The beginning of March can still be very hot, but get ready for a busy few weeks once the weather cools down.
Not only will it be more pleasant to work outside then, but it will be time to plant a wide variety of cool-season vegetables, annual flowers and spring-flowering bulbs. Trees, shrubs and perennials planted in the mild autumn conditions of March will have time to establish before winter slows down growth.
If we’ve been fortunate enough to have good rains over the summer, they’ll have deleted soils of nutrients, especially the more soluble ones. Plan to replenish the soil before autumn planting. Don’t forget trace elements, whether you add them separately or as part of a complete fertiliser.
We don’t know how long summer rains will last, so also give a thought to improving water penetration and retention in anticipation of drier months ahead. A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil, reducing weed growth and enhancing the visual appeal of the area. Tanks have also become a familiar part of the backyard landscape in recent years, but the soil itself can be a form of water storage (balanced with the need for suitable drainage, of course).
Mail order (which includes online shopping these days) is a simple way to obtain unusual or old-fashioned vegetable and flower seeds, bulbs and other plants. If you haven’t ordered already, get your orders in for autumn planting without delay.
Mail order can also be used to expand your rose collection if you don’t have a specialist rose nursery nearby. Although bare root roses are usually supplied in winter, get your order in early to avoid disappointment. Once stocks of a given variety are sold out, you’ll probably have to wait until next year.
Provided they’ve been suitably hardened-off, container-grown plants can be planted out at any time of year in frost-free parts of SEQld. However, this is an ideal time as summer rains will (hopefully) have recharged the now-warm soil. Combined with autumn’s mild air temperatures, conditions should promote plant establishment before growth slows/stops over winter and our drying westerly winds pick up. Many tough plants can get by with whatever falls from the sky once they’re well-established, but will still need supplemental watering in the early stages.
Pruning
The end of flowering is an opportune time to prune shrubs like the ivory curl, and Mock Orange.
However, leave winter and spring flowering shrubs alone as they will be flowering soon or initiating their flower buds now. Examples are, poinsettia, snowflake, camellias, and azaleas. Now would be a good time to supply at little extra potassium.
The Queensland Rose Society Inc recommends a light prune of roses some time between February and mid-march. This, in addition to fertilising, watering and mulching, will encourage a good autumn display approximately 8 weeks after pruning (assuming you have modern repeat-flowering varieties.)
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