General
Gardening Tips:
• Summer is here and it's a great time to add a water
feature to your landscape. The experts at Barretta can design
and build creative water features that will allow you to
enjoy the soothing sights and sounds of water. Creative
pools, fountains and waterfalls are on display at both Barretta
Garden Center locations. Stop by and speak with our water
garden experts and pick up informational literature about
proper pond care.
• Plants and trees that provide color in the month
of July include crape myrtles, spireas, hydrangeas, summersweet,
hypericum, butterfly bush and goldenraintree. Visit the
nursery and see these beautiful plants in bloom.
• Barretta stocks thousands of perennials throughout
the summer so stop and add some to your garden. Perennials
that provide interest in the month of July include daylilies,
rudbeckia, phlox, veronica, ligularia, tickseed and much
more.
• Check all plants, especially newly planted ones,
for water on a regular basis. Water deeply and thoroughly
as needed. Pick-up a copy of our free brochure, Proper Planting
& Watering Instructions.
• Gator bags provide a great way to keep trees watered
during hot and dry months. These bags, which can hold up
to 20 gallons of water, are secured to the trunk of the
tree, where they release the water slowly to the root ball
over the course of 15-20 hours.
• Spruce up your summer landscape with beautiful color
in containers and hanging baskets. Our staff can assist
you in selecting combinations of annuals, perennials and
shrubs that work wonderfully together. We have a tremendous
selection of window boxes, hanging baskets and planters.
Be sure to use Barretta Potting Mix when planting and a
water-grabbing polymer such as Soil Moist to reduce the
frequency of watering.
• Stop pinching chrysanthemums by July 16th.
• Do not prune azaleas and rhododendrons after the
second week of July for they soon will begin setting their
buds for next year's blooms.
Water Gardens:
• Clear pond water can be achieved with proper plant
balance. If the pond is in full sun, 50-70% of its surface
must be covered with foliage such as floating heart, water
hyacinth, water poppy, water lily, or lotus.
• Underwater grasses produce oxygen, helping to maintain
D.O. Lexecs. Grasses will improve water clarity by
using Nitrate. Following are some easy guidelines
to know when trying to figure out how many grasses are needed:
• 1 clump of grass per 1 sq. ft. of surface area for
ponds less than 25 sq. ft.
• 1 clump of grass per 2 sq. ft. of surface area for
ponds greater than 25 sq. ft.
• Time to fertilize all water lilies and lotus once
a month to keep the plant blooming continuously throughout
the season.
• Lotus are great plants for container water gardens
on a deck or patio. Whiskey barrels make a perfect container
for these types of water gardens.
• Tropical water lilies make a spectacular show of
color for any water garden. Whereas hardy water lilies bloom
only during the day, tropical varieties, which are considered
annuals in this area, include day and night bloomers. This
makes it possible to enjoy the bloom in the late afternoon
and evening. Day blooming tropical water lilies bloom heavier
than hardy lilies. The flowers stay open longer each day
and they bloom much later into the season. Night blooming
tropical water lilies open their flowers at approximately
5 pm and do not close until the following morning around
9 am. This is perfect timing for those evening barbecues
and parties.
• Time to switch from spring fish food to summer fish
food since water temperatures have risen above 70 degrees.
At higher temperatures, fish metabolize at a faster rate,
thus creating a need for a diet higher in protein, which
the summer food contains
Pest Controls:
• Various pest problems can occur in July. If you
have plants that you suspect may be facing a pest problem,
bring in a representative sample to our plant clinic at
either of our stores and speak with one of our plant specialists.
We will diagnose the problem and recommend the appropriate
control. Listed below are some of the problems that can
appear this month along with the proper controls.
• If needed, set Japanese beetle traps up, but away
from the garden.
• Use Diatomaceous Earth to control crawling insects
such as cockroaches, ants, slugs, silverfish, earwigs, fleas,
spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and carpet beetles. Use
indoors and outdoors.
• Time to control aphids, lacebugs, bagworms, birch
borer, fall webworm, Japanese beetle, obscure scale, oystershell
scale, euonymus scale, pine needle scale, rhododendron borer,
apple tree borer, spider mites.
• Use Round-Up or Pratio to kill weeds and grasses
in brick patios and walks. Stop birds from making a mess
on your patio or automobile finish by placing our plastic owls
or owl pecoy's in your garden. This also works
to protect fruit from bird attacks.
• Spray roses with Ortho Rose Spray or Immunox Plus to
keep black spot and other problems under control.
• Spray for bagworms on arborvitae and other evergreens.
Use Sevin or Thuricide.
• Spider mites can be controlled on Alberta spruce,
hemlocks and other plants using Ortho's Systemic Insect
Contiro or Cygon.
• Lacebugs can be controlled on azaleas, andromeda
and other plants now with Malathion or Merit.
• If necessary, treat dogwoods for borers with either
Thiodan or Borer Spray.
• To treat hemlock woolly adelgid, Aphids and
other pests use Merit for season long control.
• To control deer foraging on your landscape plants,
try the following: Bobbex, Milorganite and/or Deer Away.
• To control rabbits and other animals that are getting
into your garden, try a repellent such as Dried Blood or
Ropel, which is labeled for that particular pest.
• Fruit trees should be on a regular spray program.
See our Fruit Tree Spray Program bulletin.
• Control slugs and snails on hosta and other plants
with Bug-Geta or Deadline (if you have pets, you should
use barrier tape or Sluggo instead of these products).
Barretta Garden Center has free informational bulletins
on the following pest problems, with specific control recommendations.
• Bagworms
• Borers
• Gypsy Moths
• Lacebugs
• Scale
• Spider Mites
• Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
• Caterpillars
• Japanese Beetles
• And more
Fruit and Vegetable Gardens:
• Fertilize fruits and vegetables as needed with a
good quality, slow-release vegetable food such as Barretta
Flowering Plant Food or Osmocote.
• Stake tomato plants.
• If necessary, spray tomato plants and other vegetables
to control diseases. See our staff for advice.
• Barretta Garden Center has free informational bulletins
on many different types of vegetables as well as general
gardening topics.
• Start seeds for fall vegetables this month. This
includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
and many others.
Lawns:
• Apply a fungicide to the lawn to control turf diseases
such as brown patch, dollar spot and others. Use Bayleton
or Immunox.
• Apply Perk-Up to the lawn to keep it nice and green
throughout the summer months. This product contains 10%
iron, which gives added color without excessive growth.
• Fertilize zoysia lawns now with Barretta Premium
26-4-12.
• If needed, apply a weed control to the lawn to kill
actively growing weeds. Use Bonide Weed Beater or
Ortho Weed B Gone.
Tips on applying weed killer:
• Do not apply weed controls on newly seeded areas.
• Do not apply weed controls on windy days.
• Do not apply weed controls near or on the edge of
waterways.
• Do not allow children or pets to play on lawns freshly
applied with weed controls. It is best to wait one week.
• Do not apply weed controls when temperatures are
above 85 degrees F.
• Always follow the label directions.
House Plants:
• Feed houseplants with a good quality indoor plant
food such as Jack's Classic (water-soluble powder) or Osmocote
(slow-release granular).
• If needed, re-pot root bound houseplants to a larger
pot. Barretta stocks a full line of containers, including
terra cotta, wood, concrete, ceramic and plastic. Use Barretta
Potting Mix when repotting houseplants.
Additional Information:
For more information to help you garden more easily and
successfully, stop in the garden center and pick-up a copy
of the following bulletins:
• Summer Lawn Care
• Roses
• Crape Myrtle Varieties
• Hydrangeas and many other plant varieties
• Butterfly Gardens
• Fruit Tree Spray Program
• Tomatoes and other Vegetables
• Pest Appearance Timetable
• Proper Planting Instructions
• Water Gardens
July Reminders:
• Get ready for your 4th or July parities by sprucing
up your summer landscape with beautiful color from Barretta's
excellent selection of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs.
We even have red, white and blue blooming plants for you
to choose from. If needed, add fresh mulch to your landscape
for that extra clean look.
• Use Mosquito Patrol or Mosquito Off to keep mosquitoes,
gnats and black flies under control.
