The Kerby's Nursery E-Newsletter August 8, 2019 | ||||||||
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The Weekly Special | A Fungus Among Us | Gorgeous Houseplants | 2019 Workshops | ||||||||
Always Bring Your Umbrella
Listen
by Joey Bokor
'We don't need umbrella's honey, there isn't a cloud in the sky.' is not what we should have said. Instead we should have listened to Maddy, because just as soon as we arrived in downtown Tampa, the sky turned black, thunder boomed and an intense downpour began. I don't know if she felt it in her bones or what kind of premonition she had, but she sure was right. Of course, predicting rain in the summer in Florida isn't that risky. You're bound to be right 50% of the time. That sure has been true over the last couple of weeks. Sometimes it's been in the morning, sometimes it's been in the evening and a few times it's lasted almost all day long. With that in mind, the gardening article below has information about what to do for your plants when there is this much rain. It's the time of year where fungus rears its ugly head, and we want to make sure you are ready to face it. And since it is hot and rainy a lot of the time, it's the perfect time to take gardening indoors with houseplants. This Saturday at 10am, we're having our Houseplants Seminar. You'll learn how to care for houseplants, the best places to put them in your home and all of the benefits of having them around. When you can't get out in the garden, bring the garden inside. No umbrella needed. |
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The Weekly Special Houseplants. They bring the outdoors indoors. They clean the air you breathe, and, well, they're just beautiful. Join us for the seminar this Saturday morning and then pick out your favorite house plants for 10% off. This week only.
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Garden Tip The rainy season is arriving and that means regular afternoon thunderstorms. All around town, you see trees, shrubs and flowers putting on fresh flushes of new growth as they soak in the welcome water. However, if you're like us, you are also starting to see mushrooms pop up throughout your yards and flower beds, which is a sure sign that there is a fungus among us. Fungus thrives in wet areas and at times of the year when the humidity is high (which is almost all summer in Florida). It shows up in a variety of ways, from whole limbs dying and black spots on leaves, to brown patches and mushrooms in your lawn. Fortunately there are some preventative measures that you can take to keep your plants healthy. 1) Water Smart - We always lecture folks on not watering enough, but plants can have too much of a good thing. Make sure that you turn off your sprinkler systems when we get large amounts of rain and take a break from daily hand watering. Watering an already wet flower bed is a sure way to make fungus grow. When you do water in the humid season, make sure to do so early in the morning so that the plant can take up water during the day and leave the soil relatively dry by night. 2) Keep it Clean - To avoid spreading disease, keep garden areas clean and weed free. Weeds can often be hosts for plant diseases and of course, leaving piles of rotting leaves and weeds around will definitely bring fungus to your garden. Clean all lawn tools that you use with a light bleach solution. This is especially important if you've just pruned a plant that has disease on it. 3) Plant Well - Probably one of the best things you can do to protect your plants from disease is to get them off to a good start. For most plants, use a well-drained soil, such as Kerby's Planting Soil when you plant. A good soil helps the plant get nutrients and water, but also keeps the soil from staying soggy. If the area you are planning on planting in has poor drainage, think about creating raised beds, since most plants do not want to sit with their feet wet. Check out Kerby's Planting Instructions for more information on how to make plants happy. 4) Treatment - In our humid season, no matter how clean your garden or how carefully you water, you will likely face disease issues at some point. Before a disease spreads to too many plants, treat with a good fungicide such as Copper Soap Fungicide or Liquid Systemic Fungicide (the specific fungicide that you need will depend on the disease and the type of plant.) If you have a tough plant problem, bring a picture of the plant and a leaf sample into the nursery and we can diagnose the problem for you and get you the right treatment option. There doesn't have to be a fungus among us anymore. |
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Kerby's Nursery 2311 S. Parsons Ave. Seffner, FL 33584 (813) 685-3265 www.kerbysnursery.com |
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