It is Monday … again. I’m amazed at how fast these summer days disappear! I always seem to have three more things to do than I can possibly accomplish in a day, but I give it my best shot. So I understand your dilemma about finding time to keep up with all the gardening tasks required to keep the garden looking great and the produce harvested and utilized.
Hot and dry weather this week caught many gardeners off guard. With all the spring rain, we have not had to do much watering for our hanging baskets and planters, or for that matter, the ground beds. The result I am observing is a few pretty sad-looking plants … some even expired!
When we have to do this much watering, I stress the importance of feeding the plants a water-soluble plant food to keep their energy high. The label on every fertilizer container will give a three-digit analysis of what the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash percentages are.
The first number is the nitrogen, which gives green leaves and robust growth. The second number is phosphorus, which develops the flower and fruiting power. The third is potash, which is the root encourager.
For a good balance for any blooming and fruiting plant, I prefer to have the middle number be the highest in the formulation. If I were just growing leafy plants like lettuce or foliage plants, the higher nitrogen would be appropriate, but for plants where we want the color or fruit, too much nitrogen can actually cause excessive growth at the expense of the flowers.
The reason for the water-soluble part is that this application is available to the plant immediately. Time-release fertilizers work also, but you have no control on when those nutrients are available … not my preference, but better than nothing.
If you want to feed with every watering, use the fertilizer at half the recommended rate. If you just feed occasionally, follow the dilution rate on the container. I liken this to having one meal a day verses three.
Some of my early-blooming perennials have finished their display, and I’m cutting off the seed heads to save myself a lot of weeding later. Columbine and peonies are two that tend to want to appear next year in places I don’t intend them to be. Also, keeping up with the dead-heading will encourage a repeat bloom display later in the season for some perennials and just keeps the whole garden looking neater.
My tomatoes are loaded with blooms and fruit … very happy with the heat we have had. They have been mulched with grass clipping to keep the soil moisture more uniform and to prevent soil-borne blight spores from infecting the leaves.
I need to remind you not to be too generous with the water or you will end up with a huge plant and not much else ... a little stress reminds them that their purpose is to produce fruit.
As the first round of flowers finishes on the roses, if the variety you have requires removal of the seed hips, be sure to cut the stem back to a five-leaflet leaf. Those leaves just under the flower will usually consist of three leaflets, and cutting there will often result in a new stem of just leaves. Cutting to the five leaflet will get into heavier wood and will result in a new stem of flower buds.