With spring planting long since past and the fall harvest more than two months from now, if not more, garden activities for the metro area swelter of July and August should focus on two major things: tending to your babies and planning autumn plant orders.
Pinch-pruning and insect inspections are part of my daily summer ritual. Carrying my coffee cup in one hand and clippers (sometimes abetted by a sharp thumbnail) in the other, I’ll nip and tip my way along the deck. Pulling spent flower heads and topping vigorous annuals produce bushier plants with more flowers. Daily interaction, while vastly enjoyable, is also important for spotting watering problems, pests or diseases early enough for treatments to succeed. If you catch cabbageworms on the first hatch, you will still be able to enjoy kale salad.
In mild mornings, I pull out the Hozon fertilizer injector to liquid-feed all of my containers. It makes a huge difference in their leaf color, size, floral load and yield. Make sure to irrigate first and feed when the soil is damp.
I have used Scott’s Miracle-Gro crystals for years, but many other fine choices of soluble fertilizer are available. Scotts has also diversified its product line with specialty food for raised beds and organic options. It also offers a convenient end-of-hose applicator, but it’s heavier to use than the Hozon. Any liquid food needs to be reapplied every 10 to 14 days, as it is dissolvable and washes out rapidly with rain and regular watering. Its greatest appeal is how quickly the plants absorb it and how effective it is in promoting lush vegetative growth.
Another important fertilizer in our cabinet is Osmocote Slow-Release. It’s like a timed-release medication with a little bit of food released daily over a period of months. Apply once a season and relax. Traditional organics, like bone meal or blood meal, are not complete fertilizers, so they are only part of a care regimen, but they do offer the added bonus of being a slight deer repellent.
And know that there is no one-size-fits-all for plant food. Flowers and vegetables require different ratios of the primary fertilizer ingredients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (often shortened to their symbols, N-P-K). I use food specifically formulated for tomatoes on my vines. High-nitrogen lawn food should be used only on turf, never on flowers or vegetables. If you do, your tomato vines will be 20 feet long with no flowers, all leaf and no fruit.
The Hozon uses the Venturi effect (a term from fluid dynamics – think of wind speed between Chicago skyscrapers) to vacuum concentrated fertilizer out of an open mixing bucket and dilute it with running water to effortlessly apply diluted food through your garden hose. Just thread it onto the faucet before the garden hose and drop the rubber tube end into your concentrate, and the mix will be perfectly blended without having to mix and measure every watering can’s worth. Mine is solid brass and has lasted decades, with no moving parts to break. (A neat science trick to show grandchildren, too!) Find it at most garden centers or at hydro-gardens.com.
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