Southern California Coastal & Inland Valleys
March 30, 2006
By Yvonne Savio,
Pasadena, CA
Handle Seedlings Gently
Be gentle with all seedlings. Handle the little plants by their root clumps or leaves rather than stems, and never squeeze them tightly. They can grow new leaves and roots, but they can't develop new stems.
Pluck Strawberry Blossoms
Pluck off strawberry blossoms through May, or whenever the warm weather has settled in for good, to concentrate the plant's first real burst of fruiting energy into large sweet berries rather than small tart ones. Unless, of course, you're desperately waiting for that very first berry, even if it is tart.
Harvesting Asparagus
Harvest asparagus spears when they're 3/8 inch wide or larger. Cut them no lower than soil level to avoid damaging the crown. Harvesting smaller spears, or harvesting for too long a period, especially from young plants, weakens the plant and reduces later harvests. If you let your plants put some energy into root growth rather than spear production, they will be healthier and produce better in the future.
Pruning Fuchsias
Fuchsias flower on new wood, so prune either severely for compact growth or lightly for a more draping appearance. Continue to pinch and groom fuchsias regularly throughout the season to direct new growth and encourage more blooming.
Fertilize Everything
Fertilize the whole garden with a balanced fertilizer (with nutrient numbers that are nearly the same, such as 10-10-10 or 10-8-12). Most plants are beginning to grow actively now, whether they're established or have just been transplanted, and they all need this ready supply of food. Foliar applications always benefit plants -- especially those in containers -- because they provide more immediate absorption of micronutrients, but they must be repeated more frequently for continuing benefit.