PLANT:
• Annuals–Begonia, impatiens, lantana, angelonia, vinca, sweet potato vine, caladium, purslane, scaevola, moss rose, coleus, celosia, pentas, zinnias, bougainvillea, hibiscus, mandevilla, etc.
• Perennials-pincushion, salvia, coreopsis, daylily, blackfoot daisy, hardy hibiscus, ruellia, skullcap, Russian sage, gaura, Turk’s cap, Texas primrose, sedum, butterfly bush, coral bells, ferns, hostas, and more.
• Fruit and pecan trees, grapes, and berries.
• Trees, shrubs, vines, ornamental grasses, groundcovers incl. turf grass (handwatering a must in summer)
• In all new plantings, use Covington’s Soil Builder containing compost, greensand, expanded shale (holds 38% of its weight in water) to break up clay, add nutrients, retain moisture & revitalize microbial activity.
• Also use our new Covington’s Potting Soil containing Peat Moss, Screened Compost, Screened Pine Mulch, Rice Hulls, a wetting agent, Organic Fertilizer (derived from bone & blood meal), and an organic bio stimulant Vitazyme. This potting soil will need less water than conventional all peat mixes, and with the organic fertilizer & biostimulants you will be able to grow the largest flowers and the biggest tomatoes in town!
PRUNE:
• Fireblight damaged trees/shrubs to remove damaged limbs. Prune below damage into healthy tissue. Sanitize pruners in bleach solution after each cut. Spray trees & shrubs w/Bonide Copper Fungicide after pruning.
• Flower buds on coleus, caladiums, lamb’s ear & santolina; spent flowers & leaves on spring perennials.
• Prune Blackberries after harvest (new canes to 3’; cut canes that bore fruit this year to the ground)
• Shrubs to reshape. Dead wood & lower limbs in trees to let more sun on lawn and landscape plantings. To prevent the spread of oak wilt, prune Red Oaks or Live Oaks in late summer or early fall, or use pruning paint on cuts if pruning in spring. Prune spent Vitex & Crape Myrtle blooms to encourage reblooming.
• Mow lawn regularly at recommended height (1½” for Bermuda; 2” for St. Augustine and Zoysia).
WATER:
• Container plants, flower beds, shrubs & trees as needed to keep healthy. To improve water retention, add Soil Moist & Expanded Shale (or Covington’s Soil Builder) when planting.
• Water shrubs & trees less frequently but deeply to produce hardier, better rooted plants. Hand water plants that don’t get sprinkled adequately (check sprinklers).
• To improve water retention, add Soil Moist & Expanded Shale (or Covington’s Soil Builder) when planting.
• Top dress landscape/flower beds with 2-3 inch layer of mulch to help retain moisture, reduce weeds, and maintain soil temperature. Treat lawn & landscaped areas with Hydretain for greater soil moisture retention.
• Trees installed for less than two years must have special care to ensure a strong and healthy root system. See our Plant Article on Tree Care for the First Two Years for details.
CONVENTIONAL FERTILIZATION, WEED, DISEASE & PEST CONTROL SOLUTIONS
FERTILIZE:
• Flowers, veggies and herbs with Covington’s Premium Flower & Garden Fertilizer or use ferti-lome Gardeners Special 11-15-11 for your herbs and vegetables.
• Newly planted trees and shrubs every 3-4 weeks for the first year with ferti.lome Root Stimulator.
• Trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers & perennials with Covington’s Special Tree and Shrub Fertilizer 12-6-6.
• Bermuda, St. Augustine and Zoysia with Covington’s Premium Lawn Fertilizer 21-7-14 or Covington’s High Performance all nitrogen 25-0-0 fertilizer.
• Roses with ferti.lome Rose Food or ferti.lome Rose Food with Systemic Insecticide.
• Fruit & pecan trees with ferti.lome Fruit, Citrus & Pecan Fertilizer. To strengthen foliage and increase nut production on pecans, add Hi-Yield Zinc Sulfate at bud break, and repeat 6 weeks later.
• Iron-deficient plants with Dr. Iron or Ferti.lome Soil Acidifier Plus Iron.
WEEDS & DISEASE CONTROL:
• Apply pre-emergent weed controls during the first 2 weeks of June: Hi-Yield Dimension for crabgrass & dallisgrass.
• Spot treat broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, henbit & clover in St. Augustine or Bermuda grass with ferti.lome Weed Out.
• Spot treat nutsedge now with Sedge Ender.
• Apply Scott’s Disease Ex to St. Augustine for fungal infections including Take All Patch and Brown Patch. For added protection, spread ½ inch layer of Canadian Brown Sphagnum Peat Moss on infected area and water in.
• Use ferti.lome Systemic Fungicide for powdery mildew, disease & fungi on hawthorn, photinias, roses, etc.
INSECT & PEST CONTROL:
• For bagworms, tent caterpillars & cankerworms use Bonide Eight Insecticide or Hi-Yield 55% Malathion.
• Use Bonide Insect and Grub Control Granules for grub & cinch bug control.
• Use Bonide Ant, Flea & Tick Killer to control fire ant mounds and infestations.
• Use Hi-Yield Slug & Snail Killer to control slugs and snails on flowers and foliage.
• Control aphids, spider mites, mealy bugs, thrips, other problem insects w/Bonide Systemic Insecticide.
• For best control of scale & to kill borers in the trunks of trees, use Ferti.lome or Bonide Systemic Insect Drench which protects for months.
• Continue spray program for fruit and nut trees. Use ferti.lome Triple Action or Bonide Fruit Tree Spray.
ORGANIC FERTILIZATION WEED, DISEASE & PEST CONTROL SOLUTIONS
FERTILIZE:
• Newly planted trees and shrubs with Garrett Juice Plus to help prevent transplant shock, increase beneficial microorganisms, and encourage root development.
• Flowers and perennials with Happy Frog Acid Loving Fertilizer.
• Vegetable gardens with Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable fertilizer.
• Use Good Natured Texas 2-Step Fertilizer on shrubs/trees, Bermuda, St. Augustine, ryegrass & fescue.
• Use Corn Gluten Meal 9-0-0 to feed turf and prevent weeds. Also spread Dry Molasses to enhance weed control and encourage healthy soil.
• Add Texas Greensand for deep greening in lawns, trees and landscape plants.
WEEDS & DISEASE CONTROL:
• Spot treat grassy and broadleaf weeds with 20% Vinegar. Add 2 oz. of Orange Oil per gallon of vinegar to enhance the kill on weeds and grasses.
• Apply Horticultural Corn Meal on landscape plants, vegetables, and turf grass for disease control.
INSECT & PEST CONTROL:
• Apply live insects such as ladybugs.
• Repel mosquitoes with Cedar Warrior Granules. Use Mosquito Bits Granules with BTI to kill mosquito larvae in standing water. Mosquito Bits also control fungus gnats in flower gardens, containers & houseplants.
• For fire ants or grub worms, introduce beneficial nematodes to your yard and garden.
• Use ferti.lome Come and Get It Spinosad Bait for protection from fire ants and use 3-4 ounces of Orange Oil per gallon of water as a drench on ant mounds.
• Spray Orange Oil in areas infested with pillbugs, sow bugs, and spiders.
• Control slugs & snails with Bonide Slug Magic or Sluggo Plus w/Spinosad.
• Use Diatomaceous Earth for crawling insects.
• Spray Bonide All Seasons Oil for scale on fruit trees, hollies & crape myrtles.
• Use Natural Guard Caterpillar Killer spray with BT for worms on cole crops, lettuce, chard & cabbage.
• Use ferti.lome Triple Action Plus with Neem Oil for insect problems on fruit trees after petal fall.
• Use eco-friendly Armadillo Repellant in a convenient hose end sprayer to get rid of armadillos.
• To deter pesky flower-munching rabbits, use Rabbit Scram and/or Bonide Repels-All spray
For professional lawn, tree & shrub fertilization, as well as weed, disease, and insect control, please call Brent with our Lawn and Garden Services team at (972) 475-5888 Ext. 200 today.