• Remove excessive thatch from warm-season lawns. Dethatching, if necessary, should precede crabgrass control treatment. (HLA-6604)
• Broadleaf weeds can easily be controlled in cool-season lawns at this time with post-emergent broadleaf herbicides.
• Pre-emergent crabgrass control chemicals can still be applied to cool- and warm-season turfgrasses. Heed label cautions when using any weed killers near or in the root zone of desirable plantings.
• March is the second best time of the year to seed cool-season turfgrass; however, fall is the best time to plant. (HLA-6419)
• Cool-season lawns such as bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass may be fertilized now with the first application of the season. Usually, four applications of fertilizer are required per year, in March, May, October, and November. (HLA-6420)
• Begin mowing cool-season grasses at 1 � to 3 � inches high. (HLA-6420)

The Master Gardener program is dedicated to educating and assisting the public in the care and maintenance of flowers, turf, trees and shrubs and the use of insecticides, herbicides and other pest control issues. Our annual Spring plant sale supports this effort by offering great looking plants selected by Master Gardeners for your spring gardens. We are offering a wide selection of bedding plants, interesting choices for containers, perennials, grasses, herbs and tomatoes. The deadline for pre-ordering your plants is Friday, March 27.

To view picture of the plants available, please visit our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org). Orders may be placed through our web site using a credit card through PayPal. A printable form is available on our web site, or can be picked up at the Extension Center at 4116 E. 15th St., Tulsa, OK  74104 (Gate 6 at the fairgrounds). A team of Master Gardeners will be available from 10 am to 4 pm from March 23 to March 27 at the Extension Center to accept your orders and offer credit card payment at that time. All of our plant prices include sales tax.  

The plants will be ready for pick up at Central Park Hall on the Fairgrounds on April 16, after the last average freeze date for Tulsa. We also bring in many unique and special plants for our one day sale on April 16. We have many native plants for sale and will offer milkweed, the larval plant for monarch butterflies. The sale is very popular so come early for the best selection. 

The HBA Home and Garden Show is one of the most challenging feats for the Master Gardeners to pull off while accomplishing extensive outreach to the community. With a few months of planning and a short setup window, the MGs always transform an empty concrete slab into an oasis of lush greens and vibrant blossoms. Thousands of visitors flock to our space in 'The Gardens' to see and learn about gardening techniques or just enjoy our layout.

Our visitors look forward to returning each year to acquire fact sheets on a huge variety of gardening research, trends and techniques, and to stroll through our landscaped beds to get ideas and motivation for their own spaces. Tulsa MGs are also available for any specific questions one might have.  

This year our space included an Asian inspired garden, wildlife habitat, winter interest, spring and shade landscape areas. Gardening techniques displayed this year included square foot gardening, hydroponics, a keyhole garden structure and small indoor and outdoor tabletop gardens. Our children's activities are centered on the life cycle of plants.

If you missed us this year, come and visit our Extension office for more information on any of these techniques. See you again next year!

Lasagna gardening may be just what you have been looking for! It's easy, economical, and a good way to recycle. And you'll never have to bag leaves again!

You can start a lasagna garden at any time. It's also known as sheet mulching, no-till gardening, or sheet composting. Watering and weeding are reduced through the heavy layers of mulch. Lasagna layering builds soils that are chock full of nutrients.

You are not limited to square beds, because you can form landscaped beds, making them into any shape.  The process also works in containers.

Recipe Ingredients and Instructions for Lasagna Beds:
The basic idea for developing an lasagna garden is to apply alternate layers of green and brown materials.  It's okay, but not necessary, to mix in soil. Decomposition is faster if you chop up larger materials such as leaves, twigs, wood, and newspaper into small pieces.

The green, or nitrogen layer, is composed of "live" or food-based goodies: e.g. grass clippings or other green plant material, pea or bean vines, peelings, fruit and vegetable scraps, used coffee and tea grounds, egg shells, and certain types of animal manure. Pet manure is not acceptable due to harmful bacteria, but it is perfectly fine to use "good" manure dispensed by poultry or by plant-eating livestock such as cows, sheep or  llamas. Composted manure is also available at most garden centers. Avoid animal meats, bones, oils, and fats which introduce unwanted bacteria and invite foraging animals.

The brow, or carbon layer, consists of dry, dead goodies: e.g. dry leaves, straw, hay, newspaper, worm castings, cardboard, small twigs, wood chips. If you can, avoid cedar, pine, walnut. They have chemicals that retard plant growth.

You should try to achieve a carbon to nitrogen ratio of  2 to 1. For every 2" layer of carbon goodies you apply, apply 1" of nitrogen goodies. Adding more greens than browns causes it to heat up too fast and  become acidic and overloaded with carbon dioxide.

To build your beds, just follow these simple steps:

1. Lay down 7-10 newspaper sheets or one thickness of cardboard to cover desired area...there is no need to dig up existing grass. Overlap the edges by 4"-5". Water down the paper or cardboard to set it in place.  Avoid full-color newspaper, which may contain harmful inks.  
2. Apply a 2- 3" thick layer of GREEN nitrogen material.
3. Next apply 4"-6" of BROWN carbon-rich material.
4. For subsequent layers, add another layer of nitrogen, followed by carbon items. When done, the stack of layers will be 1 to 3 feet tall, but they will shrink as the materials decompose.
5. Apply a final layer of about 2 inches of weed/seed-free organic matter, such as straw, fine bark, or dry leaves, then water thoroughly. For the first 2 weeks you may cover with plastic cover to accelerate decomposition. You can mix the layers together by turning them as they decompose, but they will break down even if you do nothing. Keep the bed moist to activate decomposition and attract worms.
6. Time to plant!  You will be successful growing in lasagna beds if you plant right away. The beds planted next year will be even better because then your soil should be just right!

If the new bed will have a few months to decompose before planting, you can substitute manure or several inches of compostable material for the last layer. When you do plant, a layer of compost will be needed to act as a seed bed.

To plant seeds and plants, push top layer aside to reach the compost/soil layer right below. Buon appetito!

Roses have always been and continue to be one of the most popular flowers in Oklahoma. Although some roses are considered high maintenance landscape plants, several new varieties and species exist that are carefree, easy to grow, and look beautiful in the landscape. Proper pruning will help to get your roses off to a good start in the spring.

Pruning: Almost all roses need some form of pruning. Spring is the best time to prune all varieties, except those that bloom in the spring, such as climbing roses (prune those after flowering). Prune after the threat of the last hard freeze (below 28 degrees) is behind us, usually by mid to late March. Because pruning stimulates new growth, pruning too early may cause the new growth to be susceptible to damage by late cold snaps. The objective of pruning bush roses is to remove dead and damaged canes, improve its overall shape, and enhance air circulation by opening up the center of the plant. Pruning can also affect the numbers and sizes of blossoms. Prune moderately for more and average-sized blooms; prune more heavily for fewer, but larger, flowers.

Site Selection: Plant in an open, sunny location protected from strong winds. Plants should have at least six hours of full sun. To avoid reflected heat and sunburn, plant at least two feet away from any wall. Avoid planting under trees where they may suffer from a lack of sunlight and competition with tree roots.

Site Preparation:  Like most plants, roses like a well-drained location rich in organic matter. Soils for roses should be slightly acidic, around 6.0 pH. A soil test is recommended before adding any amenities. As needed and as per the soil test, add sulfur to lower the pH or add hydrated lime to raise the pH.  

Plant Selection: Before purchasing rose plants, analyze your garden or yard to determine what size, type, and color would be most pleasing. Consider your own interests and gardening ability. There are a seemingly endless number of varieties available these days, so visit your local garden center for additional advice.

Fertilization: Fertilize roses with organic or slow-release balanced fertilizer at pruning time, or up to 4-6 weeks after spring planting. Apply a complete fertilizer or special rose fertilizer, as too much nitrogen will decrease blooming. Always follow label directions. Work the fertilizer shallowly into the soil and around the plant, keeping it away from the stems. Additional application may be made every 4-6 weeks during the growing season. Final fertilization should occur around mid-August, as excess nitrogen produces new soft growth that could be susceptible to winter kill.  

Disease Control: Both cultural and chemical controls are recommended to control diseases. Some common cultural control measures that will greatly help include: purchase disease-resistant cultivars, avoid overhead watering, water early in the day so the plant dries out before dark, plant with good ventilation, remove and destroy infected leaves and canes, and mulch soil around plants. The most common diseases are black spot and powdery mildew, although the virus Rose Rosette is becoming increasingly problematic in our state (see OSU Fact Sheet EPP-7329 for more information). Spray early and often with recommended fungicides.

Roses are forgiving and a little pruning with good clippers and thick gloves will be repaid with the sight and smell of summer blossoms that are unique only to roses. For more information on rose care, refer to OSU Fact Sheet HLA-6403 (Roses in Oklahoma) for rose maintenance and EPP-7607 (Diseases of Roses) for rose disease identification and control.