Caring For Pansies

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Caring For Pansies
March Pansy seedlings can handle some frost, so plant them in the garden as soon as they become available in the local garden centers; 2 or 3 weeks before expected last frost; about the time the lilacs in the neighborhood start to show their leaves. Space plants 6 to 8 inches apart.
  If Pansies are growing in good soil containing lots of organic material, they want only a light feeding in the spring when the seedlings are set out, about a half a teaspoon of slow-release granular fertilizer per plant. In poor soils use a bit more; one teaspoon of slow-release granular fertilizer per plant. That is all you need for the season.
April Pansies benefit from deadheading. This practice of snipping off the dead blossoms prevents the plants from forming seeds, thus stimulating the production of more blooms. It also keeps the plants looking attractive.
July When pansies finally give up in the heat of the summer, pull them out and replace them with some other colorful annual that loves the heat.
September Pansies are available again in the garden centers and can be planted to add color all fall and then survive the winter to be beautiful in the spring. No fertilizer is used in the fall planting.
October Plant pansies to get a head start on next spring. They will winter over just fine.
  After the hard frost is past, you can help the pansies make it through the winter by adding organic mulch around the plants and covering them with evergreen boughs.
 

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