arch is here and with it will come the beautiful spring weather we are accustomed to. It is also finally time to get out and prune all of the frost damage off of trees and shrubs. On Saturday, March 5th, from 10am to 2pm, we will have a Square Foot Gardening Expert to answer all of your questions about vegetable gardening in the southwest. Please come join us!

Pruning

With the possibility of a potential frost finally passing us by, you may now prune back all of the damaged wood of your plants and trees. As rough as your plants may look, you may be surprised at how much live wood is still there. Start from the top of the plant and prune your way down to where you start to see green wood. Once you reach live green wood you will know the plant will leaf back out to that point. Depending on where you live in the valley will determine how much frost damage your plants suffered.

After pruning we recommend using Treeland Premium All-Purpose Fertilizer on all of your trees and shrubs to give them a good jump start into spring. It is specially formulated for Arizona’s soils and will supply your plants with the nutrients they want. Our fertilizer promotes green leaves, healthy roots, strong branches, and delicious fruit and citrus.

Vegetables

Continuing into March is still a great time to start a spring and summer garden. Organic material, mulch, and compost are all necessary when preparing a successful garden. We carry and recommend using GroWell® Square Foot Gardening Soil to fill raised beds. This soil is blended with 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite, saving you the headache of buying each separately and mixing together yourself. It is the only soil approved by the author and inventor of Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartholomew. We also carry the new Square Foot Garden Kit, also endorsed by Mel. The kit includes a 4’ x 4’ interlocking composite siding, weed mat, and grid to separate your vegetables. With the combination of the kit and soil, all of the guesswork will be taken out of growing your own herbs and vegetables. When purchasing the kit and soil (4 – 2cu ft. bags to fill) together we are currently offering an extra 10% OFF!

The following can be transplanted: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, squash, artichokes, asparagus, and herbs.

The following seeds can be planted: beans, carrots, cucumbers, corn, squash, cantaloupe, radishes, pumpkins, watermelons and sunflowers.

Through the spring we will be receiving weekly shipments of fresh vegetable and herb plants from Bonnie Plants™.

Citrus & Fruit Trees

We now have many different varieties of apples, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, and fig available. We will also continue to receive new shipments of both dwarf and standard varieties of citrus.

March is a great time to plant citrus and other fruit trees in your yard. Please be careful to not disturb the root ball when planting. First, cut the bottom of the bucket off first and place the tree in the hole with the side on. Next, when the tree is where you would like it, cut up the side of the bucket to remove it and then backfill with soil. Do not forget to paint or wrap the trunk of your fruit trees to prevent them from sun burning. You can also visit our You-Tube channel for an in-depth how-to video of container removal.

If you missed the mid-February feeding of your citrus, it is still not too late. We recommend using Treeland Premium All-Purpose Fertilizer in combination with Gypsum. Our All-Purpose Fertilizer is based off of a citrus formula and will work for most landscape trees and shrubs as well.

Queen Palms

Queen Palms are found in many yards throughout the Valley. If you own or have ever owned one you know that keeping them looking good can be a struggle. Shopping for a fertilizer that actually works can be frustrating with all of the different options available. We use and recommend a combination of two different products to cure Queen Palm problems, Treeland Premium All-Purpose Fertilizer and Growmore Palm Food Micronutrients. Our Treeland Premium All-Purpose Fertilizer provides the palms with the essential macronutrients such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and also important micronutrients like Sulfur, and Boron. Our premium blend is a granular product that delivers the necessary nutrients to the palms with each watering. Growmore Palm Food Micronutrients supplies palms with the right amount of micros such as Manganese, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, and Sulfur. Usually you have to buy each of these separately, but this one product contains them all. The other advantage is that it comes in a concentrated liquid form. Because the nutrients are already in a liquid form they are immediately available and pulled up into the palm. Simply throw our granular fertilizer around the palm, mix the liquid palm food with water, and pour around the tree and follow with a thorough watering. No more driving spikes into the ground or powder staining your rocks. We recommend fertilizing with this combination of products 3 times a year, starting with the first feeding around mid-February to mid-March.

Through March we are continuing to run a special Queen Palm Combo when you purchase our Treeland Premium All-Purpose Fertilizer and Growmore Palm Food Micronutrients. One forty pound All-Purpose fertilizer combined with one gallon of the micronutrients will feed 6 to 10 palms depending on size. Always follow product label directions.

Weeds

The combination of warmer weather and the recent rain we received will cause weeds to sprout. When purchasing a weed killer, be sure to buy the right product that will work in cooler weather. Many types of weed killers, such as Roundup, are not as effective and take longer to work in cooler weather. These types of weed killers require warm weather to be effective. For weeds in dirt and gravel areas we recommend using any product containing Diquat, which is an effective weed killer in the cold weather for all types of weeds. Diquat will give you visible results in one day. If you have weeds in your lawn, we recommend Fertilome® Weed-Free Zone. This product kills tough weeds in Bermuda and Rye Grass.

Now is a great time to take preventative measures to safeguard your yard from pesky weeds during the spring and summer. By utilizing a pre-emergent, you can save yourself hours of spraying and pulling weeds. We carry many types of pre-emergent and they can be found in a granular or liquid form. We recommend Hi-Yield ® Turf & Ornamental Weed and Grass Stopper as a granular option. If you prefer a liquid pre-emergent, Monterey Weed Impede is great. One major benefit of these pre-emergent herbicides is they can be used around most plants. Be sure to ask one of our professionals so that we can find the best fit for your situation. By simply putting down a pre-emergent two to three times a year, you can easily prevent the headache of having to deal with the removal of most weeds year round.

Lawns

Continue to water Rye grass once or twice a week and fertilize every 4 to 6 weeks with Calcium Nitrate, Turf Royale, or Fertilome™ Southwest Greenmaker. Only water rye grass in the morning to avoid possible fungal problems. Dormant Bermuda grass should be watered once a month, but not fertilized until the nighttime temperatures reach the mid-60’s.

Plant of the Month

The Dwarf Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria ‘Stoke’s Dwarf’) – Dwarf Yaupon Holly is a great addition to any landscape. This variety of Holly is both cold hardy and heat tolerant, performing very well in full sun. It provides nice green foliage year round and will occasionally showcase a small red holly berry. It will mature to 3 to 4 feet in height and width, but can be easily maintained to any size with minimal pruning. It is used as a topiary style plant because of how well it responds to pruning. It can create a very dense hedge or stand alone.

Tree of the Month

The Fan-Tex™ Ash (Fraxinus velutina ‘Rio Grande’) – This variety of Ash tree has a glossy leaf, white bark, and is seedless. Fan-Tex™ Ash will reach 40 – 50 feet in height and 30 – 40 feet wide and performs well in lawns. Its canopy is rounded, symmetrical and very dense, making it an excellent shade tree. The foliage will turn a bright yellow color, before dropping its foliage in late fall. It is cold, heat, and drought tolerant.20