(Why beneficial insects really are beneficial!)

Release the hounds! Not literally, but I do want you to release the Ladybugs, Lacewings, Praying Mantids, and Nematodes. They are fantastic hunters and a huge benefit to your lawn, flower garden, and veggie garden.

These beneficial hunters have many things in common. They are meat-eaters. They never eat your plants. They only eat bad bugs. Ladybugs and Lacewings will eat aphids, whitefly larvae, mealybugs, scale, mites, and many other soft-bodied insects. Ladybugs can easily eat over 50 aphids a day. Lacewings are voracious and eat as many as 1000 per day. Nematodes are power eaters of bad bugs in the soil. They will eat over 200 insects such as cutworms, armyworms, grubs, sod webworms, fleas, fungus gnats, etc. They are the best hunters ever because you do not have to care for them, feed them or train them. Their instinct is to go where the food source is.

There are a few things you can do to make these beneficials even more beneficial. Be sure to release them all at night. Ladybugs fly away in the day. Lacewing eggs and nematodes can dry up in the hot sun. Water the garden. The first thing Ladybugs do when you release them in your garden is drink. Lacewing eggs like the moisture for hatching. Nematodes spread more quickly when kept damp. Release these hunters at the source of their food. Place Ladybugs and Lacewings at the bottom of plants. Ladybugs naturally crawl up. Lacewing eggs will hatch and the larvae will immediately eat insects dwelling on the plant. Nematodes need to be in the soil, where they can attack their unsuspecting food source. Praying Mantids can hatch right in the container but you have to release them right away so they don’t gobble each other up. Otherwise, place the Praying Mantis egg case in the crutch of a plant outside and wrap it with dental floss or thread to hold them in place.

Ladybugs don’t always stick around for a long time but this is ok! Ladybugs will feed for a little bit but most importantly, they quickly begin laying eggs on your plants. Those eggs will hatch and give you voracious Ladybug larvae. The larvae are very cool. They look like mini black alligators with orange spots and they are hungry for bad bugs in your garden. When the Lacewing larvae hatch from the eggs you released, these Aphid Lions have serious munchies and eat over 1000 bad insects per day. Lacewings can have multiple generations in one season. How awesome is that!? Nematodes have been known to hang around in the soil, eating plant damaging insects for 2 years straight. Praying Mantids will mate and lay more egg cases on your plants for next season hatching.

These hunters are so easy to have around the yard. You will barely notice them but they will be very busy helping you eliminate plant damaging insects. Let them go and they will reduce your need to use pesticides in your gardens, they will keep your plants healthier, and they will become an integral part of your garden community.

Note: The Ladybugs that you buy from Van Wilgen’s are not the ones you see inside your homes. The beneficial Ladybugs are native to the USA and do not invade homes.

SHOPPING LIST:

*Ladybugs

*Lacewings

*Nematodes

*Praying Mantis

Just as you need the energy to get through your day, your plants do too. And of course, when it comes to family-friendly gardening, organic fertilizer is the way to go!

What is Organic Fertilizer?

Organic fertilizers contain only ingredients from plant, animal, or mineral sources. Examples of these kinds of ingredients are bone meal, kelp meal, and greensand.

Why Use Organic Fertilizers?

While it is true that all fertilizers ultimately feed nutrients to plants in the same form, it is the process by which they are delivered that makes organic fertilizers superior to others.

Three ways to think about organic fertilizers:

1. Gardening always starts with the soil. Organic fertilizer “feeds the soil that feeds the plants”. The process by which organic fertilizers deliver their nutrients enhances the fertility and structure of the soil.

Organic fertilizers are digested by soil microorganisms, which then release the nutrients in a form available to plants. This process produces humus, a spongy material that improves soil structure. When you improve soil structure, the soil is better able to hold the proper balance of water, air, and nutrients until they are required by plants.

Plants respond by developing larger root systems. Larger roots support more vigorous top growth and make plants less susceptible to drought. And by stimulating a healthy population of beneficial microorganisms in the soil, plants become more resistant to insects and diseases.

2. Organic fertilizers will provide slow, steady feeding, as the plants require it. The release process is slow and largely dependent upon three factors: the microbial population in the soil, moisture, and soil temperature.

A healthy population of microbes in the soil is necessary for the digestion process. Moisture is required to sustain microbial life as well as to keep nutrients flowing into the plant’s root zone. And soil temperature is critical because as it rises, plants require nutrients more rapidly.

Fortunately, microbial activity mimics these requirements and increases as soil temperature rises, so that organic fertilizers feed the needed nutrients as the plants require them.

3. Most of the time, the gardener isn’t the only one in the garden. Organic fertilizers are the safest choice for your plants and the environment. Unlike synthetic plant foods, organic fertilizers have an extremely low salt index, which means there is little to no risk of burning (dehydrating) plants in periods of extreme drought or when over-applying.

Organic fertilizers are generally very resistant to leaching out of the soil, so their nutrients stay in the root zone until the plants need them. And since most organic ingredients are byproducts from commercial farms and meat processing plants, the utilization of them for feeding plants is really a system of recycling much like composting.

So, when the debate of whether you should fertilize your plants pops in your head remember: organic fertilizer is the right choice for you and your family. Check out our fertilizers here.

Show your lawns some love this spring. Not only did trees & shrubs suffer from this snowy & windy winter, but our lawns also struggled quite a bit too. Snowplows scraped up edges of lawns along roads and driveways. Snow shovels scuffed up the lawns alongside walkways. Heavy, wet snow sat on our lawns causing bare patches and diseased areas. Salt dropped for melting ice burned out many lawn edges. Don’t forget about damaging tree limbs and branches fallen all over the ground. Now doesn’t all that make you want to show your lawn some love?!

The snow has melted (I hope). First things first…

1. CLEAN SLATE: Take a good heavy-duty rake, get outside, get some exercise and clean up all the winter debris on your lawn. If some of the grass tears up easily, that is okay. It means it was not going to make it through the year anyway.
2. SOIL TEST: Go to the CT Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven to get an initial reading of your soil. Knowing the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and pH levels of your lawn will get you off to a great start. Bring your tests to me at the Van Wilgen’s Solution Center!
3. GYPSUM: If salt damage from the winter storms has affected your lawn health, apply Gypsum. This is a wonderful, underused product that greatly reduces saline in your soil, improves soil conditions, and loosens compact soil.
4. FAST-ACTING LIME: If you got a soil test and checked your pH, we will know exactly how much lime you need to apply. If you just want to wing it, that’s okay because we always need at least a maintenance rate of lime every year to help our acidic CT soil.
5. MOSS OUT: The absolute best time to get rid of moss is when the temperatures are cooler out. Moss grows most actively when it is chilly out. Eliminate the moss now and seed after.
6. SEED: Do not leave bare patches on your lawn. If you do, beware! Weeds will take over big time and this is a battle you just don’t want. The best defense against weeds is a thick stand of turf, so seed, seed seed.

The attention you give your lawn now will pay off in spades later so show your lawn some spring lawn love.

SHOPPING LIST:

*Encap’s Fast Acting Gypsum

*Encap’s Fast Acting Lime

*Lilly Miller’s Moss Out

*Van Wilgen’s Grass Seed

*Starter Fertilizer

*Greenview’s Grass Seed Accelerator or Seed Success

*Mainely Mulch

Very unscientifically speaking, I think that if a mosquito and a fruit fly had a baby, it would be an adorable Fungus Gnat. Remember, all babies are adorable, even if it is a Fungus Gnat larva baby! Fungus Gnat is not a really beautiful name but it does fit. The Fungus Gnat is a very small fly, about the size of a fruit fly, with long legs like a mosquito. It got its first name, Fungus, because it loves to feed on decaying organic matter and fungus. The more decayed and damp, the better. It got its last name, Gnat, because it is a small fly that can be quite obnoxious when found inside our homes.

Fungus Gnats make themselves right at home in our indoor potted plants. To keep Fungus Gnat babies happy, all you need to give them is damp soil and a warm home. How did they get here? Did the stork drop them off? No, silly! Fungus Gnat adults are so small they can sneak into any little opening in your home. They can also enter the home in a bag of infested potting soil or from a plant that spent the summer outside. Most people confuse them with Fruit Flies. Unfortunately, Fruit Fly traps will not work for this nuisance.

Fungus Gnats do not have a long life, approximately 4 weeks, but they reproduce very quickly and can inhabit all of your potted plants before you can say, “Fungus Gnat!” The adults lay anywhere from 100 to 300 eggs at a time in the soil. You need to use yellow Sticky Traps by Safer in your plants to cut down on the adult, egg-laying population. Once they lay their tiny eggs, they develop into larvae in the soil. The larvae feed on the roots of plants and decaying fungus matter. The key is to control the larvae in order to get rid of Fungus Gnats in your plants. I have a few suggestions for control:

• *Allow plants to dry out as much as possible before injuring the plant. This will hopefully dry out the Fungus Gnat larvae in the soil.
• *Be sure not to overwater your plants or let them sit in water. Fungus Gnats enjoy feeding on decaying, wet roots and fungus.
• *Bonide’s Houseplant Systemic is a great product. Sprinkle it on the soil of each houseplant, water it in and it will begin to control Fungus Gnat larvae. Apply approximately every 3 weeks.
  
• *Mosquito Bits by Summit are a wonderful organic choice that is also sprinkled on the soil to control the feeding larvae. Do a few applications approximately 5 days apart.

I think I need to retract my earlier statement about all babies being cute. Honestly, Fungus Gnat babies are just not that cute and neither is the damage they do to our plants and seedlings. Unfortunately for the adults, what they lack in good looks, they do not really make up for in personality. I have got to give Fungus Gnats at least one, big, green thumb up…they are good pollinators!

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

WHAT DO THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

(How to protect our plants in winter)

The Winter Warlock is coming soon. With him, he brings salt, sun, wind, snow, and animals. This does not sound too bad, does it?! Hmmm. Let’s think about this. Salt, delicious in our food. Sun, great for supplying us with Vitamin D. Wind, cools us on the hottest of days. Snow, perfect for building snowmen. Animals, cute and fuzzy. This definitely is one way to look at things.

Let’s look at these things from the perspective of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Shall we?!

SALT: The big, mean, town trucks come along dumping drying salts along the roadside. Homeowners throw damaging salts onto their icy walkways and driveways. These salts dry out evergreens, cause leaves to brown and kill roadside plants.

SUN: This hot, yellow thing shines down from above burning up boxwoods and creating splits in the tender bark of maples, crabapples, etc.

SNOW: Although beautiful, giant snowplows pile it against hedges, causing them to suffocate, break and rot. Japanese Maples, Arborvitaes, etc. split under its’ weight.

WIND: It blows across branches and leaves drying them up, causing them to curl and fall off. Salty, ocean wind is the worst!

ANIMALS: Cute and fuzzy turns into mean and ugly when winter hits. Voles eat roots of roses and more. Mice gnaw at the base of tree trunks, making their survival difficult.

What to do? PLENTY! There is plenty of help you can offer to your plants to protect them from the Winter Warlock.

COMBAT SALT: Apply Gypsum to the soil around plants that are close to roads, walkways, and driveways. Do this before snow and ice are anticipated. Gypsum helps to displace salt from the soil so our plants do not absorb the deadly salt through their root system. Wilt-Pruf will also give leaves extra protection from salt spray.

COMBAT SUN: Wilt-Pruf acts like sunscreen for most of our evergreens. It helps protect evergreens, like vulnerable Boxwoods, from sunburn. Tanglefoot’s Tangle Guards work well to protect the bark of young trees from splitting due to sunburn.

COMBAT WIND: Rolls of Burlap staked to make a wind barrier for vulnerable plants will help to prevent drying winds. Look for Shrub Jackets and Winter Pals in the store to cover plants individually. Wilt- Pruf to the rescue again. It works to prevent leaves and needles from curling and dropping.

ANIMALS: Voles, unlike most animals do not go into winter hibernation. They love the Winter Warlock and all the snow he brings. They are most active under snow, chewing on plant roots and gnawing on bark. Mice also enjoy nesting at the base of trees and scraping away at the bark. Protect trunks with TreeKote’s Vinyl Tree Guard. I Must Garden’s Mole & Vole Repellent is a must to protect trees, shrubs, roses, and plants from vole damage. Apply this good smelling repellent in garden beds and around the base of trees and shrubs before the winter snow hits. It will really help!

Salt, Sun, Snow, Wind, and Animals. It all depends on how you look at it. These things can be good until Winter Warlock brings them to our trees, shrubs, and flowers. These are winter gifts they could do without. PROTECT THEM!

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

How to protect your trees & shrubs in winter

The Boxwoods, Rhododendrons, Hollies, Azaleas, and Arborvitaes were all hanging out around the birdbath that sits between the properties of two neighbors, the Protectors & the Forgetters. They often get together to chat about insects, diseases, and deer that have been bothering them. This time they joined to discuss the upcoming winter. All of them at the Forgetters home were dreading the upcoming winter. “We get so dry that our leaves ache. And forget about the sunburn! It takes us all spring to recover from that. Our owners have no idea how we suffer in the winter.” The Boxwoods and Rhododendrons at the Protectors were kind of looking forward to a winter rest. They did not suffer like their friends next door. “What is your secret? How could you possibly be looking forward to the cold, drying winds and hot, burning sun!?” The trees and shrubs figured they should share their secret considering they were their good friends.

With the first wind that came by, the Boxwoods and Rhodies leaned into their friends and whispered “Wilt-Pruf”. “Wilt-Pruf is our secret. They shower us in it every year around Thanksgiving. It keeps us warm and cozy throughout the winter. At first, it is a little sticky. It is a natural pine resin. Once it dries, we enjoy it immensely. Its waxy layers keep us from drying out and protect us from the sun. It is flexible too. We can still stretch our branches and sway easily in the breeze.” The trees and shrubs at the Forgetters could not believe that there was a possible miracle that could give them some relief through the long winter.

The Rhododendrons at the Protectors raved about Wilt-Pruf. “My leaves used to all curl up and get brown at the tips before Wilt-Pruf. The Protectors don’t spray us right now. They wait until closer to Thanksgiving or the beginning of December. We need to harden off before they spray us down. My Arborvitaes friends, you should definitely wait a little longer until you harden off. I don’t want you to get damaged. I do know that our owners never spray us when the temperatures are under 40. After all, we don’t want Wilt-Pruf freezing on our tender branches. Wilt-Pruf is the best thing that ever happened to us!”

The Arborvitaes at the Forgetters house had some hope again. If only they could get the homeowners to use Wilt-Pruf! But how? The Azaleas had an idea. “When the Protectors come to spray our leaves we will knock the empty bottle out of their hands with the first wind.” The Arborvitaes chimed in. “Great idea and then we will hide the empty bottle under our branches for the Forgetters to find.” They all raised their branches in joy. “Let’s hope our plan works, exclaimed the Hollies. We really could use some winter help. Wilt-Pruf to the rescue!”

(KEEPING RODENTS UNDER CONTROL FOR THE WINTER)

Hickory Dickory Dock, don’t let those mice run up the clock or anywhere else in your house for that matter. As it gets cold; mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and rodents get desperate. They start running around like “three blind mice” foraging for food and looking for warm and cozy nesting places. Your toasty, inviting home is a perfect spot for them to find food and shelter. It is nice to open our homes during the holidays but do you really want to open them to rodents?! Get as busy as the squirrels and start battening down the hatches.

*Scurry around the outside of your home and look for any holes or gaps that make for easy entry of these critters. They can enter holes as small as a dime. The expanding foam is a quick fix but they often gnaw right through it and make a cozy nest inside. Copper wool is a really good choice for filling holes. They hate the scratchy feeling against their furry faces.

*Sprinkle a granular rodent repellent around the outside of your home. It has a smell and taste they do not like, keeping them from entering your house, garage, shed, etc. The repellent scent will trick them and mask the smell of delicious holiday foods cooking in your house.

*Repel them from the inside out. Mouse Magic Mint Repellent Packets are perfect for inside cabinets, under stoves, and the inside of sheds, cars, and RV’s. You won’t mind the minty smell but they do not care for it a bit!

*One little cute mouse, usually means many more. If baiting put several bait stations throughout your house. Sill plates in basements, utility rooms, areas around piping, and electrical are often good spots to place a little bait. Don’t put baits out in the open. Rodents are tactile and usually like one side of their body touching a structure. They are skittish by nature. This makes them

feel safer.

*They will steal your last little crumb. When you leave pet food or people’s food out, they think you were being very kind and preparing a holiday snack for them. Seal food containers up tight. Don’t let them have a midnight treat.

*Little critters leave greasy little spots behind. This grease lets other rodents know that food is available and they may want to move in. Be sure to use a cleaner with a little bleach to get rid of rodent grease. Gross, I know, but it can happen, no matter how clean your house is!

Let’s get those little rodents to run down the clock and all the way out of your home, garage, shed, car, and/or RV. Check out my shopping list of helpful products below.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

SHOPPING LIST:

*Mouse Magic – All natural repellent – great for inside use

*Rat Magic – All natural repellent – great for outside

*Revenge Refillable Mouse Bait Station

*NEW! MOUSE X – All natural and safe way to eliminate mice

Your houseplants enjoyed a wonderful, long Summer vacation out on your deck, patio, front step, etc. They got to enjoy bright sunlight, warm temperatures, and many admirers. Sorry houseplants, but it is time to make your way inside. The days are becoming shorter and temperatures are getting colder. Most of your summer vacationing plants cannot handle the temperatures when they dip down below 50 degrees at night. Plants may show signs of damage if the nights get too cold consistently. Leaves may turn yellow, wilt, and drop off. Entire branches may die back or the plant may even meet its’ demise. We can take a lesson from snowbirds, chasing the warmth. They have been doing it right for years! Summer vacationing houseplants will be very happy that you are paying attention to them and not abandoning them out in the cold. However, if you take them too quickly from the bright, outdoor sun to inside house conditions they may not show you all of their gratitude. If you can transition houseplants slowly from outside to inside, they will be so much happier. For instance, take a plant that has been in the full sun and move it to a shadier part of the yard, under a tree, onto a covered patio, or even a screen porch. The longer your plants can transition outside before coming into your home, the happier they will be. If plants are light enough, you can bring them in at night and put them back out during the day. This way they get the best of both worlds, sunlight during the day and warmth at night. Being the “bug lady/terminator” that I am, I must talk to you about insect control for summer vacationing plants. Not only, can the move from outside to inside be difficult but often they have to deal with unwanted stowaways moving inside with them. Certain insects are very happy to make their home on your houseplants. While your houseplants are enjoying a nice summer break, insects are busy laying eggs on leaves and branches, hiding in cracks and crevices of the bark, or burying themselves in the soil of the pot. As you are moving your plants inside, it is very likely that you will not see these unwanted hitchhikers. Once the insects get inside with your houseplants, they have got it made! We turn the heat up in our homes. Bugs love this. The plants are a permanent food source for insects. They love this too. It is important to get rid of these stowaway insects before they become a big winter problem on your houseplants. The most common houseplant pests are aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, scale, mites, and fungus gnats. They are all in the “sucking” insect category except for fungus gnats. This means they suck the good juices out of our plants and excrete them in the form of honeydew. This honeydew can make leaf surfaces, floors, and furniture below the plants shiny and sticky. Plants will become weak. Leaves may turn yellow and drop. If the insects are not taken care of, the plant will struggle to survive. Sounds dire but it really is not! The solution is easy. You need to build your arsenal of insect control with Neem or Horticultural Oil, Bonide’s Systemic Houseplant Insect Control, Safer’s Houseplant Sticky Stakes, and Mosquito Bits. These are the perfect products to keep stowaways from becoming a problem. Use Neem or Horticultural Oil while plants are still outside and give them a really good spray down. This will help to smother any of those unwanted pests or pest eggs. If you have already brought the plants inside, no worries, you can spray them inside as well. Once inside, apply Systemic Houseplant Insect Control to the soil in the pot. Water it in slowly and your houseplant will happily absorb it into their entire system, protecting it from the inside out from damaging, sucking insects. Sticky traps work really well if you are being bothered by flying whitefly or fungus gnats. Mosquito Bits work organically and like a charm on annoying fungus gnats. There is always so much I could tell you but I am going to leave you with one last piece of advice in regards to overwintering houseplants… DO NOT OVERWATER THEM, FERTILIZE THEM & MOST OF ALL…ENJOY THEM!

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

Your lawn loves you. Do you love it back? Your lawn lets you walk on it, play ball on it, picnic on it, and just take plain old advantage of it. What do you do for your lawn? Do you show it any love? There are so many ways to care for your lawn but this tip is all about fall organic lawn care.

The best way to care for your lawn organically is to have a thick stand of turf. This means to seed and overseed and overseed again. Adding new seed to an existing lawn reduces bare patches. Bare patches set your lawn up for failure. The bare patches are where bully weeds take over. They show no mercy once they take hold. The best way to avoid these bullies is to add new grass seed to the bald spots. The greatest organic weed control is thick grass.

Keep your lawn mowed high all season long except for that very last mow of the year. If your keep your lawnmower set to a minimum of 3 inches, you are mowing as “organically” as possible. A lawn that is left high can withstand drought much better than a short lawn and also keeps weeds suppressed. The last mow of the year is an exception to this rule. This is one of the only times I recommend mowing the lawn shorter. A 2-inch height would be perfect. You do not want your fall lawn going into the winter in need of a haircut. Keeping it shorter for the last mow, reduces the chances of winter diseases such as snow mold.

Organic fall fertilization shows your lawn tons of love. I cannot stress enough the importance of fertilizing not only at the end of the summer but late into the fall. At the end of the summer, your lawn needs some recovery time. Fertilizer helps it to do this. I mentioned the last mow before. This is also a very important time to put down a fall lawn fertilizer. Once your lawn stops actively growing up top, it still grows down below. This is where the fertilizer comes into play. It pushes root growth and stores what it cannot use in its root system to use immediately in the spring.

A great way to think organically is to think about the soil. In particular, the soil pH is key. If your pH is off, then your lawn just won’t be happy no matter how much fertilizer or seed you throw at it. Test your pH. Pick up a DIY pH kit, bring your soil to me to test at Van Wilgen’s, or bring it to the Ct Ag Station. If your pH is low/acidic, you need to apply lime. Lawns need a pH between 6.8 to 7.2 to feel their best. Any other number and lawns shut down. Let’s keep our lawn naturally happy with Limestone.

Is your soil compact? If you want your lawn to thrive, it needs room to stretch its’ roots and absorb water. If your soil is like brown pavement, your lawn will always struggle. Aerate your lawn every 2 years. While you are at it, throw down a little more seed. Oh, did I say seed already?! I know I sound like a broken record sometimes but I just want the best for you and your lawn.

So, show your lawns some organic love this fall. I promise the love they return by providing you and your family oxygen and leisure space will be well worth it.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help.

SHOPPING LIST:

*Van Wilgen’s Grass Seed

*Espoma’s Organic All Season Lawn Food

*Espoma’s Organic Fall Lawn Food

*Milorganite

*pH Testing Kit

*Soil Doctor Lawn Lime

IF ONLY TREES & SHRUBS COULD TALK TO US,

WE COULD LEARN SO MUCH MORE!

If only trees & shrubs could talk to us. Oh, the things they would tell us! They could let us know when they need some water when they have had too much to drink, if an insect or disease is bothering them, and especially if they are hungry. We could be much better caregivers to our natural friends if only they could speak to us. Ah, but they do. They let us know when they are happy by becoming big, full, lush, and colorful. They also communicate their aches and pains to us through stunted growth, yellowing leaves, oozing sap, and so many other ways. If we pay close attention, we actually might be able to hear what they are saying. But, sometimes we just can’t! A lot of gardening is just trial and error. It’s often about just going for it, experimenting, and seeing what works.

If you know me, then by now, you know I am a huge fan of fertilizing trees and shrubs. Some might even say I am a fertilizer pusher! It is only because I want what is best for your plants. If trees & shrubs could speak or even yell at us, they might shout…”Gimme some food!” Everyone in the plant world knows that early spring and spring are excellent times to give your trees & shrubs a healthy dose of fertilizer but do we all realize how truly important it is to fertilize them in the fall? I KNEW IT WAS IMPORTANT BUT NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS I THOUGHT! I learn new things every day.

I always knew that it was important to give our trees & shrubs a half dose of fertilizer in the fall to help them recover from the heat and drought stress of summer. I also knew that the reason we suggested feeding them at ½ the amount we do in the spring is to promote recovery but not encourage too much new growth before winter. We always thought that fertilizing our trees & shrubs late in the fall would make it so they could not harden off and get damaged from winter weather. WELL GUESS WHAT GUYS? THIS IS NOT EXACTLY TRUE ANYMORE!

The new truth is that we can fertilize trees & shrubs late into the fall. We can fertilize them a full month after the first killing frost. We can fertilize them after all the leaves have fallen off the trees. Yes, guys, this is the new thing I learned and wanted to pass onto you. Logically, this makes so much sense. I have been encouraging customers to put down Fall Lawn Food after their last mow of the season for years, why not trees & shrubs too! The rationale is…trees & shrubs significantly slow growth in late fall. After they lose their leaves, they have practically stopped growing up top for the year, but they do not stop growing down below. It is not only okay but it is great to give trees and shrubs the right fertilizer late in the fall. The food you give them at this time will just promote wonderful, deep root growth and store itself inside the root system so it is immediately available to the plant right away in the spring. How cool is that you guys!

So, here I go again, pushing fertilizer on you. We learn new things every day. Fall fertilizer for trees & shrubs is more important than we ever imagined. So go for it! Your plants are talking to you. Listen.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

SHOPPING LIST:

*Espoma Tree-Tone

*Espoma Holly-Tone

*Espoma Plant –Tone

*Van Wilgen’s Control Release