TROP'S TIPS
(Tips are organized by the month. Scan down the page for the right month.)
|
Trops Tip Page Part 1
Feb. 15- Feb. 29
|
|
| TIP # 1. | Finish preparing the soil, add lots of organic material. Add organic fertilizer @ 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. If you have never added rock minerals this would be a good time to do so. I like Garden Ville Volcanite @ 10 lbs. per 200 sq. ft. I also like to use the Alliance Combo Soil Amendment. This is a combination of corn meal, wheat bran and molasses. It adds some organic material, feeds the microbes, and helps prevent soil born diseases. |
| TIP # 2 | Plant onions ASAP |
| TIP # 3 | Plant potatoes on the 21'st |
|
In The Perennial Garden
|
|
| TIP # 4 | Prune
your roses now! Hybrid bush roses should be cut back two thirds, remove all dead
wood. Trim antique roses and climbing roses only as needed, again remove all
dead wood from the plant. This can be our coldest month, so make sure all beds are properly mulched! Always make sure plants are well watered before a hard freeze. Plan your new gardens now, its a slow time of year and I offer free consultations in the Rockwall area. |
|
In The Yard
|
|
| TIP # 5 | Apply
Corn Gluten meal now for spring weed control. Remember, this also feeds your
yard. Apply at a rate of 10 lbs. per 500 sq. ft. Fertilize trees and shrubs anytime now. If you have any weak, sick, or damaged plants, now is a good time to get started on "Howard's" sick tree program. |
|
Trops Tip Page Part 2
March 1 - March 15
|
|
| TIP # 1. |
Plant those green leafy things now, spinach, lettuce, assorted greens, & cabbage. |
| TIP # 2 |
Root crops can go in net week. |
| TIP # 3 |
Plant broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage A.S.A.P. |
| TIP # 4 |
Get your tomatoes seeds started now or put transplants in pots as soon as you can find them, this will give you a head start on spring. |
| TIP # 5 |
Watch for worms on cool season veggies, apply Dipel dust or spray with Thuricide. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!!! |
|
In The Perennial Garden
|
|
| TIP # 6 |
Finish cutting back perennials now, transplant and thin if needed. Its okay to feed them now with a good “organic” soil food. |
| TIP # 7 |
Look for cool season annuals to plant now like: snapdragons, dianthus, petunias, alyssum, primrose. |
| TIP # 8 |
Geraniums are out now and can tolerate 28 degrees. Great for pots with alyssum around the edge. |
|
In The Yard
|
|
| TIP # 9 |
Don’t be afraid to plant trees and shrubs. Get those roots established before it gets hot. |
| TIP # 10 |
If you haven't applied corn gluten yet you better hurry! Otherwise, apply regular organic fertilizer. |
| TIP # 11 |
It’s time to get the beneficial nematodes in for control of fleas, fire ants, grubs, and termites. |
| TIP # 12 |
Remember not to prune early blooming shrubs until after they bloom. |
| TIP # 13 |
Use the sick tree program on any weak plants, especially red tip photinias. |
|
Trops Tip Page Part 3
March 15 - March 31 "Quote of the week" "Pulling and digging weeds from your garden is good for the soul."
|
|
| TIP # 1. |
PLANT! PLANT! PLANT! Average last freeze is March 20. But always be ready for one of those late cold snaps. I have seen it snow in April. Tomato and pepper plants are now in as well as fresh herbs. WE still have some cool season veggies in but you better plant quick! If you are still preparing your soil, don't forget the Alliance Combo soil conditioner, it contains corn meal, wheat bran, and molasses. MULCH all bare soil. Use a fish and seaweed fertilizer to foliar feed your plants ( NO MIRACLE GROW! ) |
|
In The Perennial Garden
|
|
| TIP # 2 |
Continue to clean, thin, and transplant if you have not already done so. Fresh perennials are arriving weekly, and last years perennials are still on sale for half price! $3.00 on all gallons, $2.00 on quarts, $1.00 on all 4 inch. Be sure to wait for your bulb foliage to turn yellow before cutting them back. If you have had a snail or slug problem try applying a thin layer of cedarcide granules before you mulch. I did this for the first time last year and my hostas were killer almost all season. Re-apply as needed. And again, MULCH all bare soil, and foiler feed with a fish and seaweed emulsion.
|
|
In The Yard
|
|
| TIP # 3 |
Fertilize turf and shrubs with a good organic soil food at 20 pounds per 1000 sq. ft. ( see coupon below) I personally like to use a different type of soil food each time I feed. Remember, diversifying your garden covers many different areas!!! Don't touch those spring blooming shrubs until after they bloom. This is a very good time to add lava sand, greensand, and dry molasses. It is also NEMATODE time now. You can control fleas, fire ants, termites, grub worms and thrips by applying now. FEED THE BIRDS! |
|
Trops Tip Page Part 4
April 1 - April 15 "Quote of the week" "Spiders are our friends"
|
|
| TIP # 1. |
GO FOR IT !!! Get those tomatoes and peppers in! Sow them seeds! If you have just a small space, try a super bush tomatoe, its very compact. Green beans are also easily grown from seed, and if you have never eaten fresh green beans from your own garden, then you have missed out on something really special. For a little head start we have 4-pak starts of squash, cucumbers, okra, eggplant, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Use Garrett Juice or a Fish and Seaweed emulsion to foliar feed your plants. Garlic pepper teas can be used to repel insects. Mulch bare soil.
|
|
In The Perennial Garden
|
|
| TIP # 2 |
You still have time to thin your plants. this is also a good time to transplant seedlings that have come up in odd places. Move them quickly and keep them moist. They will dry out very fast. If you have more plants then space then share with a friend. April and May are the two best months to find the best selection of plants. Prune spring flowering shrubs after they finish blooming. Release beneficial insects like Lady Bugs, Praying Mantis, and Nematodes now. Annual summer color is arriving daily, but hold off on planting periwinkles, zinnias and caladiums for at least two weeks maybe four. These guys like it warm and slightly dry. Use an organic granular fertilizer when planting, then supplement that with Garrett Juice or my favorite, Fish and seaweed emulsion. Mulch bare soil. |
|
In The Yard
|
|
| TIP # 3 |
Weeds seem worse then ever this year. So don't freak out to bad. Most of what you see will burn off in the coming weeks. You can use 10 or 20 % vinegar to spot treat weeds. Just remember, vinegar will kill all that is green, so be careful. Also remember to apply on a warm sunny afternoon. If you haven't fed your grass, trees, or shrubs yet DO IT! Fire ants are moving now, so apply those beneficial nematodes now and treat individual mounds with a compost tea and orange oil solution. We sell it as Garden Ville's Auntie Fuegos Soil Conditioner. FEED THE BIRDS!!!
|
|
Trops Tip Page Part 5
April 16 - April 30 "Quote of the week" "Put your hands in the dirt, have some real fun"
|
|
| TIP # 1. |
Well, our Easter cold snap came just like it always seems to. Luckily, it did not freeze. I hope you covered anything that might have been tender. So now it is official, plant everything you can get your hands on. We still have a great supply of vegetable starts. Watch for those pesky aphids on your plants. Release some Lady bugs and watch them chow down. Keep foliar feeding, weeding, mulching, and using garlic pepper spray for repelling insects.
|
|
In The Perennial Garden
|
|
| TIP # 2 |
This is my favorite time of the year, the perennial garden is beginning to wake up. Everyday some thing is popping its little head up! It is still cool enough to move things around if you need to. Just remember to keep the roots moist while transplanting. Aphids will sneak in here too, so let the Lady bugs do there work here too! Fire ants are popping up, treat with beneficial nematodes and treat mounds with a mixture of compost tea and orange oil. I would still wait a week or two before planting caladiums, periwinkles, and zinnias. Keep mulching, weeding, and feeding.
|
|
In The Yard
|
|
| TIP # 3 |
Brown patch is rearing its ugly head again. If you let it go last fall it will return again in spring. Get out the horticultural corn meal and treat all affected areas. Feed your trees, shrubs and grass if you haven't done so already. Look out for the little green worms knawing on your dwarf yaupon hollies, treat with Thuricide, this is a biological worm killer. Keep releasing those beneficial insects. FEED THE BIRDS!
|
|
Trops Tip Page Part 6
May 1 - May 15 "Quote of the week" "Surprise your friends, share a flower with them"
|
|
| TIP # 1. |
Keep the weeds pulled and ground mulched. Continue to foliar feed with Garret juice or Fish emulsion. Its been a cool spring so watch for powdery mildew and soil born diseases. Use baking soda at 2 heaping tablespoons per gal. add a couple drops of liquid soap. Use horticultural corn meal in the soil. Try using the Cedarcide granules as an insect repellant on the ground around your plants. I use it and like it. Plant those warm season veggies now like okra, watermelons, cantaloupes. |
|
In The Perennial Garden
|
|
| TIP # 2 |
Your plants should be popping up now. As seedlings emerge you can carefully transplant them to other areas of your garden. Be sure to keep them moist and water them in with garret juice. If you have pansies and snaps in let them go until they completely play out. If you have enough room some of the snaps can be cut back and left to grow through the summer. Some of my snaps have a fungus called Rust, break out the baking soda. This is a great time of the year, enjoy all your surprises. REMEMBER: May 8 is the first annual garden tour. My home is on the tour. I have tickets at the shop, they are $5.00. The tour is from 9:00 to 1:00. |
|
In The Yard
|
|
| TIP # 3 |
Feed if you haven't done so already. You may begin sowing bermuda grass seed now. Don't let it dry out. You still have time to get those nematodes out. This has been a good spring to apply them because of all the rain. So try to plan on applying them right before a good rain. I'm seeing yards with left over brown patch, so if you did not treat those funny yellow/brown circles in the grass last fall then you need to put out the corn meal now. NOTE: These circles are probably NOT grubs!!!! If you have specific problems, bag them up and bring them to the shop and I will try to help you.
|
|
Trops Tip Page Part 7
May 16 - May 31
Question of the
week "Is anybody out
there?" Please
e-mail me
and let me know if you would like me to continue this page.
|
|
| TIP # 1. |
My okra has died. It has been a cool wet spring so the warm season veggies have struggled a little bit. You may need to replant. Lots of aphids this year, let loose some lady bugs. Wet cool weather can add up to disease problems, so keep on with the baking soda spray and corn meal. Be ready for the hot weather by making sure that you have plenty of mulch around your plants. |
|
In The Perennial Garden
|
|
| TIP # 2 |
If you have not pulled your pansies, snaps, and other assorted winter color out yet, it is time to do it. If you have room, you can just cut back the snaps and dianthus and see what happens this summer. If it is not a scorcher many of these will perk back up in the fall. The hot weather plants are coming in now. So go ahead and plant Zinnias, periwinkles, moss rose, purslane and one of my favorite summer annuals: pentas. Summer perennials include: hardy hibiscus, blackfoot daisy, vining verbenas, summer phlox and black-eyed susan. Don't forget to leave some room for another one of my favorite summer annuals: ORNAMENTAL PEPPERS!
Keep mulchin' and keep feedin' and enjoy before it gets to hot. |
|
In The Yard
|
|
| TIP # 3 |
If you applied Corn Gluten Meal back in March or fertilized early in the season you may want to put down your second feeding now. If your grass is a little weak or you are just starting on the organic program it won't hurt to feed again right now. I'm still seeing a lot of brown patch in the grass, so watch for that and treat with corn meal. I'm seeing a lot of scale come thru the shop also, treat with horticultural oil. In case you are new to the "NATURAL WAY" let me share something with you. I have seen more herbicide damage this year than I've seen in years. WHY? Because of nurseries and chain stores selling "Weed and Feed" products. Evan back when I sold those nasty chemicals, I hated the "Weed and Feed". Most people do not read the label and apply these under the drip line of their trees or too close to the root zone of tree and shrub beds. The heavy rains have washed this 24D weed killer into the roots, good luck after that. It can take years for a plant to recover, if it does at all! Spread the word, go the "NATURAL WAY" *Please E-Mail your comments to "tropjohn@sbcglobal.net" THANKS
|
|
Trops Tip Page Part 8
June 15 -June 30 THINGS TO DO |
|
| TIP # 1. |
Finish planting your summer annuals before it gets much hotter. It always helps to give them some growing time before we start cooking. It is time for your summer feeding of your lawn and beds. I always throw a little fertilizer in my beds when I Fertilize the grass. Remember to change up the type of fertilizer you use. Diversify the soil food just like you diversify the plants!! Raise your mower height to help conserve water. ALWAYS MULCH THE CLIPPINGS!!! Mulch all bare ground to keep plants moist and keep weeds down. Break out the fish and seaweed emulsion to give your plants an extra boost, this also works as a mild insect repellant. You can still plant almost anything you want just make sure to prepare the soil properly and water deeply.
|
|
THINGS TO WATCH FOR
|
|
|
TIP # 2
|
With all this rain I'm seeing a lot of fungal problems. Apply corn meal to lawns and planting areas. Use a Neem oil product on things like roses, crape myrtles, and veggies. Spider mites are as bad as I've seen in a long time. If you think you have them use this test: get a white sheet of paper and shake a leaf over it, look for tiny red dots crawling around. If you see them crawling then you got them. Use lady bugs for small problems, or switch to a Neem oil for larger problems. REMEMBER: even organic contact killers are non selective, they kill both good and bad, so spray only as a last result. Once the rain stops and it gets hot again watch for the grasshoppers to move again. Get them while they are young with Nolo bait. FIRE ANTS: treat individual mounds with Garden Ville's Auntie Fuego, this is an orange oil product, works great! Remember to sneak up quietly on them critters and drench, NOT SPRINKLE, the mound. It has been wet enough to still apply benificial nematodes If you need further help, E-mail me or just stop by the shop. Please bring me samples to look at! Keep your hands in the dirt and have fun gardening!!! Trop |
|
Trops Tip Page Part 9
July 1 -July 31
Quote of the week "Summer is for hardcore gardeners" THINGS TO DO
|
|
| TIP # 1. |
Watch your watering, too little or too much becomes critical this time of year. Heavy mulching will help to conserve water. It is time to plant your fall tomatoes now. If your spring tomatoes still look good then hang in there with what you got. Right now I have Celebrity and Merced. Fertilize your grass if you haven't already done so. I always wait and let my grass tell me when its ready to eat! Last week it did just that, The grass blades were just a tad yellow. (I really don't hear voices in the grass, well, maybe) Planting becomes more difficult as it gets hotter. Proper bed prep is crucial! The best annuals for right now are pentas, purslane and lantana. Keep foliar feeding with a fish and seaweed emulsion.
|
|
THINGS TO WATCH FOR
|
|
| TIP # 2 |
Brown patch in your grass, treat with horticultural corn meal. White flies on hibiscus, mandevilla and all sorts of other plants. If you hit the leaves and all these little white critters start flying up your nose then you have a white fly problem. Treat with weekly spraying of fish emulsion. As it gets hotter, watch for grass hoppers. Apply Nolo bait now to the perimeters of your property. Feed the birds so they will be around to help eat the grass hoppers. Use a citrus product to get rid of the mosquitoes. Apply cedarcide granules to the beds to slow the mosquitoes there. Cedarcide works well for the snail and slug problem. There has been some kind of problem with the manufacturer and it has been hard to get, but I'm working on it. Fire ants can be treated with orange oil and compost tea. The ground is still wet enough right now to still apply beneficial nematodes. Usually by the end of the month its too hot and dry to effectively put them out. Use the " Sick Tree Treatment" on any weak or damaged plants. If you need further help, E-mail me or just stop by the shop. Please bring me samples to look at! Keep your hands in the dirt and have fun gardening! Trop |
|
Trops Tip Page Part 10
Sept. 1 -Sept. 30
Quote of the month "Watch for the Golden Orb Garden Spider, he is our FRIEND!"
THINGS TO DO
|
|
| TIP # 1. |
Clean and cut back your perennial plants as needed. Don't be afraid to trim them hard, they can take it. Begin applying Corn Gluten Meal now @ 10 Lbs. per 750 Sq. ft. Dry molasses can still be applied at 10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. Begin planting mums now. But be sure to buy Mums with tight buds, If they are blooming at the first of September, they will play out too fast. Finish planting warm season grass seed by Sept. 15 Start planting cool season grasses like rye and fescue after Sept.15 Plant the following in your veggie garden: Beans-9/1 Beets 9/1-10/1 Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage and Cauliflower 9/1-10/1 Carrots, Chard, Collards, Lettuce, and Spinach 9/1-10-15 Remember FALL is a wonderful time to plant, so start planning and prepping now so as soon as the hot weather breaks you can start planting. DO NOT PLANT PANSIES UNTIL AFTER OCT.1!!!!!!!! You CAN start planting Snap dragons and Dianthus now, but I personally wait until I plant my Pansies. Which is around Oct. 15 |
|
THINGS TO WATCH FOR
|
|
| TIP # 2 |
Aphids: apply lady bugs or spray with Garret juice and garlic tea Spider mites: worst I've seen in years. If you see webbing on your plants just cut your losses and mulch it or spray with Fish and seaweed emulsion. Proper watering helps also. Brown patch: apply corn meal at 10 lbs per 1000 sq. ft. Fire ants: D.E., Orange oil product, or beneficial nematodes. White flies: Fish and seaweed emulsion
If you need further help, E-mail me or just stop by the shop. Please bring me samples to look at. Keep your hands in the dirt and have fun gardening! Trop (More Tips to be Added, Check Back Later!)
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ?
|