Gardening in March

Gardening advice from the experts at Starke Ayres.

It’s getting time for Autumn sowing. The popular spring beauties such as Starke Ayres Namaqualand Daisies and Bokbaai vygies, Mesembryanthenum need to be sown in Autumn. Improve your germination rate by using Palm peat to help retain moisture in the sowing beds. These varieties are indigenous and ideal for water-wise gardens. Don’t lose out this coming Spring season on the most spectacular flower display.

March is the month to apply pre-emergence herbicide for Wintergrass, (Poa annua) that seeded itself last year. Pre-emergence application is far more effective than post emergence. The product Lawntyl can be applied at half the rate (pre-emergence rate only apply on only Kikuyu, Buffalo and Cynodon Royal and Outenique varieties) Remembering that these products suppress germination and have a residual effect for approximately 2 – 3 months, no other lawn seed should be sown in treated areas over this period.

Organic window fly trap – an effective and environmentally friendly way of combatting flies at home, at the office in the caravan etc. Window fly trap is easy to use and discreet (it can easily be concealed behind a potted plant or a curtain. Also effectively trap fruit flies and other insects. Replace the trap as required for a fly-free environment.

Continue with your water-wise efforts in the garden. WaterWise 3D flostim or our newly released Starke Ayres Hydrocache Carbon loaded water retention gel is a highly effective, pet and aquatic friendly wetting agent, for use on your garden, pot plants, trees and lawns. It assists in water penetration and retention, reduces water runoff and evaporation and improves the efficiency of fertilisers, saving water, time and costs. WaterWise 3D and Flostim are fully biodegradable.

Only a living biological soil is truly fertile. Plants grown in organically fertile soil are healthier and more resistant to disease and insect attack. Humus (Fertilis) or worm castings is environmentally friendly and feeds the life of the soil, while it feeds crops and plants: minerals and nutrients are released and become bioavailable to the roots of the plants. Worm tea with billions of microbes are also available on tap. Bring your own container of buy one in store. For more information on how to create a living soil pick up one of our leaflets at the information desk.

It’s time to plant soup greens in the vegetable beds or troughs for a hearty fresh explosion in the winter months. Sow carrots, cabbage, spinach, onions and celery. Renew or increase the stock in your herb garden with new organic seedlings only available at Starke Ayres Garden Centres.

The cypress aphid can be a serious pest in gardens, sometimes to the point where it causes entire branches of infected conifers to die back. Infestations of these insect’s peak in March and August. Koinor and Insecticide Granules are systemic insecticides registered for controlling aphids.

Starke Ayres, West Coast Village

Tel: 021 554 8450