We are often asked; "How did you get that plant to look that good?" The answer is simple. We don't use any secret plant growth potions. Everything we do to our plants, the the average gardener can do with a little planning.
The basics that will give your plants the best chance to look the best are as follows.
*Start with a healthy plant. * Plant it in rich soil with plenty of organic matter. *Position in a spot that gets the right amount of sun. *Irrigate with the proper amount of water. *Feed it with the right fertilizer. *Keep the bad bugs and diseases away. *Prune as needed. And let nature do the rest.
On this page you will find some tips that we would give to any gardener to get their plant(s) to "look that good".
If you would like to see more articles on plant care or discuss your gardening experiences. Go to our blog site : http://word.bloomingwoodsnursery.com
Almost all of our tips are relevant to most of the lower 48 United States. We suggest that you consult with your local Agricultural extension office / agent for any specific advice. Contact information for the local Ag extension offices can be found at www.csrees.usda.gov/extension
Before you get too far in your landscape planning. You will need to know what United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) growing zone you are located in. When choosing plants, only use the ones suggested for your zones and you will have the best success.
Click on the map below to see what zone you are in.
click the map for USDA tempature zones.
Start with healthy plants: Once you have decided on what grows best in your location, you will need some plants. Be sure to get plants that are free of disease and pests.
Good places to start are your local independent garden centers and growers. Independent growers and garden centers tend to have higher quality plant materials and a more knowledgeable staff than the big box stores.
Online plant sales have emerged as an option for the average gardener to have access to almost limitless varieties of hard to find plants. Make sure that your online supplier actually grows the plants that they sell and has control of the quality of what the ship out.
For our Ebay store and plant auctions click here Go to our online catalog click here
Soil composition: Type of soil , Most ornamental plants prefer to grow in well drained loam type soil with plenty of organic matter. If your soil has heavy clay or is mostly sand then it might be necessary to amend the soil. We grow our container plants in a mix of peat, ground up pine bark, and sand. You can amend your soil by mixing in peat, pine bark, home compost, worm castings, composted manure and sand.
Contact your Ag extension office about having your soil tested not only for soil type but also nutrients that may need to be added.
Soil pH, acidity or alkaline:
pH, stands for potential hydrogen . Hydrogen is an essential element a plant must have to survive. the pH scale is 0 to 14, pH 7 is neutral any number lower is considered acidic any number higher is alkaline.
Many plants are sensitive to high pH (alkaline) or low pH (acidic) soils. Most of the soil in Florida is neutral (pH 7), to alkaline (above pH 7).
Plants such as camellias, gardenias, azaleas, blueberries, roses, holly, junipers, cedars, prefer a lower pH. If the pH is too high these plants will have leaf yellowing, will not thrive, or can even die.
A good soil pH meter is essential to every gardeners tool kit.
Sun light requirements:
One of the first things to consider with any new landscape planting is the sunlight requirements of the plant. Plants such as most roses prefer a more sunny location but will do fine in five to six hours of full sun. Others such as azaleas would rather be in filtered shade most of the day. Before planting take a look at how much southern exposure you will have and where tree canopies might block the sun throughout the year.
Water requirements: Just as important as knowing a plants sunlight and soil needs, the watering requirements are a top priority to having a healthy plant. This probably seems obvious to most gardeners. However, over or under watering continues to be a problem we see often.
Drought tolerant plants such as: Century plant ( Agave), Buddleia, Plumbago, Indian hawthorne, Bottlebrush trees, lantana and some ornamental grasses will suffer if they receive too much water. Other water loving plants such as Louisiana Iris, giant rose mallow and wetlands grasses won't survive unless they are in very moist soils. Check the labels or talk to your plant supplier about recommended watering requirements.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF FERTILIZERS
The different types of chemical and organic fertilizers that are usually commercially available can be categorized into:
Complete inorganic fertilizers: – these types of inorganic fertilizers contain all three major macronutrients, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). On the containers you will find that these macronutrients are depicted as a ratio, e.g. 10-10-10 or 6-8-8.. Complete inorganic fertilizers are usually applied at a rate of 60g/m2 or roughly 4 tablespoons per square meter.
Special purpose fertilizer: – these types of fertilizer are formulated especially to target certain plants' requirements or certain soil deficiencies. Of the examples that come to mind here are the Azalea / camellia / gardenia and straight fertilizer that is made up of one particular plant nutrient for example lawn fertilizer.
Liquid fertilizers: – these types of fertilizer come in a variety of formulations and even include organic fertilizer, complete fertilizer as well as special purpose fertilizer. Some examples of liquid fertilizer are Nitrosol and African Violet Food.
Slow-release fertilizer: – these types of fertilizer are formulated to release their nutrients at a steady pace. On the packs of this fertilizer that are available commercially it will usually be depicted as (SR) where the SR indicates slow-release.
Fertilizer with insecticide: – these types of fertilizer that are prepared and combined with an insecticide. One such example is Wonder 4:1:1 (21) + Karbaspray.
Organic fertilizers:- these types of fertilizer have more diversity, organic fertilizers do not burn plant roots, get into ground water, or affect surrounding growth as is the case when using the different types of chemical fertilizer and NPK amendments. Organic fertilizer is commercially made from many sources such as; composted animal manure, worm castings, sea kelp, blood meal, fish meal bat guano or a combination blend.
Important micro-nutrients such as manganese, zinc, boran and others that are needed for healthy plant growth. It is important to know what types of nutrients each plant prefers when choosing the right fertilizer.
The reason why there are so many different types of fertilizers in different formulations is because different plants require different nutrients and different pH levels in the soil. Here at the nursery we use a combinations of all of the listed fertilizers at different times during the stages of plant development to keep our plants looking their best.
Sidney Stidham , Blooming Woods Nursery
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