What to Do in March

What to do, this Month

The seasons have changed once again: the first month of autumn can be a little unpredictable. In some years, the first frost strikes early; in other years the balmy warmth lingers for weeks. But whatever happens, the beginning of the month is always significantly different from its end. The arrival of chilly starts and earlier evenings mean it's time to search for long forgotten jumpers. For gardeners, there's a lot to do to transition the garden into the coming season.

• The lingering warmth will keep the soil dry, so stay on top of the watering to cajole your tired, limping plants toward the end of their growing season. Water restrictions may be still in place in your area, so be aware of what's required.
• Clear away spent annuals as they come to an end...to keep the garden looking fresh.
• Don’t put diseased plant material in your compost bin, send it offsite with the rubbish. Before burning disease-infected plants, double-check if there's a fire ban in your area.
• There's still a high risk of sunburn, so wear a hat and slap on the sunscreen when working in the garden.
• Dewy mornings are favourable conditions for slugs and snails. Protect plants with Blitzem Slug and Snail Pellets dotted amongst the foliage, set up beer traps, and pay careful attention to your vulnerable new seasons seedlings.
• Caterpillars will also be out in force at this time of year. Protect your plants with Yates Success Ultra Insect Control, Yates Nature's Way Organic Citrus, Vegie & Ornamental Spray or Yates Nature's Way Derris Dust. 
• As the rain returns and the temperatures drop to a more comfortable level, the weeds will begin to flourish. Keep on top of them! Don’t let them set seed, to make your life much easier next summer.
• Autumn is an ideal time to plan an exciting new landscaping project - if your outdoor space needs a fresh look, go for it.
• Before plants finish for the season, save seeds from your favourites. Collect seed on a dry day and store them in a cool, dry place. Don’t forget to add a label, so you remember what you've collected.
• If the days are still baking hot and you're planting out, wait until the temperature eases in the late afternoon. This gives seedlings a chance to settle in overnight before they face the full heat of the day. Water in seedlings generously with Yates Thrive Natural Seaweed Tonic to reduce the risk of transplant shock.
• A slow-release fertiliser applied to the garden now will keep the plants happy all winter.
• Keep a close eye on the weather forecast, so you aren't caught unawares by an early frost.

Vegie Tasks

• Take advantage of the residual warmth of early autumn to help new plants establish before the chilly weather slows down their growth. Seeds for carrots, parsnips, radishes, lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, beetroot, broad beans, leeks, peas, spring onions, swedes and turnips can all be started directly into the garden.
• Brassica seed can be started in seed trays and need to be kept moist at all times and protected from the Cabbage White Butterfly.
• Rejuvenate tired soil by adding compost, well-rotted manure, seaweed, or other organic materials, to give the microbial communities in the soil plenty of time to break it down - ready for the new growing season.
• As crops come to an end, fill gaps with a green manure cover crop like lupins, oats, or mustard. Before they flower, chop them down and dig them into into the soil to replenish nutrients and improve soil structure.
• Keep up a regular watering and feeding routine, to keep your vegetable patch healthy and thriving.
• Perennial herbs including chives, thyme, oregano, and mint can be divided now, to revitalise tired plants.
• Move herbs in pots to a sheltered spot to extend their season. It'll also improve access in the cold rainy days ahead.
• Once kumara leaves start to go yellow, they can be dug up. Keep them in a warm, sunny spot for a week to cure the skins, to ready them for storage.
• Harvest pumpkins when the leaves die off and the stalk is woody. To prepare them for storage, leave them in a sunny place for their skins to harden. 

Fruit Tree Care

• Continue to enjoy ripening pip and stone fruit. Keep the ground clear under trees, by raking up and composting fallen fruit.
• Protect ripening fruit with bird-netting, secured tightly to ensure birds don’t become entangled.
• Once passionfruit has finished, lightly prune to remove dead, damaged or diseased branches and spray with Yates Copper Oxychloride and Yates Nature's Way Organic Citrus, Vegie & Ornamental Spray to take care of passionvine hoppers, mealybug, passionfruit fungal spot, and other pests and diseases.
• To support developing citrus fruit, feed trees with citrus fertiliser, watering well to keep the plant hydrated. To protect from scale and verrucosis spray with Yates Conqueror Spraying Oil and Yates Copper Oxychloride Fungicide.
• To encourage late season fruiting, continue to regularly pick berries as they become ripe.
• Prune peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, almonds, and apricots now (after they've finished fruiting), to reduce the risk of silverleaf disease that can follow winter pruning.

Flowers Everywhere

• Refresh tired pots, containers and hanging baskets with new seasons annuals, for a cheerful pop of colour during the gloomy winter months. Visit your local garden centre to check out all the varieties available now.
• Keep deadheading blooms to encourage flowers, through to the very end of the season.
• Prepare for a vibrant spring with daffodils, tulips, ranunculus, anemone, grape hyacinth, iris, hyacinths, freesias, and crocus. Plant spring flowering bulbs directly in the ground, or into containers now. In warmer areas you may need to pre-chill your bulbs in the fridge before planting.
• Improve the overall look of the garden by gently trimming straggly growth on summer flowering perennials and shrubs.
• Don’t pack away your seed sowing supplies, there are still plenty of flowers that can be started from seed for seasonal interest and colour over the coming months. Try growing alyssum, aquilegia, calendula, carnation, cineraria, cornflower, dianthus, delphinium, forget-me-not, gypsophila, hollyhock, linaria, lobelia, nigella, pansy, poppies, snapdragon, sweet William, and stock.
• Celebrate St Patrick’s Day on the 17th of March, with the tradition of sowing sweet pea seeds next to a sunny fence.
• Perennials can be cut back, lifted, and divided now to revive overcrowded plants and replant sections instantly. Leave cutting back until late winter if the plants have decorative seed heads, or they support wildlife over winter.
• Increase the abundance of plants in your garden for free by taking cuttings. Perennials like geraniums, lavender, penstemon, rosemary and verbena will strike easily at this time of year.
• Try your hand at taking leaf cuttings of African violets and begonias with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix.
• If your soil gets soggy, lift gladioli bulbs and dahlia tubers once they finish flowering and store in a cool, dry place.

Love Your Lawn

• Early autumn is a great time for lawn maintenance; but equally as good for a fresh start, by sowing a new lawn.
• Spraying weeds at least three weeks before you want to sow seed gives you a clean start for new grass.
• When sowing seed or laying turf, water deeply and regularly, for successful results.
• Continue mowing with the mower set high, for a strong and healthy lawn.
• Maturing grass grubs can completely destroy a lawn at this time of year. Protect your lawn with Yates Lawn Grub & Porina Kill + Protect.
• Give grass a much-needed feed and take care of weeds at the same time, with Yates Weed'n'Feed.
• This month, take the opportunity to even out any lumps, bumps or hollows and restore bare patches.
• Apply Yates Dynamic Lifter for Lawns or Yates Twice a Year Lawn Fertiliser, to slowly release essential nutrients to the grass and improve the structure and moisture retention of the soil.
• While you're roaming on your lawn, you can spot-spray broadleaf weeds like capeweed, dandelions and plantain with a handy weedkiller like Yates Turfix Gun. It takes care of the weeds without harming the grass - plus it's always ready to go as soon as you spot a weed. 

Trees and Shrubs

• During a long sizzling summer, many insects set up home in the garden. Large infestations can cause problems to the health and wellbeing of trees and shrubs. Check trees often for mites, thrips, and other pests.
• Autumn is a wonderful time to plant new trees and shrubs. Make sure they're well watered, while they start to establish strong roots.
• Hedges can be trimmed now, with enough time for any new growth to harden up before the cold of winter.
• Support trees and ornamental shrubs that are still actively growing, with a boost of fertiliser.