March To-Do’s

Divide summer and fall flowering perennials and ornamental grasses

Avoid purchasing

bare-root trees and roses this late in the season - instead choose container grown or B&B

Prepare soil in beds by till-

ing in 3 inches of compost Don’t plant frost-sensitive

plants too early. The last frost in the Concho Valley is usually early April.

Concho Valley

March 2013

We all know how important it is to conserve water, and landscape water efficiency has a big impact on our water resources. One way to be very efficient while watering plants (which will save on the water bill!) is to use drip irrigation for vegetable gardens, flower beds, and shrubs. Drip systems are not a difficult do-it-yourself project. A drip irriga-tion system can just be tubing with pre-drilled emitters hooked up to a faucet, and run throughout beds or down garden rows. You find everything you need at home improvement stores or irrigation supply stores. Drip systems are better for plants because they apply the water where the plants need it - at the soil, where the roots can get it. Most plants don’t like water on their foliage all the time, and when water is salty (like ours is) it’s especially bad for some plants. The reason drip tubing is more water efficient is because it applies the water at low volume, and virtually no water is lost to evapora-tion. A lot of water is lost when applied through spray heads because up to half of it can evaporate before plants ever get it.

The amount of time that drip systems need to run to properly water plants will depend on the weather and what you’re growing, but in general it could run 1 or 2 hours every two weeks during the spring, and once per week during the summer.

Drip irrigation lines can be buried underneath mulch to make beds more attractive, but just check every once in a while to make sure the lines are still in good condition and watering properly.

Till in Compost

Organic matter improves soil structure, drainage, and can be rich in nutrients. Take advantage of the cool weather of March to work your soil!

Master Gardener Plant Sale Plant selection is the most important part of having a beautiful landscape. If you plant some-thing that loves moisture and humidity in a dry hot spot of the yard, it won’t make it. You have to choose the right plants for the right location.

If you love plants and want to find some inter-esting ones for your yard this year, try coming to the Concho Valley Master Gardener’s annual plant sale!

The Concho Valley Master Gardener program is a volunteer organization dedicated to providing community education and programming to the public. Members undergo extensive training in horticulture, and then provide volunteer hours to the Concho Valley to receive official status as a certified master gardener.

There are many master gardener groups throughout the state, but there are few if any that provide the unique opportunity that the Concho Valley Master Gardeners do during their plant sale.

The reason it is so special is because they prop-agate all the plants themselves, from seeds or cuttings.

There will be thousands of plants offered at the plant sale, in many different types and varieties. There are tomatoes, vines, lots of perennials,

trees and shrubs, and hanging baskets. They are plants that can thrive in the conditions of the Concho valley, and there will be some unique and unusual ones to choose from.

The plant sale will be held Saturday, April 6th with doors opening at 8am. It will be at the Tom Green County 4H center, which is located at 3168 N. US Highway 67 (next door to the animal shelter).

If you have any questions, please call the county extension office at 325-659-6528.

Pam’s Pink Honeysuckle Lonicera x Americana 'Pam's Pink'

Designated as a “Texas Super-

star Plant” this semi-evergreen

honeysuckle is tough but not

invasive.

Tolerates heat, drought and

alkaline soils.

Container Gardening

Now that it’s March, gardeners are itching to

get outside and start planting. It’s so satis-

fying to eat your own homegrown tomatoes

or other vegetables! But this may not be a

good year for an extensive vegetable gar-

den; it will depend on how hot it gets, how

much rain we get, and how much we’re able

to water.

To be on the safe side, consider a small

container garden instead of a large garden

plot. Get started now while the weather is

mild, and start producing before the sum-

mer heat arrives. When a cold snap comes

along, a few container plants can be easily

moved inside as needed through any

remaining frosts.

Vegetable plants can be grown in any kind

of container, just ensure that it has good

drainage. Good potting soil is also

important, avoid using soil dug up from the

ground. It will be too heavy for container

grown plants, and can contain weed seeds

and other pests.

Decorative planters make an attractive addi-

tion to a porch, patio or deck and are a simple

way to grow some fresh produce. Almost any

plant that can be grown in a traditional back-

yard garden can be planted in a container.

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and green beans

are particularly well suited for pots.

Container gardening is also great for

ornamental plants, because it can add a lot of

life and color to a front entrance or a balcony.

A lot of landscape shrubs and perennials have

been lost in the heat and drought of the last

few years, and many homeowners are opting

to wait until next fall to replace them. If you

want to wait out the drought this summer, but

still want to spruce up the curb appeal of your

home, plant some tough, heat-tolerant

annuals and perennials in a few beautiful

planters on the porch to brighten up the

home.

Fruit Tree Thinning Thinning fruits and vegetables is one of the

hardest things for a home gardener to do. We

plant radishes close together and don’t want

to thin them out because that seems like a

waste. Then when the roots aren’t large

enough, we wonder why. When planting veg-

etables, it’s important to thin the seedlings

out in order to get good root sizes and have

room to grow to full potential. The same goes

for fruit trees such as peaches, plums, and ap-

ples. And the sooner it’s done, the better.

It’s not practical to try thinning fruit at the

bloom stage, but we can thin out young fruit

before it’s the size of a dime. Stone fruit such

as peaches should be thinned out and spaced

about 6 to 8 inches between fruits. Simply

pick off and throw away the fruit along the

branches, leaving only one for every 6 inches

or so. Apples should be thinned to one apple

per cluster.

There are two major reasons for thinning fruit

trees - for the health of the tree, and for better

quality fruit. If all the fruit is left on the tree, it

will take up a lot of energy and nutrients and

can stress the tree. It will also weigh down

the branches, so much that they can even

break and fall off.

Thinning also improves the fruit that is left. If

not thinned, the fruit is much smaller. If you

thin out the branches, the remaining fruit is

large and sweet and better quality.

It may seem like you’re losing fruit, but you

will still end up with the same total weight of

fruit - you won’t have as many, but they will

be larger.

Lawn Fertilization Tips Don’t fertilize too early. Wait until the grass is actively growing and has needed to be mowed once or twice. Don’t overdo it! The right amount can really help the grass look good, but more is not better. Excess fertilizer can damage the grass, as well as create a higher mowing and watering requirement. Do a soil test. Visit soiltesting.tamu.edu for info and submission form. Find out exactly what kind of fertilizer your grass needs, and how much. Measure the size of the lawn. To be able to put out the right amount of fertilizer (no more than one pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet in a single application) you’ll have to know the size of the area to be treated. Measure the lawn, or use Google Earth to calculate.

Upcoming March 2013

Tuesday March 5, 6:30

Year-Round Tree Care Location: Tom Green 4-H Building

3168 N. US Highway 67 (next door to animal shelter)

Cost: Free

Friday March 15, 12pm

Lunch N Learn Class - Vegetable Gardening Location: Tom Green County Commissioner’s Courtroom

Judge Edd B. Keyes Bldg, 113 W Beauregard

Cost: $5

For more info on any activity, please call the Extension Office at

(325) 659-6528

For more information on any of the topics, or to ask questions please contact:

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Tom Green County 113 W Beauregard

San Angelo, TX 76903 325-659-6528

Educational programs conducted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socioeco-

nomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.