Hello, everyone, and happy belated Independence Day. July 4 is the mid-point of gardening season, too, as gardeners typically enjoy their hobby from April through October. By now, the early blooming plants are spent and the mid-season blooming plants are thriving. Half-way does not mean cruising to the finish line. Now is the time to give your landscape the mid-season jolt that can provide benefit for many weeks to come.
Summer annuals require a little TLC at this time so they continue to produce the blooms which make them so attractive. Remove spent blooms and cut back weak stems. Fertilize with a water-soluble fertilizer. Purchase fertilizer with higher phosphorus concentrations.
Phosphorus is an essential element needed to produce blooms. It is the second number listed in the fertilizer ratio. An example is 15-30-15. In the example 15-30-15, the 30 is phosphorus.
Now is an excellent time to fill in bare areas in your plant beds with perennials. Garden centers still have a good supply of plants, and you may find them at discounted prices. Be sure the plant is healthy and not stressed. A stressed plant, even if it is on sale, is not a good purchase. Stressed plants are a magnet for insects and disease. Perennials planted now will require a little extra watering to help them establish. It will be critical to have at least three inches of mulch around the new plant to conserve moisture.
It is not too late to plant vegetables in the garden, either. Many crops can be planted now and harvested before the first killing frost. To be safe, I use October 15 as that date. Research the plant for the number of days to harvest and subtract from October 15. Such plants as kale, broccoli, and cabbage can withstand light frosts and can be harvested in late October.
Here is a timely mid-season lawn tip. Sharpen your lawn mower blade. A dull blade tears the grass instead of shearing the blade. If your grass tips are yellow and jagged a couple of days after mowing, time to break out the file. You get your hair cut with sharp scissors; mow your grass with a sharp blade.
So far, we have been experiencing a fabulous growing season. Last week, while traveling across central Virginia, I had a pleasant surprise: I saw some corn tasseling at the end of June! My granddaddy, besides being a fine man, was also an excellent farmer and gardener. He would be disappointed if his corn was not tasseling by July 4. I bet he would be happy this year.
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