Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Outdoor to Indoor Green



With temperatures finally falling and leaves are beginning to turn, there are many gardeners who have potted houseplants outside that consumers bring indoors for the winter months. Sounds easy enough, correct? However, there are some possible obstacles to defend against prior to transporting inside. Here are some seasonal tips to make these tasks successful.

Quick Inspection
Take a minute to visually look over the plant condition. Is the soil dry to the touch? Too wet? You might need to adjust the the moisture level needed for your plant. This can be done by either repotting the plant into a larger container or pot if too dry. Root bound plants tend to dry out quickly and water doesn’t necessarily absorb completely when soil is repeatedly dry.

Insects
Check the undersides of leaves for insects like spider mite, aphid, mealybug, and scale. Some of these insects are treatable with specific chemistry. If the plant is under siege by insect at this point, it is harder to control indoors. Covering the pot with a plastic bag allows you to spray the underside of the plant with a stream of water from a garden spray nozzle to loosen insect eggs and remaining bugs from the plant. If additional treatment is needed, spray your plant outdoors with a suitable houseplant insect control and make sure the plant is completely dry before bringing the plant indoors.

Disease
If you see disease on your plant leaves, take the time to carefully remove infected leaves and clean the pot of any debris remaining on the surface. Spraying with a general-purpose disease control that works both as a preventative and a curative can make a difference for the weeks ahead as the plant acclimates itself to new conditions. Bonide Revitalize and Monterey Complete Disease Control offers a high-quality remedy for just about any disease condition. 

Soil
One of the most important components for indoor houseplants is the type of potting soil you might use. You will not need to have a moisture control additive for indoor plants. Your all-purpose potting soil should allow adequate draining. Plant saucers are recommended for indoors. If transplanting a pot bound plant, soak the entire plant ball in a vessel of water to hydrate. Remove from water and allow to stand and drain. Loosen the root mass carefully around the edge. It is not recommended to remove more than 25% of the plant ball at any time. Root systems are delicate and breaking apart roots indiscriminately will reduce their water intake and possibly kill your plant. Moisten the pot after replanting to hydrate new potting soil. No fertilizer application is needed at this time. If you want added protection from fungus gnats, apply Summit Mosquito Bits to the soil surface.

Final Steps
About 30 days after transplanting, you may select a fertilizer that is made for indoor houseplants. Bonide, Espoma, and Schultz make excellent products for indoor use. Check humidity levels regularly, as once your heater goes on, moisture in the air evaporates quickly. Some plants need filtered or direct sunlight to continue growth throughout the winter months. Carefully choose a place away from a heating vent, drafty doorways or windows.  You may also supplement your lighting with an indoor light fixture, indoor rated plant light bulb, and timer. If this is too much work for you, start over with some new green. It’s going to be a long winter. 




Choose from Some Product Suggestions


Clear Plastic Saucers - Sizes available from 4" - 12"
No 80340053

Buy Now

Mosquito Bits - 8oz
No 80530009

Buy Now

Mosquito Bits - 30oz
No 80530011

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Revitalize Bio
No 80100912

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Grow! 2-2-2
No 80030175

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Syndicate Plant Mister - Sea Glass
No 81510155

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Syndicate Plant Mister - Assorted
No 81510285

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Syndicate Plant Mister - Clear
No 81510153

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Friday, August 23, 2019

Bring Home the Harvest



Enjoying the fresh picked vegetables and herbs from the garden is the ultimate feel good story of the summer, especially if sharing with friends and family. Here are some tips for the harvest to help make your garden a better place to grow.

Using the Right Tool for the Job

Our efforts throughout the spring and into the summer included feeding, watering, and possibly weeding to bring those plants to harvest. Adjusting along the way for water, temperature, and winds, it’s time to snip, pick, pull, or pluck your bounty. Using the right pruner is mostly a matter of choice. The bypass pruner does a great job of collecting the stem portion inside the curved portion of the blade and allows a clean slice through the plant tissue. Anvil pruners, with its flat surface takes a steadier hand and will compress the blade against the flat steel anvil. This method may cause the wound to take a bit longer to heal over and possibly offer disease or insects a bit more opportunity. If using the very same pruners in the garden that you are using for all your trimming needs, it would best a good practice to clean the secuteers with a solution of one-part bleach to three-parts of water by immersing into a suitable container and allowing the blades to dry thoroughly before use on vegetables and herbs. You eliminate any disease spores from transferring onto or into the plant. 

Clean Beds as You Go

In maintaining your garden, it is also a good practice to clean debris and fallen leaves from around your plants. This also helps reduce potential disease issues that might turn up as the plants slow down or feel the pressure of summer heats or growth exhaustion. It can prolong your plants ability to produce fruit, encourage leaf development and retention, while making the plant believe that its mission is still to produce and not quit. Remove competing weed growth between plants, too! This allows all of the soil moisture and fertilizer nutrients to go directly to the plant. Continue to gently tie up vines onto supports using non girdling ties that might cut through the plant stems. Winds from unexpected late summer thunderstorms can make quick work of wrecking a clustered vine of beautiful tomatoes when you least expect it. 

Inspect to Protect

Another ongoing chore is inspecting leaf surfaces for insect issues or disease before the problem gets out of hand. There are still great remedies for insect and disease control in garden dusts. The added benefit is that there is little chance to burn a plant with liquid chemistry. Before you would use a liquid solution, make sure the plant is fresh and has had adequate moisture uptake. Refrain from using any chemical with an oil base to eliminate spray burn from intense sunlight. Spray early in the morning or early in the evening after the sun has set. If you have pets and children make sure you allow the area to dry completely before re-entering the area. 

The Second Season

For those of you who enjoy gardening into the fall, as you remove plants from the spring garden, till the soil and add a non-burning soil amendment, compost, or manure which are commonly available. If you plan to feed, use a slow release organic fertilizer to offer a steady and usable nutrient source. Too much nitrogen might burn or create excessive growth. There are some great lightweight potting soils that can be added to help speed along good “seed to soil” contact for any seed germination needs. The nurseries and greenhouses from years past would offer and promote crops for October and November harvest. Broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce are still possibilities for bringing your late harvest to your dinner table. Add some herbs to the garden to make your favorite recipes aromatic and flavorful for many weeks more.




Here Are Some Great Selections For the Fall Garden


#2 Classic Swiss Style Forged Aluminum Handle Bypass Pruner
No 81930004

Buy Now

#6 Classic Swiss Style Forged Aluminum Handle Bypass Pruner
No 81930005

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Shrub Rake
No 80340217

Buy Now

Trowel
No 80340218

Buy Now

Culti-Hoe
No 80340219

Buy Now

Castine Raised Bed Mix 2 CF
No 81600061

Buy Now

Organic Premium Vegetable & Herb Mix 16 qt.
No 80310032

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Organic Premium Vegetable & Herb Mix 1 CUFT
No 80310013

Buy Now

Organic Premium Vegetable & Herb Mix 2 CUFT
No 80310014

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Sulfer Dust 1lb.
No 80100156

Buy Now

Sulfer Dust 4lb.
No 80100276

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Garden Tone 3-4-4 4lb.
No 80030018

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Garden Tone 3-4-4 8lb.
No 80030035

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Garden Tone 3-4-4 36lb.
No 80030113

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Dragoon Dust 4lb.
No 80100597

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Green Jute Twine - 200'
No 80340315

Buy Now

Rapiclip 16' Soft Wire Tie - Green
No 80140015

Buy Now

Rapiclip 16' Soft Wire Tie - Green - HD
No 80140016

Buy Now



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Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Second Chance Chemistry



No matter where you live, there are times when folks apply chemicals to their lawn or garden and the results are not what they would hope to expect. Relax, it is more common than you think. Many consumers read the label incorrectly, and some don’t read them at all.  Consumers make bad choices that are convenient, even by picking the wrong time to treat. With summer weather’s uncertainty, solutions might be applied just prior to unexpected rainfall which reduce or eliminate optimum results. Here are some examples of alternatives for those customers that might need a second chance at success.


Herbicide Happy

Traditionally, most of the volume of sales on weed and grass killers is sold during the summer months and into early fall. While clover killer sales are still ringing the register, these products are sold because clover in the lawn ramps up when available nitrogen is lacking. The grassy weeds like crabgrass are gaining strength and crowding out good stands of grass if left unchecked. Most of these customers either missed their application of crabgrass pre-emergent, under applied the chemical, or have received excessive amounts of rainfall to weaken effectiveness. Newer chemistry (with active Quinclorac) has allowed consumers to use a crabgrass killer through a hose end sprayer making it more convenient for spot treating lawns versus treating every nook and cranny. Nutgrass is common during the summer as it grows faster than lawn grasses. It is a slender lighter color green with multiple leaves on the stem. A specific chemical works to kill this nuisance weed found in Bonide’s SedgeEnder product (Sulfentrazone). This selective weed killer may need a second application on recurring nutgrass during the next month. Monterey has a Nutgrass Killer II product containing Halosulfuran, which is another great alternative.

Poison Ivy Killer Isn’t Working?

One of the more interesting discussions in the chemical aisle revolve around poison ivy killers. Some chemicals like RoundUp, KleenUp, and glyphosate-based herbicides list on the label that they treat poison ivy. I would normally concur depending on the early stages of growth. Poison ivy explodes in summer and if left untreated can be very hard to eradicate in successive years. One chemical active, Triclopyr, is that second chance ingredient that takes out stubborn poison ivy. Monterey Brush & Vine has an 8.8% Triclopyr ingredient that penetrates the ivy bark and kills the plant. It may also double as a stump killer, too!

Seeing Spots

This year has been an unusually wet one in most regions. Lawns and especially plants that started spring with thick and lush growth are just beginning to slow down due to intense heat. What is hiding down under, is another issue. Roses for example, are susceptible to the disease Blackspot, which is causing defoliation on many roses right about now. This disease starts at the bottom and works its way up the plant. Even for gardeners who applied preventative disease controls, once you get this disease, it spreads quickly by wind, rain, or even splashing of spray water. You need to remove the spotted leaves from the bottom of the rose bush, clean the diseased leaves that have fallen and begin treatment with a curative chemical, Chlorothalonil, commonly known as Daconil. Bonide Fung-onil has this unique ingredient that works right away to control blackspot. Another suggestion is Monterey Consan 20 which can be used on many types of plants, roses, and even lawns to treat and control disease. The added benefit of you selling these unique chemical products in your store is that the box stores don’t stock or sell these products. Very little research is offered on how chemicals are sold at retail, but homeowners usually want you to suggest and select for them. Make sure you to mention to your sales staff and customers that they should read the label and follow the directions as stated by the manufacturer, especially if you are putting the product into their hands. Consumer safety and success starts with our salesmanship.



Summer Products for Your Store


Bug Buster II
No 80820226

Buy Now

Disposable Fly Trap
No 80220004

Buy Now

Consan 20 16oz Con
No 80820212

Buy Now

Consan 20 32oz Con
No 80820213

Buy Now

Nutgrass Killer II Selective Herbicide
No 80820014

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Fung-onil RTU qt
No 80100143

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Fung-onil 8oz Con
No 80100632

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Fung-onil Con qt
No 80100198

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Chickweed, Clover & Oxalis Killer 16oz Con
No 80100202

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Chickweed, Clover & Oxalis Killer 32oz RTU
No 80100203

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Sedge Ender 16oz Con
No 80100004

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Sedge Ender 32oz RTU
No 80100880

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2 Gal Premium Funnel Top Sprayer
No 81880004

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Brush & Vine Control
No 80820013

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Trunk Liners - ORDER NOW FOR MUM SALES
No 81550002

Buy Now



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Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Time of the Season




The Zombies, a rock group from the sixties, brought these words alive in their music. Summer has arrived finally. Spending more of your time outside brings more awareness on certain conditions in the garden that might need your attention. Here are some newer products and treatments for those common insect problems in the summer, while using some well-known song titles to get us moving.

It’s My Party

Your backyard party might get interrupted by the movement of ants. Among the tiniest of insects, the ant is an annoying pest that is working hard to bug you. Foundation cracks and crevices provide breeding grounds for ants to enter the home from the outside. While these ants are visible, it’s what we don’t see taking place that is the problem; The colony is getting larger by the day. The summer is a good time to inspect and treat outdoor ant problems. There are specific treatments from home pest sprays to ant dusts for indoor and outdoor use. One of the best preventive ways to combat the indoor ant is by using Liquid Ant Trap bait which attracts and kills ants by providing treated food that is gathered and returned to the colony for sharing.

The Boys Are Back in Town

One of the prolific insects of summer is the dreaded Japanese Beetle. The adult stage of the grub emerges and spends its cycle eating flowers and leaves on your favorite plants and mating. When the times comes to return to the soil and lay eggs, you have fewer options to treat. When visible in the garden, you can treat large areas by attracting and trapping these beetles in the popular Jap Beetle trap. Spray-to-kill methods need your accurate targeting along with specific chemistry to ensure effectiveness. Neem oil has been one of the better products on the store shelf known to help repel the Jap beetle. If you choose to kill the beetle using a spray that can be used on ornamentals, roses, flowers, and fruits, my recommendation is to use one of the very best products available, Monterey Bug Buster II. This product can be used to treat the “other boys” like fleas, ticks, ants, cicadas, and chewing pests including the tomato hornworm.

Summertime Blues


The smallest of nuisance flying insects is the mosquito. Weather conditions nationwide have become wetter and warmer and the spread of the Asian Tiger mosquito includes even northern climates where it can withstand cold winters. Today’s spray treatment doesn’t bring back memories of running through the spray fog of a county worker’s truck through the city streets, but there are some environmentally friendly products you can use at home. Barrier repellents offer excellent protection when you need it during outdoor activity. Everguard Tick & Mosquito repellent is a recently introduced product that can last up to 4 weeks. Neptune Harvest offers a Biting Insect repellent that can be applied directly to children’s skin or clothing. It doesn’t contain DEET and provides relief against flies, ticks, green heads, and chiggers.



Summer Products for Your Store


Bug Buster II
No 80820226

Buy Now

Disposable Fly Trap
No 80220004

Buy Now

Biting Insect Repellent
No 80120023

Buy Now

Ant Dust
No 80190019

Buy Now

Ant Killer II Liquid Ant Baits
No 80190017

Buy Now

Everguard Tick & Mosquito Repellent 32 oz. Con.
No 81030016

Buy Now

Everguard Tick & Mosquito Repellent 32 oz. RTS
No 81030015

Buy Now



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