We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! With the warmer weather, we imagine the plants and flowers in your outdoor pots have started to grow like crazy. Here are a few tips for you to use so you can keep your plants looking great all summer long.
Water - make sure to water regularly! If possible, water in the morning so your plants don't bake all day.
Fertilize - we use a slow-release fertilizer which lasts 3-4 months when we plant summer pots but it's a good idea to start using another fertilizer that encourages blooms about half-way through summer. We recommend Jack's Blossom Booster. You can mix it in water and use it to water your flowers once every 7-14 days. Within a few weeks of first use, you will really start to notice an increase in flowers.
Deadhead - it's important to "deadhead" (remove the spent flowers) regularly. Deadheading will cause the plant to produce more blooms.
Trim - don't be afraid to give your plants a haircut if you have a plant or flower that has gotten a little long or if one plant seems to be taking over the pot. Do be careful not to trim off too much at once however. A good rule of thumb is to trim less than 1/3 of the plant.
Pest control - one good thing about watering once a day is that you can notice immediately if a plant starts to fail. If something looks amiss, check for bugs on the underside of the leaves. If you do see bugs you will want to treat the plant asap. We use an insecticide called Eight which kills over 100 types of bugs so it will usually get rid of whatever is attacking your plant. You will want to use it several times over the course of a few weeks to get rid of the pests. Neem Oil and insecticidal soap are wonderful pest control options that are safe for organic gardening.
We all love pretty pots but not necessarily the upkeep, right? Especially in the heat of the summer! Let us know if you'd like to outsource the summer maintenance of your outdoor planters. Once a month in July and/or August we will pay your container gardens a visit to fertilize, deadhead, trim and treat for garden pests as needed. Our residential and commercial clients REALLY enjoy this monthly service! Let us know if we can help you maintain gorgeous planters all summer long.