If your spreader type isn’t mentioned on the bag, follow these steps to figure out the proper setting:  If the bag says to use 2 lbs per 1000 square feet, start by measuring off 1,000 square feet, use a low setting and see how long it takes to cover the 1,000 square feet.  Adjust setting accordingly.

Close the spreader when you get close to beds or sidewalks so no product is wasted.  Remember, for good coverage, go one way at ½ recommended rate, and then the other way at ½ recommended rate.  Broadcast spreaders are made to overlap so don’t worry if your lines aren’t exact.  Rinse the spreader well after use.

Spreaders are used on lawns to apply insect control, pelletized lime, fertilizers, fungicides, weed preventers and weed killers.

That’s it! Now you know how to use a spreader!

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Benefits of Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses are tough, easy care plants to grow in Arkansas landscapes.  There are many different kinds that grow to a variety of sizes and offer interesting plumes.  Plumes are what grass blooms are often called.  While grasses may not have the showy petals and sepals of more traditional flowers, these plumes are unique and often show stopping!

Although most of our winter hardy ornamental grasses are not evergreen, most turn an attractive tan color when they go dormant.  The plumes that are so showy during the fall remain on the plant during winter as well.  The winter look of ornamental grasses is as interesting as an evergreen shrub.

Pampas grass, as described in this video by Gregg, has large feathery plumes and can tolerate both wet and dry soils.  Most grasses prefer well-drained soil, and don’t thrive in wet soils.  All are drought tolerant once established.  Pampas grass can get quite large but dividing it periodically will keep the size in check.

Planting ornamental grasses in the fall is recommended because not only do you get to enjoy the plumes all season, the plant roots also have time to get established before going dormant.  Use Good Earth brand Jump Start at planting to help roots establish even faster!

Caring for grasses is easy; cut back in mid-February, and fertilize with a balanced fertilizer such as Start-N-Gro during the growing season.

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It’s important to spend a little time getting to know your soil.  This will help you create the perfect growing environment for your lawn and landscape plants.  This post covers pH, which is the measure of a soil solution’s alkalinity or acidity.  Other soil health-related items to consider are organic matter, soil moisture level, and proper nutrients.

Step 1

Don’t make assumptions.  For example, native soil in central Arkansas is typically on the acidic side of the pH scale.  However, we are seeing that soils brought in for new landscape construction are more alkaline. Soil pH is key; it influences the availability of nutrients essential to plant health, as well as organic matter decomposition. Decomposition of organic matter adds natural nutrients into the soil, improves drainage, and benefits the soil’s ecosystem.

Step 2

Collect soil and take to your local county Cooperative Extension office.  Make sure you remove bark, stones and other large particles of organic matter.  For more detailed information about collecting and submitting your soil sample, click here.

Step 3

Bring your soil sample results in with you.  In general, you apply sulfur for alkaline soils, and lime for acidic soils.  The soil test will give a recommendation of what is needed but it can be difficult to interpret.  We can help guide you to the best solution.

Step 4

Invest in adjusting your soil pH as needed. Some nutrients get ‘tied up’ at certain pH levels.  This means that sometimes you can be applying the best fertilizers and they aren’t accessible to your plants because of the soil pH level.  Investing in pH adjustment can help decrease the number of fertilizer applications, and help overall plant health.  Soil tests will also list what nutrients are needed; you might need to add nutrients or micro nutrients to the soil as well as adjusting the pH.Plants are an investment; taking care of your soil health can increase their longevity.

Step 5

Retest.  Soil pH isn’t static; it can change over time.  Test every year for a few years and apply recommended adjustments.  Then back off a bit and test every few years, unless issues arise.

The post Getting to know your soil for the perfect growing environment appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Learn about fertilizer, azaleas and crabgrass here!

Apply Fertilizer in Summer

Summer chores can make all the difference this fall.  Remember to fertilize azaleas several times through the end of summer.  Apply Ferti-Lome Azalea/ Evergreen Food Plus; this will both feed your azaleas and control lacebugs.  Lacebugs are the most common insect pest on azaleas.   For more information on growing azaleas, visit this blog post.

Lawns also benefit from summer fertilizer applications.  Apply Good Earth brand Weed Preventer with Slow Release Nitrogen Fertilizer every 60 to 90 days during the growing season.  This will provide nutrients for your lawn and prevent weed seeds from germinating.

Kill Existing Weeds

A post emerge weed killer, such as Ferti-Lome Weed Out will take care of many broadleaf and grassy weeds.  Image or Sedge Ender may be necessary for nutgrass and other difficult to control weeds.

Treat for Fungus

If you had lawn fungus issues last fall or this spring, stay diligent.  Apply fungicide through fall to keep fungus from spreading.  We have both fungicide granules and sprays available.

Finish the season strong by fertilizing azaleas and treating for weeds, such as crabgrass, and fungus in lawns!

The post Fertilizer, Azaleas, and Crabgrass Control appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

The post Prevent and Control Weeds appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

To Begin, Document problem areas

We have been getting many reports about small twigs on lawns; these can be caused by wind, or squirrels but they may also be victims of twig girdlers.  These insects feed on the tender bark near branch ends and mate before laying eggs and girdling twigs (see image above for a visual of twig girdler symptoms).  Twigs are girdled because the larvae cannot overwinter in living twigs so the branches are girdled and either remain on the tree or fall off.  Cleaning up and destroying those that fall is a good control method; it removes the larvae that would become adults and repeat the process next year.  Another great reason to do a fall clean up of landscape areas.  Removing dead landscape material reduces insect eggs and fungus spores that could emerge next year.

Now is the time to take some notes on problem areas.  If those azaleas always have lacebugs, note it.  If the gardenias were covered in whiteflies all season, put it on paper.  With gardening and landscaping, half the battle is planning and prevention, so taking stock this time of year will give you a some helpful reminders of what you need to do next spring, when the bright, exciting newness of annuals blocking out the realities of late summer!

This is also a good time to take notes on possible transplanting.  Stand back and take a good look at what you have going on and what worked and didn’t work in it’s current location so that once it goes dormant and loses it’s leaves, you will remember the transplanting plan.  On perennials, mark them so that when they go dormant, you know right where to dig.

The lawn is going dormant but there are still important lawn chores!  Kill existing weeds by applying a post emerge such as Weed Out, apply pre-emerge to prevent new weeds from emerging, apply winterizer, and treat for grubs one last time, if you haven’t done so this fall.  Last but not least, we are seeing brown patch show up in lawns right now (mid-October).  With soil temperatures still warm, it would be good to treat with a systemic fungicide this fall and follow up next spring with another  These chores will insure that your lawn is healthier next year!

Pruning tips

If those perennials are looking more like weeds than garden plants, consider trimming them back.  For example, when the hosta leaves are turn yellow…you might as well trim off those leaves!  Other perennials with foliage going dormant can be trimmed off too.

Don’t get too carried away on the pruning; be careful not to prune shrubs that bloom off old growth.  This includes Encore azaleas, which should be pruned after the spring blooming, and most hydrangeas, which should be pruned after the blooming ends in the summer.

It’s time to shop!

Fall is the BEST time of year for planting trees and shrubs.  Use Good Earth brand Jump Start at planting…this product will help your plants absorb up to 1,000 times more nutrients and water.  Mulching will help the soil retail moisture and it will also reduce weeds!

Annual color should be fertilized, mulched and watered in well.  Encourage blooming by fertilizing with Ferti-Lome Premium Bedding Plant Food, which has a high phosphate number reflected by the middle number on the package.  Supplement with water soluable, high phosphate fertilizer, such as BR-61, during the fall, winter and early spring.  Plants are growing when temperatures are above 45 degrees for a few days.  Removing spent blooms throughout the season will promote blooms.  Treat the planted areas with a pre-emerge every 60 to 90 days for weed control of winter weeds.  Applying at least 3 inches of mulch will also discourage weed growth.

These are a few things to consider this time of year, but there are many more, so stop by Good Earth Garden Center for more information and great gardening tips from the experts!

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One of the first things to remember is NOT to disturb the mound.  Don’t kick it, don’t poke it with a stick, don’t go over it with a weed eater or lawn mower, don’t try to burn the mound down, don’t shoot it with a shotgun…and last but not least, don’t blow it up! We have known some people to say they have had success using one of these methods but it’s highly unlikely…not to mention unsafe!  So…what’s left?   Properly treat the mound using one of the following methods:

• Baits: A bait product, such as Amdro, can be sprinkled around the mound so that the worker ants take it down into the mound, the queen will eat the bait and become sterile.  It can take up to 2 to 3 weeks but the mound will be completely eliminated.

• Wettable Orthene: Another method would be to use Hi Yield Fire Ant Control with Acephate using a pump up sprayer and spreader sticker, which increases the effectiveness of the chemical.  Mix well before spraying. Watch our You Tube on spreader sticker to see what a difference this product makes.  Pump the sprayer up as much as possible and set the sprayer nozzle to spray as hard as it can.  Apply some to the outside so as the ants try to escape, the product will kill them.  Insert the wand into the mound as you as spraying.  If possible, go to the bottom of the mound.  Continue to let the product flow, use anywhere from a half gallon to a gallon.  This is a faster way to get rid of a mound than the bait.  This has a great residual effect so as they crawl out, they will continue to die.

• Granular products: You can also spread a granular product such as Hi Yield Turf Ranger or Ortho Max Fire Ant Killer with spreader; make sure you measure the area and set the spreader at the correct level.  Most bags will cover approximately 5,000 square feet.  These products do not require any water or rainfall to activate.

• Co2 product: And last, there is a new product on the market called Ant Zap, which uses CO2.  You put the wand down in the mound and release the CO2…this will suffocate the ants.

So, don’t go blowing up your fire ant mounds…just treat them properly!

The post How to Get Rid of Fire Ants appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

• There are three basic kinds of sprayers… we will start with hose end sprayers, which simply attach to the end of a water hose.  These have a bottle for the concentrated chemical to go in…or some bottles fit directly on the sprayer, no mixing needed. Hose end sprayers are usually used for insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. Set the hose end sprayer to the correct number on the dial by reading the chemical label to see how many teaspoon or tablespoons are recommended per gallon.  The main dial is for tablespoons and removing this pin and placing it in the tube here will restrict the chemical flow and turn the dial setting into a teaspoon rate.  Attach the sprayer to the chemical bottle, turn on the water and spray, soaking the intended plant materials.  Coverage is key for control so spray both the top and undersides of leaves and trunk plus any debris under the plant.  Hose end sprayers can reach up to 45 feet, depending on water pressure.  Plus there is no mixing of chemicals needed!

• Pump up sprayers are great for weed control.  Measure the chemical according to directions, add it to the container, then add the recommended amount of spreader sticker to increase the chemical’s effectiveness.  Put the lid on and swirl it around to mix it.  Pump the sprayer up, adjust the nozzle for spray pattern and spray.

With hose end sprayers and pump up sprayers, make sure you triple rinse the container before storing and run water through the nozzles to rinse the applicator.

• Last would be a no-clog sprayer, which used to apply a water soluble fertilizer only such as BR-61.  This sprayer should not be used for pesticide applications.

That’s it!  You are ready to spray your lawn and garden chemicals!  Be sure to follow label instructions carefully.

The post How to Use a Sprayer appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

1.  To prune or replace?  The winter storm damage has brought this question to many minds in Little Rock.  Take a look at our previous blog post for detailed pruning instructions and images plus guidance on whether to prune or replace based on specific damage examples.  It can be difficult to re-establish screens and hedges with a mix of new and old materials, depending on maturity.  Bring by or email us images of you landscape for specific advice!

2.  As plants break dormancy, it‘s a great time to apply systemic insect control such as Ferti-Lome Tree & Shrub Systemic Insect Control, especially on plants that experience insect infestations last year.  This solution controls a wide variety of insects, is easy to apply by watering into the plants’ root zone, and lasts for 12 months.  This product works well for lacebugs on azaleas, whiteflies on gardenias, and aphids on crape myrtles, just to name a few.  Insect eggs can overwinter on debris under plants so a good clean up will help reduce issues also.

3.  We are very excited about Bonide Sedge Ender, a pre and post emerge weed control for both cool and warm season grassy and broadleaf weeds!   Yes, nutsedge, clover, and wild onions will be a thing of the past!  Bottom line, you need a bottle of this in your garage if you or your neighbor have lawn weeds!

4.  Fertilizing your shrubs is especially important this year due to the storm damage and last summer’s extreme temperatures.  As plants break dormancy and push out new growth, apply Osmocote or Ferti-Lome Start-N-Gro.

5.  Warm and cool season weeds germinate at various temperatures, year round; a good rule of thumb is to apply pre-emerge every 60-90 days. Hi Yield Turf and Ornamental Weed and Grass Stopper is a good pre-emerge that can be used on both lawn areas and in landscape beds.

6.  It’s time to start thinking about summer color, vegetable gardens and herbs!  Remember, the pansies look good now but when the heat hits, they melt away!

7. And perhaps most importantly, shop the garden center to investigate new possibilities and get ideas!  It’s a fun time of year to be outside so what are you waiting for?

The post Tips on Getting Your Landscape Back Into Shape! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Pruning is the first step to getting that landscape back on track.  Now is the time to prune back struggling and heat stressed perennials.  And it’s also a great time to fertilize perennials with a natural slow release fertilizer like cottonseed mill or Milorganite.  Shrubs and trees will also benefit from a slow release fertilizer application.

All that heavy summer watering has used up your last fertilizer application long ago, plus lawns that were stressed this year will have a more difficult time greening up next spring.  All of this makes adding nutrients back into the soil this fall very important.  Natural fertilizer like Milorganite or Bonide Lawn Winterizer are both good choices.  Be sure to pre-emerge with Good Earth Weed & Grass Preventer also to really set a good foundation for next year.

Now that the temperatures have cooled down and we should be getting some natural rainfall, sprinkler water times can be reduced.  Watch your landscape carefully to make sure you aren’t over or underwatering.

And thank goodness it’s time to get rid of those faltering summer annuals!  Bring on the pansies and mums!  Prep your color areas by removing the summer annuals (if you have any left!), and breaking up the existing soil.  The summer drought might have hardened areas that were pliable in the spring.  Breaking up the soil adds oxygen to the soil, increases water percolation, and increases nutrient levels of the soil, all of which will help the roots of your fall plantings grow and get established.  Next, it’s time to do some soil amending. For perennial and annual color areas, we suggest using what the professionals use; Good Earth Brand Professional Growing Mix!  Its’ mix of organic matter, perlite, pH adjusters and Actino root protection provide an optimum growing environment.  Now you are ready to shop, plant, fertilize and mulch!  More on that next month.

This is also an ideal time to evaluate your entire landscape; what survived, what needs to be transplanted and what needs to be re-planted.  Fall is perfect time to plant trees and shrubs so make a list and come visit The Good Earth Garden Center!

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