Water, feed, care, repeat!

More recently I seem to start my posts and blogs with the same sentence “It’s been a busy week on the nursery” it is getting busier and busier in everyones lives not just mine and the rest of the guys on the nursery, its becoming a way of life, rushing and juggling to keep on top of everything so this last month or two I’ve tried to get a grip on all of this, nothing is going to change how busy we are on the nursery but I can change how we all deal with this. So I set some things in place to ensure that I dealt with these things a little better, cutting out sugar and carbs from my diet was the first thing, reducing caffeine and alcohol and drinking much more water, the clarity that this brings and such a better nights sleep. I am also much better equipped to deal with the busy lifestyle and this got me thinking after a particular phone call and I am getting to the point.

At this time of year every year we get a good number of phone calls and perturbed customers who are concerned about their trees, plants or hedging. What is wrong with them? they aren’t doing well? They seem to have a disease? They have damage to them? And do you know what is wrong with them? They aren’t getting the care they need!

If you got a new puppy you would give him food, water and care, without that he would get poorly and eventually he would die. If you didn’t give him water for a day or two he would start to look very unwell but he can tell you quite quickly your trees and plants can’t as they are still fending for themselves at this stage but newly planted trees and plants are more susceptible to drying out, they are only just finding their feet in the new home, they need water especially at this time of year and newly planted means this season. They need care, they need water and when you are buying your plants ask how much water this plant will need, some like more than others. They will probably also need a feed to make them look their best, again ask your nursery, landscaper or garden centre when buying them what is the best feed, both at the time of year and for that plant but if in doubt chicken manure pellets are always a good general option, not when planting but after about six weeks and as a general rule of thumb mid March and early August.

If you’re trees and plants dry out, say this last week or two you didn’t water them in the good weather, you were too busy out enjoying the sun, your hydrangeas might tell you quite quickly as they start to droop but your hedges and trees will only let you know in maybe six or eight weeks time when the damage has fed through to the foliaged by that time you may have forgotten all about those two dry weeks in June and early July but that was when this damage was caused and although you haven’t done too much long term damage it will take another six to eight weeks for the improvement in that plant to show too. When a plant is lacking in the food and water it needs, again like us it is more susceptible to disease, its leaves can get much more damaged by any winds and its far less likely to be able to cope with bugs and so yes that tree now has an additional problem that its has powdery mildew or black spot to fight too and we wonder why it doesn’t look well.

So my friends the moral of this story is treat yourself well, your body and mind will thank you for it and do look after your plants, your garden will thank you that and where better is there to spend some quality downtime than in your own garden, gardening is the best kind of exercise and the rewards are there for everyone to see. Happy Gardening