used.
All kinds of small pests wintering in the bark of trees are destroyed by chemical and physical methods. For this, a special fishing belt is put on each barrel.
If in winter the trunks of large trees were covered with roofing material to protect them from frost, then in March they are removed and replaced with hunting belts
After the stable temperatures (more than 5 ° C) are restored on the street, the entire garden is sprayed with insecticides. At the same time, drugs for the prevention of tree diseases, for example, Bordeaux liquid, can be added to the solution.
For undersized shrubs, not chemicals are used, but treatment with hot water. Gooseberries, currants are poured from a watering can, trying to get on each branch. Liquid temperature - 70 °. For beds with strawberries, a 60-degree shower is enough.
Works in the second half of March
After the snow finally melts, some perennials and bushes may expose the upper part of the root system. It will simply be ejected from the ground with the movement of moisture. To keep the plant healthy, all bulging roots need to be mulched with peat or humus. But first, the plant is "planted", i.e. They try to return to their former place in the ground, gently pressing down the soil so that the roots settle lower.
A thawed lawn also requires care. It is necessary to rake garbage that has flown over the winter. Just use a light fan rake that does not burrow into the ground. Otherwise, many grass blades can be pulled out of the moist soil. If bald spots have appeared, grate these places. An unexpected frost will only harden the seeds, and they will sprout together.
By mid-March, it is advisable to hang up bird houses if you want to attract birds to protect your possessions from pests. Two birdhouses are enough to maintain a garden of 10 acres.
A pair of starlings will save the site from most of the caterpillars and tree pests, so do not be too lazy to shoot down a birdhouse in winter, so that you can hang it in the garden in early March
At the end of the month after thawing the soil, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out. They stimulate the rapid growth of young shoots and foliage.
Grapes and roses at the end of March can be freed from winter shelter, provided that the frost has finally left your possessions.
As soon as the snow finally leaves the garden and warms slightly, you can raise grapes, roses, raspberries, blackberries on trellises
As you can see, in March, gardeners are not bored. And if you consider that this month they begin to sow seeds, dive seedlings, then the owners will have a mouthful of trouble.
