Radio Show Recap
This Week in Your Lawn & Garden:
- Mowing the Lawn | Raise the blade to 3 inches, and keep it there all summer. Don’t let grass get too long between mowings.
- Feeding the Lawn | If you want to take an organic approach, use Espoma Organic Turf-tone® All Season Lawn Food. SHOP Espoma Turf-tone®
- Azaleas & Rhododendrons | Fertilize now with Holly-tone® & Iron-tone® to encourage blooming, then again mid-summer. Wait until they’ve finished blooming this spring prune for shape and size. WATCH Azalea & Rhododendron Care
- Caring for Hanging Baskets | The potting soil we use in our hanging baskets contains HydraFiber®, a natural, pulverized, shredded white pine material that holds water better, which may lengthen intervals between watering. Feed every 6 weeks with Osmocote®. WATCH Hanging Basket Care
- Preparing Container Soil | Start your plantings right by following Angeo’s 6 Steps for Success planting guide. Start with fresh Petitti planting mix, and apply Bion-tone® starter fertilizer to help plants root, and establish well. Fertilize with Osmocote every 6 weeks. READ Angelo’s Container Guide
- Controlling Carpenter Bees | They’re active right now, drilling holes in untreated wood on eaves, fences, decks, and block. Spray their holes with an insect dust like Revenge® Spider & Ground Bee Killer or Eight® Insect Control Garden Dust. SHOP Revenge® Bee Killer
- Preventing Mildew | As roses, lilacs, crabapples, and clematis leaf out, start treating them now to prevent disease later. Apply Bonide® Copper Fungicide to these and other susceptible plants to prevent the onset of powdery mildew. It is easier to prevent by spraying ahead than it is to control the problem once it shows up. WATCH Fixing Fungus
- Spraying Fruit Trees | Plan to spray your fruit trees after they’re done flowering, not while they’re in bloom, with Bonide Orchard Spray®. Wait until you see that the spring flower petals have fallen, then spray the trees on a dry day as directed. WATCH Spraying Fruit Trees
- Solving for Slugs | Look for slugs to show up with the increased moisture, especially around Hostas. Sprinkle Slug Magic® granules in a circle around susceptible plants to prevent damage caused by these slimy pests. SHOP Slug Magic®
- Preventing Powdery Mildew | Start routinely spraying Bonide® Copper Fungicide now on Lilacs, Grapes, Clematis, Hollyhock, tall Garden Phlox, Roses, Bee Balm, Peony, and other susceptible plants as they leaf out to prevent the onset of powdery mildew. It is easier to prevent by spraying ahead than it is to control the problem once it shows up. SHOP Copper Fungicide
- Choosing Centerpiece Trees | Some of the best ornamental trees that mature to a smaller size than large shade trees (and won’t cause disruption with their roots underground!)…
Japanese Maple | Hydrangea Tree | Lilac Tree | Redbud Tree | ‘Parkland Pillar’ Birch | Several upright Crabapple SHOP Tree Selection