Posts Tagged ‘fertilizing’
Soil pH – Lowering
Q: I want to plant azaleas and rhododendrons in a spot where I had a vegetable garden last year. We had the soil tested last year and found the pH to be 6.1. Since azaleas love acid soil, what should...
‘Harvester’ Peach Tree – Spraying for a Full Harvest
Q: I have a five-year old ‘Harvester’ peach tree. It’s developing fruit the size of marbles in large numbers. Should I be spraying this tree with something to make sure I get a full harvest? A: You have already missed...
Chemical Composting Aids
Q: Are there any good chemical treatments to speed up and/or assist with the composting of dried leaves? A: Sure, add nitrogen of some form to the pile. My rule of thumb is 1 cup of 10-10-10 per pile with...
Daphne – Planting and Care
Q: I have a question about daphne. I have both a pink and a white variety. I know they like shade but what else should I provide them? A: I planted a Daphne odora ‘Areomarginata’ beside my entranceway two years...
Potting Soil – Reusing
Q: I have a big pot from which I’ve pulled all of the petunias and other summer annuals. I want to plant it with pansies but I don’t know what to do with the old soil. Do I have to...
Bradford Pear – Proper Care
Q: I have 5 bradford pear trees that are 2 1/2 years old. They seem to be growing OK but I want them to grow faster. I bought some tree fertilizing sticks and plan to put down 3 4 for...
Large Patch in Zoysia
Q: I have zoysiagrass. It was beautiful last summer…thick and green. I feel that the lawn maintenance people we have mowing our lawn did not keep the lawn cut low enough. It always seemed too high. They just started cutting...
Lantana – When to Prune in Winter
Q: I planted some lantana last spring. It was advertised as a perennial but it looks pretty dead now. Should I cut it back or would that be a waste of time? A: Winter lantana care simultaneously exemplifies the mystical...
Soil – Proper Preparation
Q: I recently purchased a house and all of the soil around it seems to be hard, red clay. I want to have flowers this spring but I know I’ll have to make the soil better somehow. What do you...
African Violet – Care
Q: I think I have an unusual indoor plant. It is a purple African Violet that has been blooming continuously for 28 months. It was given to me in Dec. 2000 in full bloom. After it lost those blooms it...
Organic Sources of Nutrients
Q: I am trying to have an organic garden. I know that I need to feed my corn heavily. How do I know how much fertilizer chicken manure contains? A: My friend Dr. Wayne McLaurin compiled a list of common...
Carpetgrass – In Centipede Lawn
Q: Last summer I planted a grass mixture in our newly graded lawn. It had carpetgrass to fill in quickly and centipedegrass to establish more slowly. Now I have mostly carpetgrass, quite a few blobs of centipedegrass, and a moderate...
Bermudagrass – Spring Dead Spot
Q: Our lawn is three years old and most likely infected with Spring Dead spot disease. We have bermudagrass sod in our front yard and have numerous brown spots which seem to be worsening now in late May. We called...
Bermuda – Removing Fescue in Summer
Q: My back lawn was originally seeded with fescue and the front lawn was sodded with bermudagrass. Over the years bermudagrass has spread through the back yard. At this point I think that if I could get rid of the...
Fertilizer – Burning Garden
Q: I broadcasted 13-13-13 granular fertilizer on some of my perennial beds and have made a mess. My monardas, mums, oriental lilies, hostas, hydrangeas, and black – eyed Susans are all showing signs of burn. Will the flowers survive or...
Corn Gluten – For Lawn
Q: Where can I buy bulk corn gluten meal? I want to do an organic care program on my 5000 square foot lawn. A: Hastings Garden Center in Brookhaven has small bags of the meal but you can also order...
