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Help for the Home Gardener

 

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Visit the Center for Home Gardening

Stop by the Center for Home Gardening and get your gardening questions answered by our expert staff and Master Gardener volunteers at the Plant Doctor Desk, or check out our houseplant display and other home gardening resources! Be sure to also take a stroll through our 23 outdoor demonstration gardens, which include a vegetable and fruit garden, cut flower garden, an experimental garden, and a newly renovated native prairie garden.

Plant Doctor Desk (Walk-In)

April–October open daily, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

November–March open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Horticulture Answer Service (Phone & E-mail)

Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–noon

Phone: (314) 577-5143

E-mail: plantinformation@mobot.org

March Gardening Tips

  • Trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted as soon as they become available at garden centers and as the ground can be worked. 

  • The pruning of trees should be completed before new growth occurs. Trees should not be pruned while the new leaves are growing.   

  • Perform soil nutrient and soil pH tests to determine the nutrient needs of the soil. Apply appropriate amendments and fertilizers as needed.   

  • Ornamental grasses should be cut to the ground and large clumps divided just as new growth appears.  

  • Cool-season weeds are now showing up in lawns and garden beds. Manually remove or use appropriate herbicide. Do not apply to areas that will be seeded soon.  

  • Apply crabgrass preventer between mid-March to mid-April. If you decide to use a weed and feed product, do not use a fertilizer high in nitrogen (N).   

  • Start the seeds of summer vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants indoors mid to late March (following seed packet instructions).  

  • As the days get longer and houseplants start new growth, repot any rootbound plants (replant in containers that are 1-2 inches larger in diameter than the current pot). Check for pests and control as needed, trim any leggy plants, and fertilize appropriately.  

More Gardening Tips