Early Spring Gardening Prep
Now's the time for garden prep: pruning and preparing beds are recommended in early March Spring gardening tips for March pruning and vegetable planting. The Old Farmer's Almanac has optimal pruning days.
The Old Farmer's Almanac suggests specific dates in March for pruning to encourage or discourage growth, based on the moon's sign. For example, March 27-29 are good days to prune to encourage growth. March 10 and 11 are best for pruning to discourage growth. Early to mid-March is a good time for renewal pruning of overgrown fruit and ornamental trees in North Georgia. This involves removing older wood to stimulate new growth. Late winter is also a good time to prune temperate fruit trees like apple, peach, and pear trees. However, avoid pruning trees and shrubs if temperatures are expected to drop, as late frosts and snowstorms can affect new growth. Also, don't prune spring-flowering shrubs that bloom on old wood, such as forsythia and lilac, as this removes the season's buds. For trees that bleed sap when pruned, like dogwood and maple, it's best to wait until after the leaves fully mature in the spring to minimize sap bleeding. In general, March is an ideal time to prune trees before they break dormancy. The key is to remove dead, damaged, or diseased branches and to trim crossing branches to promote air circulation.
