tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post160962785254594896..comments2023-04-20T09:17:57.181-05:00Comments on Gatsbys Gardens: A Quick Game of Pick Up Around The GardenGatsbys Gardenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-42992784795146652242010-04-06T11:39:00.807-05:002010-04-06T11:39:00.807-05:00Thank you so much Carolyn for those brand names. ...Thank you so much Carolyn for those brand names. I will look for them closer to home even though I have been to the places you named.<br /><br />I think my plants just look giant to my neighbor as she doesn't do a lot of gardening.<br /><br />EileenGatsbys Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-67533684049227280012010-04-06T11:14:11.347-05:002010-04-06T11:14:11.347-05:00The granular organics are great. Fortunately you c...The granular organics are great. Fortunately you can buy compost, Eileen, at most good garden stores. The cotton burr compost is carried by Chalet, Gethsemane and Pesche's. It even comes in an acidified version for your acid-loving plants. The brand name is Back to Nature. They also have a wonderful product called " Nature's finest " which has compost, manure and other good stuff in it.<br /><br />If things are growing well in your soil it certainly means that they are getting what they need, but sometimes growing larger than necessary means over fertilizing which can actually weaken plants.Sweet Home and Garden Carolinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08026451200405491815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-6651416774048810802010-04-06T10:18:17.634-05:002010-04-06T10:18:17.634-05:00Great advice Carolyn,
I do not have room on my pr...Great advice Carolyn,<br /><br />I do not have room on my present property for a compost pile, so I have switched to a granular organic fertilizer. Where do you purchase the cotton burr compost?<br /><br />I think my present soil must have had lots of good stuff in it because everything grows huge, as my neighbor says!<br /><br />EileenGatsbys Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-4517905403388868862010-04-06T09:34:18.171-05:002010-04-06T09:34:18.171-05:00The first goal of any garden must be good soil bef...The first goal of any garden must be good soil before any fertilizer is added. Soil that has a lot of added organic material ( compost and manure ) allows necessary nutrients to reach the plants and less fertilizing is needed. If soil is hard and compacted no amount of fertilizer will improve it.<br /><br />Each spring I cook up my own basic organic fertilizer recipe : 2 parts blood meal, 3 parts bonemeal, 6 parts rock phosphate and 1 part greensand and with dust mask, goggles and gloves I broadcast it all over my garden. This supplies the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium needed by most plants.<br /><br />Each Fall I broadcast cotton burr compost and alfalfa humate as a mulch to work down into the soil over the winter.<br /><br />Before doing any fertilizing it's a good idea to do a soil test to see what nutrients are needed.Sweet Home and Garden Carolinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08026451200405491815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-39226631825651438092010-04-06T05:48:49.255-05:002010-04-06T05:48:49.255-05:00Hi Catherine,
I did take a picture of one of the ...Hi Catherine,<br /><br />I did take a picture of one of the plants. I think it might be a Star of Bethlehem. I will leave this one and see if it multiplies.<br /><br />EileenGatsbys Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-28873945797203840162010-04-06T05:43:56.011-05:002010-04-06T05:43:56.011-05:00Thank you Bernie, I am going to experiment with th...Thank you Bernie, I am going to experiment with this method this year.<br /><br />EileenGatsbys Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-71219370750815853772010-04-06T01:27:46.077-05:002010-04-06T01:27:46.077-05:00I have used the slow-release granular fertilizer o...I have used the slow-release granular fertilizer on garden beds and potted plants for years ... then I top up with a bit of the liquid fertiliser during our spring. It seems to work well here in the tropics.<br /><br />Fertilizing during our hot and/or wet summer is not an option ... I learned that lesson many years ago.BernieHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04435004798656616711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-74641196824430064092010-04-05T21:39:42.508-05:002010-04-05T21:39:42.508-05:00How neat that the "spirit" of a former g...How neat that the "spirit" of a former gardener is there. <br />I think when we do the little cleanup jobs is when we tend to notice what's really going on in the garden. I always find an excuse to wander around pulling a weed here and there to see what's happening in the garden.Catherine@AGardenerinProgresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05001060769253273283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-28475520976349449872010-04-05T19:07:47.600-05:002010-04-05T19:07:47.600-05:00Kathy,
You can only use the Super Bloom on annual...Kathy,<br /><br />You can only use the Super Bloom on annuals. You will need an acid fertilizer for the Hydrangeas and a general fertilizer for the rest of the garden and the boxwoods and clematis - like Espoma Plantone 5-3-3.b It is an organic and your are going to dig it in around your boxwoods and spread it like chicken feed around the garden.<br /><br />EileenGatsbys Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-81295231887873154042010-04-05T18:59:52.294-05:002010-04-05T18:59:52.294-05:00Hi Eileen,
Your pictures are magnificent! I have ...Hi Eileen,<br />Your pictures are magnificent! I have some superbloom fertilizer left from last year. Would it still be appropriate for me to use it on all flowering plants? also, can i use it on my hydrangea bushes?kahanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17889948606859064822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-37172137475206418482010-04-05T17:59:43.206-05:002010-04-05T17:59:43.206-05:00That's what I am hearing - slow release is the...That's what I am hearing - slow release is the way to go. I am been using an organic granular, but I am always willing to try something new.<br /><br />I am an old house person in a new house, so I try very hard to make my home look vintage. It is only fitting that a previous life's plants keep appearing in my garden.<br /><br />EileenGatsbys Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-91472284685064523762010-04-05T17:44:10.449-05:002010-04-05T17:44:10.449-05:00Hi Eileen. I use the Miracle Grown Slow Release Pl...Hi Eileen. I use the Miracle Grown Slow Release Plant Food and then the liquid form that attaches to my water hose so I can give them another shot when I water sometimes. It must be interesting to have an occasional surprise plant come up from the previous gardener.Lonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060003333138052194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-20006857697399476412010-04-05T12:44:14.432-05:002010-04-05T12:44:14.432-05:00Thanks, Allan
I do see this at Costco each year, ...Thanks, Allan<br /><br />I do see this at Costco each year, but I haven't tried it. I will try anything once to lessen the chores.<br /><br />EileenGatsbys Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-44714164585077155742010-04-05T11:49:22.219-05:002010-04-05T11:49:22.219-05:00No need to be concerned about granular fertilizer ...No need to be concerned about granular fertilizer burning plants. Here in North America, we are fortunate to live in a culture where some in the garden industry are so prescient that they are always one-step ahead of us, solving problems we didn’t even know we had.<br /><br />Two years ago, I discovered a new product sold by Miracle-Gro called "Shake n’ Feed Slow Release Plant Food", a slow release granular fertilizer that does not burn plants. The slow-release technology modulates the amount of nutrients that the plants receive at any one time and the innovative snap-open pouring cap on the container is deliberately misshaped to prevent the gardener from overfeeding. Here is one product that is worth the higher price tag it carries.<br /><br />In season, Costco offers the best value and it sells out quickly, so I stock up on several containers. The price differential for this product, between Costco and the big box garden centers, is shocking.allanbecker-gardenguruhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00249183285802762125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-89146712719373795162010-04-05T09:45:15.103-05:002010-04-05T09:45:15.103-05:00Edith, I too am concerned about the granular. I a...Edith, I too am concerned about the granular. I am not so much worried about it burning as I am it not being absorbed by the root system. With the liquid, I know it is immediately taken up by the plant.<br /><br />But, I have too many plants to be feeding every two weeks, so we'll try this system.<br /><br />EileenGatsbys Gardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04228978705943696143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243579953985871041.post-9211049732350834512010-04-05T09:40:08.382-05:002010-04-05T09:40:08.382-05:00Dear Eileen, It is, I really believe, the constant...Dear Eileen, It is, I really believe, the constant round of small, insignificant chores which keeps one's garden looking good and the plants growing well. Judging from your pictures, yours certainly are.<br /><br />I always worry about a granular feed possibly 'burning' the plant. I shall be interested to know how you get on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com