Posted: 12 March 2024
Author: Luke
How exciting, Spring is nearly here and the gradual change in weather means we can spend some more time in our garden.
If you’re looking for some tasks and jobs here’s a list from us for you to work through. Enjoy the daylight and mood boost from spending time in your garden.
Jobs for March…
Repotting House Plants
The end of March marks the beginning of Spring, making now the perfect time to begin repotting your house plants. There will soon be an awakening taking place, new growth will start to shoot through so repotting whilst they’re still dormant/semi-dormant is best. We recommend repotting every 18 months to two years, as this is usually enough time for the roots to have established themselves within their current pot and for the soil to need replacing.
When looking to repot your house plant, we recommend increasing the pot size only by a few centimetres so as not to overwhelm the plant. Choosing a much larger pot will mean that your house plant will spend much more time on the roots, filling out the pot, rather than on the top growth. Especially house plants that like to be more snug, such as the Monstera Deliciosa / Swiss Cheese. It is best to avoid planting directly into a decorative pot cover, as these do not have any drainage holes, we suggest potting into a plastic pot and dropping these into pot covers.
Be sure to use a house plant-specific compost, these have been formulated to have the most appropriate nutrients and nutrient levels for indoor plants. We stock a range from multi-purpose, through to cactus or orchid repotting mixes. Cactus composts are great for plants that require more drainage such as succulents and sansevieria, as well as cactus’ themselves of course.
Leave a gap at the top of the pot, between the compost and the pot ridge. This is to prevent water runoff, ensuring that the water is absorbed by the soil completely. Be mindful of the temperature rising over the coming weeks, watering schedules may need to be tweaked to accommodate the soil drying out sooner.
Planting Potatoes & Sowing Seeds
Sow seeds for crops including lettuce, carrots, broad beans, turnip, spinach, parsnips and beetroot. You can also sow in the greenhouse or indoors for veg such as spring onions, early cauliflower, summer cabbage and tomatoes.
March is ideal for planting your first early potatoes that you began chitting during February. First early varieties are typically smaller potatoes that grow well in containers, so are perfect for places with limited space. Dig a trench that’s around 15cm deep and plant the seed potatoes with their sprouts facing upwards.
Lawn
On drier days, it’s a good idea to get the mower out on the highest setting and give the lawn a fresh trim. Be sure that the ground is dry enough before mowing.
During the winter, lawns can suffer from frost damage and this can block the light from getting through to any potential new growth. We would recommend scarifying the lawn to minimise any ongoing damage. This will create space for the new grass shoots to come through as it allows for light and air to flow through to them.
Use a 4-in-1 weed and feed treatment on your lawn for the best results. We recommend Miracle-Gro ‘Evergreen Complete 4 in 1’.
Feeding Planted Pots
As we approach the Spring season, it’s a great time to start feeding your potted plants. Mixing a slow-release fertiliser into your soil is the best way to ensure food throughout the growing season. We would recommend Vitax Q4 All Purpose Plant Food in this instance.
Plants in pots need the nutrients replaced more frequently than plants that are planted directly into the ground. This is because they can only draw nutrients from the compost in the pot, and this will deplete over time. Plants in the ground have wider access to nutrients. When adding feeds, be sure that the compost is moist so that the roots don’t get scorched.
Introducing Colour
We’ve had our first deliveries of UK-grown Alpines. These are a great way to begin introducing colour into the garden. Most alpines like dry, sunny conditions, so are happy in containers, rock gardens, gravel gardens and raised beds. They prefer a mulch of grit or gravel on the soil surface, so their foliage doesn’t rest on damp ground.
Other March Gardening Jobs…