Plant Care

A concern that many of our home-owning clients bring to us is how they can achieve and maintain a lush green lawn, especially in the heat of the summer. The fertilizer that we stock here at Van Dongen’s is Agromart ‘Magic Carpet’ Fertilizer. We usually recommend the 25-5-10 formulation. What do these numbers mean, exactly?

Product

Magic Carpet is a strong slow-release fertilizer. It is not diluted, but it is a slow-release nature prevents it from burning your lawn. The strong commercial grade wax coating (XCU= 65%) on the granules allows it to break down slowly over time, usually taking 6-8 weeks to completely dissolve. This means that you can overseed simultaneously without fear of burning! 

Application

If you are overseeding or seeing a new lawn, good soil is very important. We have a specialty soil called Viva Lawn Repair, which is very finely screened. This soil contains peat loam, an important ingredient for germination of new seed.

Magic Carpet fertilizer is commercial grade that should be used every 6-8 weeks, whether you have existing grass or newly placed seed. You will require about 4lbs of Magic Carpet for every 1000 square feet of lawn you hope to fertilize. Our Magic Carpet bags are 2

Smooth Hydrangeas

Hydrangea arborescens, also known as Smooth Hydrangea, are known for their reliable blooms. These hydrangeas bloom on “new wood”—the current season’s growth. You should prune them back in late winter or early spring. Pruning them back will encourage new growth, which helps the plant to produces flowers. Spring pruning will also result in a stronger fuller plant that is less likely to flop over under the weight of its abundant summer flowers. Cutting the stems back to one or two feet will leave a good framework to support the blooms.

There are two new Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ which have stronger stems that won’t flop. They are:

• Hydrangea arborescens ‘Invincibelle Spirit II’ which is the very first pink-flowering form of ‘Annabelle’. It produces new pink flowers right up to frost.
• Hydrangea arborescens ‘Incrediball’ has the biggest flowers and has the strongest stems of any of the ‘Annabelle’ varieties.

Panicle Hydrangeas

Hydrangea paniculata, also known as Panicle Hydrangea also blooms on “new wood”.  Prune these flowering hydrangeas in late winter or early spring.

Some varieties that fall into this group are:

• Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bobo’
• Hydrangea pa

Newly planted trees and shrubs should be watered at least 3X per week for the first year.  It should be a deep watering with a hose - no irrigation or sprinkler system will sufficiently reach those deeper roots!  Make sure water is cold to the touch. A hose left out in the sun will become very hot, and hot water will kill your plant material.  Deep watering should be at least a slow count to thirty seconds.  Make sure water stays near the trunk of the tree by keeping the water at a moderate flow; otherwise it will spread out further than you want and disturb soil or mulch around the tree.

Avoid watering leaves and foliage as this can promote fungus and disease.  Plants absorb water for their leaves through their root system.

Hydrangeas are a common plant that needs especially consistent watering.  They are the very first to show that they are in distress (you will see the droopy leaves on the plant).  Hose watering for a slow count to twenty should do the trick every night until the droopiness is gone.  Water diligently for the first year to help those roots establish!

Watering should be done until we are hit with our first heavy frost in the fall, usually at the end of October.  This signals the trees to go dormant (“go to sleep”) for the winter, so they won’t have the same watering needs. However, in hot summer conditions we are all thirsty - our kids, pets, and even our plants and trees! They are living organ

Maple Gall Mite (Vasates aceriscrummena)

Maple Leaf Gall is a red bump or tiny bubble that appears on the top of some maple tree leaves. Most commonly affected maples include the families of: Acer x freemanii, Acer saccharum, and Acer saccharinum. It can also affect other trees such as Lindens. 

A common comparison would be to consider gall like acne. Though unsightly, the good news is that gall is not detrimental to the health of your maple tree. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) states that: “heavy infestations may completely deform leaves but seldom injure trees seriously”. Additionally, as the tree matures and establishes itself, it will outgrow this phase as the leaves become more dense and strong.

The maple is generally affected by gall in late fall. The mite hibernates in the bud of the tree during the dormant months. When the leaf opens in the spring time, the mite lays its eggs on the surface of the leaf. By the time you see the red blister, they have long gone. Therefore, treatment must be done early.

OMAFRA recommends dormant oil on the tree in the early spring, before the buds open, to kill the mite before it lays eggs. Another treatment option is to use an insecticidal soap when the leaf opens. However, many people choose to forego tre

Do you have dead patches of grass? Critters (skunks, raccoons) digging up your lawn?  Do you see grubs in your garden?

Lawn grubs are the larval stage of June bugs, Japanese Beetles, European Chafer, Craneflies, etc.  Nematodes are living organisms—natural parasites which are microscopic worms that occur naturally in the soil. Nematodes kill off grubs. It is 100% safe for people, pets, plants and earthworms.

Grubs start feeding on your lawn in April and then again in August.  Application of the Nematodes are generally done in May or when the soil temperature is 10°C or higher. A second application should be applied in the fall (between August to October) to eliminate new grubs that may have hatched in the summer.

Nematodes generally control over 250 insect pests.

Most Nematodes are applied as follows:

• Nematodes are susceptible to the UV rays. Do not apply in direct sunlight (in the evening or on cloudy days are best).
• Water the lawn deeply (its best when it’s raining). Nematodes move easier through the soil when it’s moist.
• Keep your lawn moist for 10 days after application.

Nematodes have a cycle.  We recommend that you do three applications as follows to get rid of your grubs:

• 1^st application = May or June
• 2^nd application= August or September or October