San Diego County gardens are beautiful in March. Many plants have already started flowering, and garden centers are stocked full. Next to fall, this is the best time of year to plant.
Fertilize
Most plants will benefit from feeding now because they are starting spring growth. Succulents that were dormant during the winter should be fertilized with a balanced fertilizer like 20-20-20 diluted to half strength.
If you didn’t fertilize citrus last month, feed it and other fruit trees. Use a high-nitrogen food and feed the trees equal amounts every six weeks once new growth starts. It’s also a good time to feed ground covers, lawns, shrubs and perennials.
Prune
Prune dormant trees and vines before they start new growth. By March 1, most of San Diego County will no longer see freezing temperatures at night. If you have any frost damaged plants, you should be able to safely prune them. Water and feed them after pruning to help with new growth. If you want to know what dates you might get frost at your house, the National Gardening Association has a frost calendar.
Clean Up Bulbs
A lot of winter and spring bulbs will be done blooming in March. Some bulbs, like most tulips and hyacinths, need colder winters than we have in our San Diego gardens. Because of this, they will not come back next year. You can treat them like annuals and pull them out. You can also store these cold-weather bulbs, pre-chill them and replant them in the fall.
Other bulbs, like daffodils, irises and gladiolus, will die back and return next year. If you want them to come back every year and multiply, cut off the dead flower stalks but don’t remove the leaves until they turn yellow or brown. Give them a light feeding once they’ve finished flowering to help replenish the bulbs. To help hide the dying leaves, tuck them down and plant something in front of them for cover. The 10 or 15 paperwhites I planted years ago are now over a hundred and fill the bed with beautiful white flowers throughout the winter.
San Diego Gardening Tips Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardening Tips comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.