Lawn & Garden

Enjoy these helpful tips on keeping your garden and lawn looking great and healthy! Please check back regularly for updated information throughout the year.

LAWN CARE
A healthy green lawn is a most welcome sight. Unfortunately a beautiful lawn does not just happen. It takes a few simple steps, but can be most rewarding without a lot of back breaking work. Follow these steps for success:

Regular fertilization with the appropriate product is a must. If you have a weed population seemingly taking over your lawn you might want to apply a fertilizer that will not only feed your lawn, but control broadleaf weeds after they are growing. An application of a "Weed and Feed" would be a good choice. It contains not only fertilizer for a balanced feeding but herbicide as well to control most broadleaf weeds. If your lawn is weed free, a good choice would be a good lawn food. It will maintain your lawns’ rich green color and give it the necessary nutrients for good health.

Awareness. Take the time to inspect your lawn. If you are beginning to notice dry yellow spots that seem to continue to grow larger in your lawn you are probably experiencing a problem related to grubs. There are monthly granules that will help solve your problems. It will not only kill the grubs, but it will also kill other lawn pests as grasshoppers, crickets, chiggers, ticks and fleas.

Proper watering. Remember as the warmer weather comes you may need to adjust the timing and regularity of your irrigation system. What worked well in the Spring is not necessarily going to be sufficient in Summer.

FERTILIZERS
You will be noticing some changes in fertilizers. Companies have been in the process of re-defining their products to give us maximum effectiveness for our particular climate and soil conditions. This has been several years in the making and just this Spring they have started production. Most all of your favorites have been tweeked a bit to serve you better. With this said it is time to feed your acid loving plants such as Azaleas, Camellias, and Gardenias. An application monthly through Fall would be adequate. Apply other fertilizers with your roses and your already growing annuals. It will strengthen them and give you an abundance of blossoms.

ROSE CARE
Roses, beautiful as they may be, are susceptible to insects and disease. To simplify the care of your roses you might want to use a systemic rose food. This will not only feed your roses, but will kill sucking insects such as aphids in one simple application. You might wish to try 2 in 1 Rose and Flower Care. Three common diseases of roses, are powdery mildew, black spot, and rust. When you find any or all of these, you need to apply a fungicide. Rose and Shrub Disease Control will take care of these problems. When you see the last blooms of the second flush of your roses, it is time to dead-head, or prune to get a healthy, beautiful third bloom. The best thing you can do for a rose is prune it. It will not hurt to cut them back as far as 2/3 of their present height. Prune as much as you do in Winter. Clean out the crisscrossing branches from the inside of the bush to allow for good air circulation. Cut back the remaining out growing branches just above an out growing leaf containing 5 to 7 leaflets. Fertilize them. Give them plenty of water. The results will reward your efforts.

PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL
Be on the watch for spider mites lurking in the dark, protected areas of your garden. Early detection stops destruction. Look for stippled, discolored or malformed leaves on broadleaf evergreens. On conifers look for patches of dry needles. These are signs of spider mite infestation. Most common garden insecticides will work to kill these pests. Inspect your Crape Myrtle now for signs of powdery mildew. They are particularly prone to this disease. Spraying them with a fungicide would be a good thing.

WATERING
Many times a day folks ask us what is wrong with their plants, trees, and lawns. Most frequently the problem with their plants is due to their watering practices. They usually surmise that they have been over watering. In general, over watering is NEVER a problem. It only becomes a problem when there is not proper drainage. More times than not we find the problem to be inadequate watering. The next question is usually how long should one water? There is no rule. It is up to each individual and their particular situation. Take time to inspect your garden for dry areas or excessively puddled areas. Adjust the water in these areas appropriately. Inspect your irrigation system. Correct any problems it might have. Look for broken or clogged heads. See that all heads are working properly and covering the areas they are supposed to cover. Many times enough water is being applied but it is not penetrating hard compacted soil. It may be running off slopes, or off lawns due to their grade. Water In can be applied in just such cases. It penetrates hard compacted soil and cuts water run-off. It allows water to go deeper where you want it so it can serve its’ purpose more effectively. Application is simple. A hose end sprayer is all you need, and once again the results are well worth the effort.

Potted plants are another story. They need not only to be watered, in most cases, daily, but because of the frequent watering, the nutrients in their soils become quickly depleted. Regular watering with a water soluble fertilizer will give great success, but remember, just as they need to be watered daily, they need to be fed with regularity. Every other week should suffice.