Plant Advice
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This section is for hints and tips relating to the month
If you have any questions you would like answering please contact us using the contact form or phone the garden centres.
SEPTEMBER HINTS & TIPS
PLANTING TIME
The autumn is natures time for planting such as spring bulbs, trees, shrubs, perennials, onion sets and garlic.
PATIO POTS & CONTAINERS
Replace summer bedding when it is past its best with autumn pansy, violas and polyanthus that will provide colourful winter flowers if placed in a sunny position.
MOVING PLANTS
The autumn is a great time to move any shrubs and clumps of perennials that are growing in the wrong place.
DO YOU KNOW YOUR ONIONS
As soon as the foliage folds down and starts dying back, the onion crop is ready to harvest and store.
LAWNS
Now is the time to apply autumn lawn feed and moss killer. This will strengthen the roots of your grass helping it to survive even the coldest winter days keeping your grass green and healthy, also moss free.
AUGUST HINTS & TIPS
ROSES
Get a second flush of roses in the late summer & autumn if you dead head by pruning the blooms as soon as they begin to fade following each flower head down and cutting it away just above a leaf.
CLIMBERS
Now is the time to give wisteria its summer prune shortening all long side shoots to 25cm. This tidies it up and stops it producing further growth. If your wisteria is against a wall, or growing in a pot, give it extra water, as the soil can get very dry.
TRIMMING
Trim lavenders and santolina to prevent plants getting lanky.
VEG
French and runner beans will continue cropping provided you keep picking and watering them regularly. Take care not to let the pods get too big and old as this will stop the plant producing further flower and beans.
TOMATOES
Erratic watering will have a dire effect on your crop. Allow the compost to dry out and it can cause fruit to split when you start watering. Irregular watering can also cause a condition called blossom end rot, where a dark brown patch develops on the base of the fruit. Avoid these problems by watering regularly, damping down the greenhouse and feeding with tomato feed.
JULY HINTS & TIPS
FRUIT TREES
Pruning fruit trees during the summer promotes the edvelopment of flowering shoots, so increasing fruit production in future years.
How to go about it? Simply shorten every side shoot growing from the branches to about five leaves from the tight cluster of foliage at the base. Then snip back any further sideshoots growing out of these to just one leaf. Pruning to early encourages unwanted growth so its a job to do in the last week of July.
It is also advised to thin out tiny apples to encourage larger apples to develop
DAMPENING DOWN
If you have 5 minutes to spare every morning dampen an the area with a can full of water. The water will evaporate through the day, raising the humidity level around your plants and reducing their need to water as a result. It is also a good preventative measure for red spider mite
WEEDS
keep hoeing to beat the weeds and prevent weed seeds from germinating. Choose a hot, dry day for hoeing, pushing the hoe back and forth, with the edge just below the soil surface
STRAWBERRYS
Propagate strawberries by peggin fown healthy runners into small pots of compost. Plant these out once they're well rooted to create new fruit buds. Differant varieties ripen at differant times. So buy fresh stock to extend your strawberry season
BEDDING PLANTS
Remember to dead head all your flowering plants regularly this will encourage an abundance of flowers. Also feeding with an appropiate feed such as miracle gro or nutrifeed will keep your plants green and healthy and reduce the risk of attack by pests and diseases.
JUNE HINTS & TIPS
LAWNS
If your lawn is looking a bit weedy then use Bayer Advanced lawn weed killer. This is ideal as a selective weed killer and controls butter cup, trefoil, daisy and dandelions. Always read the label when applying. For a lawn to be proud of use Westland Aftercut as a lawn feed and conditioner for a quick and easy way to feed your lawn.
FRUIT & VEG
If your fruit and veg are being attacked with green or blackfly use bugclear for fruit and veg at first sign of the pests appearing, then repeat again in two weeks. This should keep your precious fruit and veg strong and healthy. Always read the label when applying.
WEEDS
At this time of the year they grow very fast and you need to keep on top of them. Westland resolva 24H gives a fast knock down and Effective control of annual and deep rooted perennial weekds. resolva 24H kills most weeds with a single application but some tough weeds may require a second treatment. If your drive or paths have weed in them then use Pathclear seasons long weed killer - one application kills and prevents wees for up to 3 months. Ideal for gravel paths, gravel drives and waste ground. Always read the label when applying.
BEDDING PLANTS
To keep your bedding plants and hanging baskets looking fresh and watered we would suggest you either use the watergel that holds upto 4 times much water or invest in a Gardena microdrip system that can be set to water as and when you like.
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