Prairie Blossom Nursery's Soil Recipe
Recipe covers 100 square feet.
Evenly spread the 3 bags of cotton burr across the 100 square foot area of your garden.
Mix the Bone Meal, Gypsum, and Start-n-Grow Fertilizer together then spread evenly over the 100 square foot area.
Finally till into existing soil.
Repeat as needed for each 100 square foot area of your garden.
]]>Blossom End Rot is a physiological disorder of tomatoes (and other vegetables) where the tissue of the blossom end of the fruit (the part of the fruit opposite the stem) breaks down and rots, thus reducing yield.
]]>Blossom End Rot (BER) is caused by a lack of calcium in the fruit. This lack of calcium may be due to low calcium levels in the soil. More often, there is plenty of calcium in the soil, but its availability for uptake and transport to the fruit is impaired. Drought stress, alternating soil moisture extremes, damage to a plant’s roots, cold soils and high concentrations of ammonium can inhibit calcium uptake.
Movement of calcium within plants is dependant on active transpiration. It moves from the roots into the fruit and leaves, via the xylem. Calcium moves more easily into leaves where it remains, it does NOT later move from leaves to fruits, it doesn’t have that ability.
Four things you can do culturally to help reduce BER are;
Adding lime or liquid calcium to the soil when planting will supply Ca to the leaves, but NOT the fruit. You can use Hi-Yield's Calcium Nitrate (the only form of Ca that moves into the fruit)
If you already have BER a two-fold approach may be necessary;
Improve fruit set with Ferti-lome's 'Tomato & Pepper Set.'
Apply to the BACK of the blossom and adjacent stems, repeat every 10 to 14 days. This will increase the speed of ripening and yield.
Also, Available is Fertilome's Ready to Use, 'Yield Booster'
Pepper, eggplant, watermelon, and squash fruits can also be affected by Blossom End Rot.
* Article Courtesy of Fertilome
]]>Mums, the shortened word for chrysanthemums are, low maintenance, easy to grow, loaded with flowers and they come in a wide selection of colors, flower types, and bloom times. A wonderful addition to any fall garden.
We try to grow a full range of hardy mums starting with very early varieties and finishing with late season extenders to keep you in color throughout the fall.
Our In-store information cards list each variety and show pictures, height, spacing, bloom time, growth habit, and vigor.
Early: Sept. 8th to Sept. 17th
Medium: Sept. 18th to Sept. 26th
Late: Sept. 27th to Oct. 5th
Very Late: Oct. 6th to Oct. 22nd
'Hardy' Garden Mums are the type you plant outdoors while 'Florist' mums are intended for a brief growing cycle and do not survive frost. (Root systems are different.) Hardy Mums grow best in a full sun location. Mature plants should be planted far enough apart so the foliage does not touch. Plant at the same soil level as original container and water in thoroughly. If planted in fall no fertilizer is needed until spring. Diseases are best prevented by mums being planted in well-drained soil with proper spacing to allow for airflow. It is also important NOT to water LATE in the day. Allow the foliage to dry before nightfall. |
'Trim In April, May, and June'Wait until spring to cut back dead stalks. To encourage branching and development of compact bushy plants, it is important to pinch-back your garden mums in the spring as soon as the growth is 4-6 inches tall. You can pinch about 1/2 of the new growth at the top of each and every shoot. Repeat this procedure throughout the summer whenever NEW shoots are 3 to 5 inches long. You can stop pinching around July 4th. |
Mums bloom in response to the shorter days and longer nights of fall.
Normal rainfall is often sufficient for mums. During dry spells, water as needed to keep from wilting.
Fertilize with Fertilome's 'Slow Release, Start-N-Grow' on April 4th and again on your final trimming - July 4th.
The vigor listed for each mum relates to both plant height and width.
Ther are three main growth habit's listed for mums:
Pansy
Pansies love the cold weather. They flower best in full sun. As a compact, low grower, pansies are ideal for edging and squeezing between rock walls and paths, as long as they can be removed in the summer. They are a great choice for early and late-season containers and complement spring-flowering bulbs. If you like a variety of colors, select plants from the same series. They will be similar in size and markings, regardless of the color.
A few examples are,
'Delta® Blotch Mix' |
'Delta® Blaze Mix' |
'Delta® Pure Color' |
Ornamental Cabbage and Kale
Are cool weather plants that need cool temperatures to produce best leaf colors. They can tolerate a light frost. A snap to grow, both look terrific in containers mixed with plants such as sweet alyssum, and pansy. Both plants sport boldly colored leaves in a painterly mix of pink, purple, white, and red.
Outer leaves remain a medium to dark green, while the centers turn color. Heads begin to color when temperatures reach approximately 60° F. 10-12 days.
'Ornamental Cabbage' |
'Ornamental Kale' |
'Ornamental' |
Celosia also is known as Cockscomb is one favorite.
Unique bold color that is sure to catch everyone's eyes and continue to bloom throughout the season. Easy to care for. Beautiful in mixed containers.
Celosia features showy plumes of flowers rising above the foliage from early summer to mid-fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season. Great for patio planters and gardens. Large, tight flower heads in strong colors.
A few examples are,
'Twisted Orange Ribbon'
|
'Intenz Dark Purple' |
'Dracula' |
Masquerade Ornamental Pepper is an early fruiting variety that thrives in fall containers, it bears abundant clusters of long peppers that start out purple, then turn yellow, orange, and finally red. Seasonal best a mounded pepper that grows to around 12" tall and 10" wide. These pretty peppers can be eaten, but be warned-- they're very spicy!
Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea (Coneflower) Petals are narrow, rolled, or quilled in vivid shades of orange, red, rosy-red, yellow, purple, and cream surrounding a large brown cone. Spectacular display from mid-summer to early fall. Plant habit is well-branched, strong, and bushy. Ideal for sunny borders, mass-planting, and growing in mixed containers.
Suntastic Sunflower is a new dwarf sunflower perfect as a cheery long-blooming potted plant or window box accent or maybe to add a burst of color to a sunny garden bed. Gardeners will love the number of flowers each plant produces up to twenty 5-6 inch flowers per plant in three successive blooming periods.
'Masquerade Orna Pepper' |
'Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower' |
'Suntastic Sunflower' |
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2 tbs. olive oil plus extra
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 white button or crimini mushrooms, sliced
12 oz. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
12 oz. marinara sauce
1 teaspoon, Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
1 cup cooked rice
6 oz. chicken broth
4 bell peppers of roughly equivalent size, stemmed and seeded 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the olive oil to large skillet, heat for 1 minute over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and mushroom, cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Bank to side of skillet. Crumble Italian sausage into skillet, brown on both sides, until meat is greyish pink, about 8 minutes. Add marinara sauce, combining ingredients in skillet. Then add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the basil leaves to skillet, cook until leaves wilt, turning bright green.
Combine sauce, broth and cooked rice in a large mixing bowl. Stir until blended, about 30 seconds.
Place peppers in baking dish, stuff peppers with sauce from mixing bowl. Add remaining sauce to the bottom of baking dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Place on lower rack of oven and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, until peppers are tender. Remove from oven, remove foil, top peppers with cheese, remaining basil and drizzle with olive oil. Place under broiler until cheese melts and begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
YIELD: Serves 4
1⁄2 cup medium Red Onion
3-4 medium Tomatoes
1-2 medium Cucumbers
1 cup Olive Oil
1⁄4 cup Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1⁄2 tsp. Salt
1⁄4 tsp.Pepper
1⁄4 tsp. Basil
1⁄4 tsp. Oregano
(optional) Head of Lettuce Chopped
(optional) 1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
Directions:
Slice Cucumbers 1⁄2” thick and cut in half. Cut Tomato into 3/4 inch pie chunks. Slice Onion into 1⁄4” slices. (optional) Chopped Lettuce.
Mix Olive oil, Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, Basil, Oregano and Dijon Mustard in a mixing *container. Pour over vegetables and chill. During mixing, taste-test your dressing to see if it needs more or less salt, pepper, or vinegar. If the mixture is too salty, vinegary, or peppery, add more olive oil. If the mixture tastes too oily, add more vinegar. Add the dressing to the Lettuce immediately, (and toss). since oil and vinegar tend to separate.
Note a couple of things:
The Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Vinaigrette Dressing is great by itself! However if you prefer a full salad, don’t add the dressing to the lettuce more than a couple minutes before eating it or your lettuce may get soggy.
YIELD: Serves 6
* If you have a salad dressing shaker or a plastic container or jar with a tightened lid, you can also combine the ingredients by pouring them all into the container, fastening the lid on tight, and shaking thoroughly.
(Article courtesy of Fertilome)
Apple, Hawthorn and Quince Rust are closely related rust diseases that require two hosts to complete their life cycle. All three rusts can infect most varieties of Eastern Red Cedar as well as many other junipers.
Cedar-apple rust infects mostly apple and crabapple. Cedarhawthorn rust infects those, as well as quince, serviceberry, pear, and hawthorn. Cedar-quince rust infects all of those - plus mountain-ash, cotoneaster, chokeberry, and quince.
Spores start out as galls on cedars, (see images) These galls show up about 7 months after infection. After about 18 months, in the rainy season, the galls will swell and form a gelatinous, orange-brown mass. (see image lower right ) This is when the spores are released and blown to the leaves of the plant to be infected. These spores can not infect the cedar, only other plants.
Once on the infected plant, the spores create lesions on the leaf surface, these will have the rusty look. As the fungus progresses, on the underside of the leaves, raised structures to develop. From these structures, the spores that will blow over to infect the cedars will come. This will occur in late summer.
Spray applications need to be applied before and during the time when the spores are present. (see the image) In the spring, watch the galls on the cedar trees and when you see the gelatinous masses enlarging, begin spraying every 7 to 10 days on the trees you want to protect, not cedars. On cedars, the applications need to be made every 10 to 14 days, late July through August.
On edible plants use Fertilome 'F-Stop' or Natural Guard 'Copper Soap', once the gelatinous masses begin drying up you may stop applying.
On non-edibles and cedars use Fertilome 'Liquid Systemic Fungicide.'
Cedar-Apple Rust Increase absorption and effectiveness of the fungicides with the addition of Hi-Yield 'Spreader Sticker.'
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Keep something in bloom continuously during the time hummingbirds are expected in your area. Native plants are a good place to start but don't limit yourself. Much effort has gone into developing flowers that hummers love!
Hummingbird favorites usually (but not always) have long, tubular blossoms that are red, orange, yellow, or blue, especially blue Salvia species; the shape limits insect access to the nectar inside. Hummers like blossoms with lots of concentrated nectar, preferring sucrose.
Listed below are some of the best plant families for "natural nectar."
ABUTILON, Chinese Bell Flower, Chinese Lantern, Flowering Maple
Bell-shaped blooms with a good show of color. Under cooler conditions, colors intensify.
4.5” Annual (not winter hardy)
AGASTACHE, ‘BLUE FORTUNE’ HYSSOP
Blooms heavily in early summer. Aromatic foliage has a peppermint-lemon scent when brushed against or crushed.
Perennial (Comes back every year)
ALOE VERA
Topical remedy for burns and sunburns, cuts, & skin irritations!
Succulents (not winter hardy)
ANISACANTHUS, ‘FLAME ACANTHUS
Prolific, trumpet-like, orange to red, tubular flowers bloom all summer until frost.
Perennial (Comes back every year)
AQUILEGIA COLUMBINE, ’SONGBIRD CARDINAL’
Several varieties. Perennial plants that are found in meadows.
LONICERA, ‘HONEYSUCKLE GOLD FLAME' AND 'YELLOW CHARME’
Flowers bloom repeatedly from summer through fall. Excellent vine cover for fences, trellises, arbors.
Nursery Stock (winter hardy)
MONARDA, BALMY™ ROSE
Bee Balm. Boldly colored, shaggy rich magenta flower-heads bloom in abundance atop a compact plant with very dark green, fragrant minty, basil-scented foliage.
Perennial (Comes back every year)
KNIPHOFIA, ‘RED HOT POKER’ MIX
Spikes topped by narrow, tubular owers from pale yellow to orange-red.
Perennial (Comes back every year)
PENSTEMON, ROCK CANDY™ PURPLE PENSTEMON
Sweet as candy yet tough as nails, this compact perennial. Plump, deep purple flowers with white throats.
Perennial (Comes back every year)
FUCHSIA, BELLINTO™ RED & BLUE
Trailing Flowers that look like Dancing Ballerinas. Deep blue petals with red sepals.
Annual (Not winter hardy)
HAMELIA PATENS, ‘MEXICAN FIREBUSH’
Hummingbird Bush produces showy terminal clusters (cymes) of bright reddish-orange or scarlet tubular flowers.
Annual (not winter hardy)
LOBELIA, ‘RIVIERA MIX’ AND OTHERS
Extensive range of colors!
Annual 6-packs (Not winter hardy)
TECOMA STANS/ TECOMARIA ‘MAYAN GOLD’
Yellow Trumpetbush. Plants have an exotic appearance with large gold flowers and glossy green leaves.
Annual (Not winter hardy)
SALVIA, RED HOT SALLY II
"Scarlet Sage". It boasts a darker red flower color and beautiful contrasting dark green foliage.
Annual (Not winter hardy)
SALVIA, ‘VICTORIA BLUE’, ‘VISTA PURPLE’
Foliage is an attractive grayish-green. Flowering Sage blooms all summer long.
Annual (Not winter hardy)
In a medium-size saucepan mix and boil for 1-2 minutes.
Cool & Store In Refrigerator
Never use honey or artificial sweeteners! Honey ferments easily and can cause sores in a hummer's mouth. Artificial sweeteners have no food value. Use food coloring in your solution only when it is from a natural source, as this could be harmful to your hummers.
Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosumare) packed with more cancer-fighting, anti-aging, eyesight-saving, and disease-fighting antioxidants than foods like spinach and salmon. The best way to get more blueberries is to plant a number of varieties so they cross-pollinate. More varieties mean that you'll have an extended ripening period, which is always wonderful.
]]>One of the biggest nutritional powerhouses that you can eat comes in a very small package. Blueberries are packed with more cancer-fighting, anti-aging, eyesight-saving, and disease-fighting antioxidants than foods like spinach and salmon. The best way to get more blueberries is to plant a number of varieties so they cross-pollinate. More varieties mean that you'll have an extended ripening period, which is always wonderful.
We try to stock both 'Blue Crop', 'Blue Ray' and 'Sweetheart' Varieties. ‘BLUE CROP’and ‘BLUE RAY’ highbush, blueberry varieties require acidic soil and are moderately drought-tolerant.
‘BLUE CROP’ Blueberry plants
Bluecrop produces big clusters of large, light blue, blueberries that are firm and somewhat tart—great for preserves, baking, freezing, and fresh eating. It also provides some nice landscape value with blooms in May, with white (possibly tinged pink) flowers covering the plant and fiery red color in the fall.
Blueberry plants are self-fertile, but cross-pollination produces a better crop—creating larger yields of larger berries. So it is best to plant more than one variety with the same bloom time.
Has a chill hours (CU) requirement of 600–1000. (Chill hours are the average hours of air temperature between 32° and 45° F in a typical winter season.) Grows in a rounded shape.
‘BLUE RAY’ Blueberry plants
Blueray is a home garden favorite with large deep blueberries that matures a few days earlier than Blue Crop. They are good for fresh eating, jams and jellies, freezes well, and baking.
With Blue Ray Blueberry in your garden, you'll be in good company; its one of the most popular home blueberries throughout the northeast and midwest. They are famous for heavy crops and dependable winter hardiness. Grows as a shrub with large aromatic sweet fruit.
Planting in a full sun location is a must!
Your ideal condition for these shrubs is at least 6 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. Identify a sunny spot, and then adjust accordingly. Provide very acidic soil that is well-drained but moist, infertile (“Yes, you read that right?”) and high in organic matter. If drainage is a problem, consider raised-bed planting. Start with a soil test. "If you're lucky enough to have a pH of between 4.5 and 5.5, then you can grow blueberries all day long." Our greenhouse soil’s PH is around 7.4 - 7.8.
PLANTING DIRECTIONS:
The best way to plant blueberry bushes is in the ground. Plant them 4 feet apart - in rows that are 10 feet apart.
1. Dig a hole about 2-1/2 feet wide and 1 foot deep. Remove most of the native soil. Save a small amount to mix with Back to Nature’s, ‘Acidified Composted Cotton Burrs.’
2. In the bottom of the hole mix 4 cups native soil with 4 cups Cotton Burr.
3. Remove the plant from the pot and lightly loosen the bottom of the root ball to release the roots as you set it in place in the hole.
4. Keep the top of the root ball even with the soil surface and fill in around the roots with the ‘Acidified, Cotton Burr Compost’. Lightly tamp dirt around your newly planted blueberry.
5. Build a basin around your plant and water well. Add additional soil if necessary and water again. Blueberries like moisture because they're shallow-rooted, so water deeply. Continue watering the plant’s first few years in the ground. (Speaking of water, did you know the pH of water can vary enormously and affect the acidity and alkalinity of soil? Meters to measure pH levels, as well as test soil kits are widely available to help with any necessary adjustments during the growing season.)
6. Mulch to a depth of about 3 inches with wood shavings and chips, pine needles, autumn oak leaves, or sawdust. Replenish the mulch each fall, after leaves drop.
7. Fertilize in the Fall (feed/sprinkle the plants) with 2 ounces of Bloodmeal (12-0-0) Slow-release Nitrogen. Also, fertilize with Fertilome’s ‘Acid Loving’ Fertilizer (31-11-11) when the buds appear in early spring, and then again once the fruit is established.
8. Retest the soil pH every few years, and adjust with more Hi-Yield® Soil Sulfur as indicated.
If growing in the type of environment they love - acid soil, not too much competition from weeds, full sun - blueberry bushes are very prolific berry producers. And ironically, it's their high productivity that wears them out. Canes that are more than seven years old become less productive. To keep them producing well, blueberry bushes need to be pruned every year. If your bushes have never been trimmed, be careful not to go overboard the first year.
WHEN TO PRUNE?
Prune in March when Blueberry bushes are dormant. The sap is not flowing and the leaves have dropped off.
PRUNING TIPS:
Start by viewing the entire bush to come up with a pruning strategy. Look for healthy canes you would like to keep. (10-15 canes) Prune about 25 - 33% of the bush each year to encourage new growth. Reduce flower buds. Clip out the smaller brush. Prune out anything that is crossing branches or growing back into the plant. Prune canes as close to the ground as possible. Prune old gray thick canes with bark and tips that have died off.
Prune diseased or broken branches with few buds and dead tips (least productive). Look for twiggy old canes. You want the bush to have a narrow base and a wide, open-top that allows sunlight and air in. Remove canes from the center if growth is heavy to facilitate air-flow and sunlight. Clean your pruners in a mixture of Clorox and water to avoid spreading disease.
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2 Tbsp. Bone Meal (0-10-0)
2 handfuls of Compost Manure
2 Tbsp. Tomato & Vegetable Food (7-22-8)
2 Tbsp. of Magnesium Sulfate (Epson Salt)
1 Teaspoon Calcium Nitrate (15.5-0-0) 'Blossom End Rot'
Dig a 12'' deep hole.
Mix together loose soil, Bone Meal, Manure, Tomato & Vegetable Food, Calcium Nitrate and Magnesium Sulfate in the bottom of your hole.
Fill the hole with water and let drain. Put a little more soil and plant the Tomato plant. Fill around with loose soil (or planting soil). Mulch around stem and water thoroughly.
Side dress plant with 1/4 cup of calcium nitrate when small fruits are about the size of quarter and again 2 to 3 weeks later.
Once a month scatter about 1/4 cup of Tomato & Vegetable Food around each plant in a circle extending at least 2 feet from the stem in all directions.
To Purchase all the 'Recipe Products' together and save 15% click on this link.
* To better understand 'Blossom End Rot' click here.
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