Summer Landscape Tips!
Sometimes people are lucky with plants…but most of the time, it’s know when to do what! Here are some helpful tips that turn any thumb green!
Spring seasonal color CAN look amazing right up until the fall! For better success, trim annuals throughout the season. Everything from petunias to impatiens can get leggy and a good ‘haircut’ will remove stressed material and encourage new growth. Fertilize the seasonal color with a bloom inducing fertilizer…and there are many to choose from. BR-61 is a water soluble fertilizer that will increase blooming almost instantly! Seriously, it’s like steroids for your annuals. An organic, longer-lasting option is Espoma Rose Tone, a granular product that feeds for many weeks.
It’s time to fertilize for the last time this year. Espoma Plant Tone and Ferti-Lome Start-N-Grow are two well-balanced, slow release fertilizers for trees and shrubs. For azaleas, this is the last month to feed with Ferti-Lome Azalea & Evergreen Food plus Systemic. This product will treat the azaleas for lacebugs which is their most common insect pest. It’s a good idea to treat insect and disease problems this year to avoid heavier infestations and more extreme damage next year. This is the last month to trim mophead or lace-cap hydrangeas back; since they bloom on the previous seasons’ growth. Waiting to trim them will mean that next years’ blooms will be removed. Keep in mind that a light trimming of spent blooms can be done at any time but heavier pruning for shape should be done now.
Lastly, let’s talk about lawns. Specifically, the most annoying pest in the lawn…weeds. As weeds die out due to heat or even later in the season die back due to colder weather, don’t think this is the last you will see of them. Perennial weeds will spring back from the roots when least expected and those sneaky weed seeds will germinate while your back is turned. For weeds that are existing, treat them with either Ferti-Lome Weed Out or Bonide Sedge Ender. Prevent future weeds by applying a pre-emerge such as Hi Yield Turf and Ornamental Weed Stopper every 60 to 90 days. This product works great both in lawns and in landscape beds.
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