Warm Weather Gardening

Finally! The weather has warmed, and for those of us that love the heat it's a welcome change. Personally, I am much like a lizard attempting to warm up on a rock in spring; I seek out the bright and warmer places in the garden. Many plants are thriving, too, as they embrace the warmth in the soil and in the air.

The snow, bitter winds, and frozen nights of early May have delayed the development of most landscape plants by 20-30 days. Mimosa, chitalpa, crape myrtle, and a host of other heat lovers wait to do their thing until the evening temperatures stay above the 50-degree mark. The past two weeks have been bliss for these late leafers. My bird-of-paradise bushes are just now forming their summer foliage without a hint of the flower clusters that will follow in July and August. They just did not like this spring’s weather. Now, as the temperature rises, all heat-loving plants begin their normal push of tremendous growth, but they can be encouraged to push even more to “play catch up” from their weather delayed development.

If some of your plants are waking late, you may want to do what I did this week to give my slow-to-come-around plants a boost. I used 20-20-20 all-purpose water-soluble plant food on each plant and followed that with a good dose of liquid ‘Soil Activator’.

Many of my gardening friends have said: “But, Ken, I already have fertilized earlier in the season as you recommended.” I did too, but granular foods are for the long haul of a plant’s health. Nitrogen-rich liquid plant food is like an energy sports drink to plants; it gives them a kick start into their seasonal growth. Unlike granular food it is assimilated immediately, resulting in more foliage, more flowers, and greater size. Similarly, liquid ‘Soil Activator’ stimulates quick deep root growth and unbelievable color in flowers and leaves.

This advice isn’t just for plants experiencing weather-delayed development; it also goes for plants that you want to get more growth out of this year. I’m using it on the purple robe locusts that shade my entertainment patios and the weeping birch that shades the hot side of our home.
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It's not too late to have the freshest vegetables in the neighborhood. The latest vegetable plants coming in at the garden center are three feet tall! I guarantee you will be picking fruits before those of us that planted earlier during colder spring weather. Eggplants, tomatoes, and all sorts of peppers and herbs are available with some considerable size on them. Think “immediate harvest”!!

Tomatoes in my garden have some size, with lots of flowers, but are having difficulty setting fruit. This is a classic symptom after a cold wet spring. 'Tomato & Pepper Blossom Set' forces these first flowers to set fruit. It also slows the growth of new foliage and shifts the plants’ attention to producing more fruits. Spritz each golden blossom with this liquid pollinator and tomatoes will follow soon. It also works really well on pepper plants.

You know how much I love fresh pesto. Sadly, thanks to our cold spring, I lost my first two plantings of basil. I had to put new plants in my garden for summer harvest. Just another way of coping with one of Mother Nature’s curve balls.
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Drip irrigation is a boon to plants, saves our time standing behind a green garden hose, and greatly reduces water use and money spent. However, there are “others” attracted to our drip systems for their own reasons. Gophers love to nibble through soil and plants for the water, rabbits and pack rats bite off emitters for water, and snails and earwigs lay eggs that clog emitters. As we start to hit the 90-degree mark any of these problems can threaten a drip system.

Let’s go for an irrigation system tune-up. The next time you have a cool mountain morning to meander in the yard, I encourage a trouble shooting check of your system. Manually run the system for two full cycles. This will rehydrate the plants, but more importantly the wet spots formed by the additional irrigation will be easier to spot, modify, and maintain. If no noticeable water has run under a plant, you have clogged emitters. Trees very likely need an additional emitter placed at each base. Cut off the old emitter, put a ¼ inch T connection in its place, and attach two emitters to run at that juncture.

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This week our patch of lawn was looking starved and parched so I gave it a good hardy dose of liquid 'Soil Activator' to encourage deeper root formation, and then followed up with an application of 'Liquid Aqueduct'. This amazing new water additive works wonders on dry, stressed grass. Applied through the attached hose end sprayer the pressurized water forces it to penetrate hard compacted soil. It also keeps water at root level so grass can get to it. Because it keeps the water in the soil band where the roots actively grow, it greatly reduces the need for additional water in the heat of summer. For personalized help with your watering issues you are welcome to consult with my staff and me at the garden center.

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My summer class series to learn more about mountain gardening begins today. Each Saturday we meet for about an hour beginning at 9:30 a.m. This week’s class is about 'Reducing Water Use in the Yard', June 19 - 'Maximize the Vegetable Harvest', June 26 - 'Gardening for Newcomers'. There is no charge for any of these classes. We hope you will join us for a good time and a lot of good info.

Until next week, I'll see you in the garden center.