Now is the Time,
Kerby's is the Place
July 30, 2015
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Now is the Time, |
July 30, 2015 |
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The great thing about the rain is that it really waters all of the plants in your yard. No matter how diligent you are at handwatering or running your sprinklers, the water that Mother Nature provides always seems to give plants an extra boost. So take advantage of the rainy season and plant something tropical and fun in your garden. The rain has even made the afternoons a little bit cooler, and of course it is a great time of year to work on shady areas of the yard. So there aren't any excuses, have fun in the garden this summer.
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In This Issue
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Featured Plant
Dwarf Yellow Mussaenda Mussaenda lutea Add a bit of brightness to shady areas of your garden with this lovely shrub. It grows around 3 or 4 feet tall, and spreads to make a nice rounded bush. It blooms throughout the warm months with lovely little yellow flowers surrounded with creamy white leaves that will keep your shade garden bright and beautiful. |
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A Fungus Among Us
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.
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
(such as the rose pictured with black spot.)
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.
Treatment
- In our humid season, no matter how clean your garden or how carefully
you water, you will likely face fungus problems. Before a disease spreads to
too many plants, treat with a good fungicide such as Captan, Thiomyl 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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The rainy season is here and that means regular afternoon thunderstorms (or
in the case of the past week, some day-long rainstorms). 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 and reduce
the amount of fungi in your garden.
