Now's the time to:

  

1)            Water your plants: Proper watering is the key to survival for newly planted flowers and shrubs.  Too much water is evident when leaves start to yellow and drop from the interior of your plants.  The plant is trying to shed excess water.  On the other side, too little water will yield an edge burn of plants where life can not be sustained in the outermost region of the leaf.  Leafs actually burn back from the edges inward.

  We sell moisture meters which will tell you when a plant is wet or dry if you can not tell.  Proper deep watering of a plant is recommended.  A dram watering wand is an excellent investment for irrigating plants.  Lawn sprinklers are NOT recommended for irrigating plants.  Keep in mind also, plants are as individual as you and I.  If you are thirsty in the morning and do not take a drink till the evening, something will happen to you.  This causes stress on plants as well.

 2)            Feed your hanging baskets: If you want outstanding healthy hanging baskets, water and a weekly water soluble fertilizer program are a must.  Pandy’s 20-20-20 fertilizer is awesome.  Its what we use here and you can see the quality of our baskets.  Mark your calendar to fertilize weekly with this product.  A tablespoon mixed with a gallon of water will do the trick to keep those plants blooming.

 3)            Remove spent flowers on your annuals and perennials: A plant pushes all its power into creating seeds to survive.  By removing blossoms the power is pushed back into the main plant, thus creating a more vigorous healthier plant.  You may even get more blossoms this year by removing spent flowers.  Now is a good time to separate iris.  Be sure to water them after moving to new location!

 4)            Prune summer blooming shrubs now for shape : Keep your shrubs looking great and promote more flws.  By pruning spireas, weigelias, potentillas…new growth will appear and future flower buds will be set and bloom in about 6 weeks.

 5)            Apply Weed Preventer to your landscape beds: Weeds love to grow almost all year long especially in August with hot weather.  By attacking them with an application of Preen, most weeds can be prevented.  Make sure you sprinkle your beds lightly AFTER you shake Preen granules around.  This activates the chemical and you will obtain outstanding results.  Hand pull other weeds where necessary and use Round-up or Killzall to eliminate existing weeds.

 6)            Watch your plants for pests, diseases and snails or slugs: Keep an eye open for chew marks or holes on your plants as well as yellow or black spots on leaves.  You may have insects or diseases attacking your plants.  If you notice something strange happening, bring in a leaf sample and let us help you identify what could be going wrong.  Many insects are out this year and with the high humidity, diseases are at an all time high.

 7)            Fertilize your lawn w/organic fertilizers: Espoma organic lawn food or turf-tone applied now will improve soil structure.  Better soil equals better grass.  This helps your lawn rebound after drought conditions.

 8)            Plant fall and winter vegetables now: Carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach and radishes should now be sown directly into your garden.  Add some Espoma garden tone when planting and you’ll be ensured a great harvest this fall.

 9)            Change water in your birdbaths and fountains: Still water allows mosquitoes to breed rapidly.  By changing water every 7-10 days, mosquitoes do not have a chance to breed and wildlife will appreciate a fresh drink.  As an extra precaution, Mosquito Dunks may be put in baths to aid in mosquito prevention.  They are biologically safe and last up to four to six weeks.

 10)          Apply milky spore to your lawn to aid in mole damage prevention: As Japanese Beetles return to soils, an application of Milky Spore will help eliminate grubs which moles like to eat.  This product when used properly can stay in your soil for up to twenty years.  No grubs for 20 years!

 11)          Read the label: Before using ANY product, read the directions and follow the recommendations.  Rigorous testing has been performed and rates of applications have been studied for optimum results.  It is not advisable to stray from recommended rates and application guidelines.

 12)          Call us if you have specific questions: We’re here to help and want you to succeed in your gardening hobby.  440-324-4314