KRAUTTER’S KORNER NEWS LETTER – AUGUST 2017
We have been lucky this year with above average rainfall. Temperatures have been erratic making for an interesting gardening year. Animal damage has been more of a problem than ever. The reduction of open land may be fostering this. Chinchbug damage is showing up on lawns, hanging baskets are suffering and need double watering and insects and diseases are again prevalent. Strong healthy plants that have been heavily fed, adequately watered and grown in a rich, organic soil resist insect and disease problems better. These are variables we need to address if we want to grow healthy plants. Vacations and neglect is a recipe for disaster. Make sure you find a qualified person to take care of your garden while you are away. Stephanie 914 318-2233 or Oscar and his crew 914-907-3352 would be great choices. While they are there have them do some maintenance chores for you. There is still time to bring color into your yard and to fill in dead spots. Annuals are on sale and for very little money with a little more planting you can create a beautiful look for the rest of the summer. Your efforts can reward you well into Thanksgiving.
Those who have been following an organic program have found that plants have flourished. Adequate moisture and good soil is the key. Deadheading and slight trimming should take place to ensure vigor. Weeds are prevalent and need to be controlled. August can be the most stressful month on plants. We need to pay particular attention to chores that will ensure our plants’ survival. Haircuts for plants like petunias are important and will help them bloom vigorously throughout the season. Deadheading of flowering plants will not only make the garden look nicer but will also benefit the health of the plant. Keeping up with the weeds is an important job for not only do they detract from the beauty of the garden but they rob the plants of water and food. Many gardens look great while some need refurbishing. There are still three to four good months of color to be enjoyed. Take advantage of the terrific August bargains. In the hot, dry weather of summer pump up your watering. Proper watering is the most important factor in growing beautiful plants. Overhead watering, particularly if done in the evening, coupled with cool nights, leads to fungus problems. Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spots, Botrytis, spent flowers and rot are a few of the most common problems that can plague you. Carefully monitor your watering, keep the soil moist but not waterlogged and keep the foliage dry on your plant material. Drip irrigation can help you perform this task. Overhead sprinkling heads should be confined to the grass areas. Overhead watering has become the greatest plague to our ornamental plants and our vegetable gardens leaving them riddled with fungus. Understanding the art of watering, proper soil preparation and selecting the right plant for the right location are the important factors in developing a beautiful garden. Take some time and read chapter 4 “Watering” in my book “12 Steps to Natural Gardening”. It is an important read that will help you tremendously through this time of the year.
INSECT AND DISEASE PROBLEMS
are prevalent during the month of August and weekly inspections of plant material are imperative. It is important to catch the problem early and treat it immediately. Early detection and early treatment will avoid epidemics. Insects and diseases spread rapidly if not controlled. Weeds and animals are especially aggressive this year. Make sure you keep them under control. Weeds compete for plant nutrients, harbor insects and diseases and are ugly. If animals are a problem in your vegetable garden “Krautter’s Year Round Organic Vegetable Garden is your answer. This is an animal proof structure that will allow you to grow vegetables all year round and to harvest 3 crops a year.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO
Evaluate your plant selections and make notes for next year. I have blank pages in my book for you to make these entries. Keep plants well fertilized to maintain their vigor. Just like you, plants get hungry and flourish when well fed. I apply Nature’s Source on a weekly basis and often alternate it with Neptune’s Harvest’s fish and kelp lines. This is important in maintaining flower quality. Particular care should be given to hanging baskets and container plants since nutrients are leached out with heavy watering. Spent roses should have been cut back by now to force a second set of blooms. . Feed with Natures Source. Avoid overhead watering.
Healthy plants usually do not have insect or disease problems; but if they occur, we can help you with an organic control. Maintaining a healthy rose is important as the next flush of bloom usually takes place in early September. Feed vegetables periodically and avoid overhead watering. Avoid splashing water onto foliage which can cause fungus problems and make sure your area is mulched. We have heard back from many of our customers who are following our organic program and they say their plants have never looked better. Those who are following a chemical program are having a tough time and color is lacking in many gardens. Deer seem to be a particular problem this year as many are being displaced by large building projects. Follow an aggressive control with frequent applications of Deer repellents.
Application of Deer Scram to the soil coupled with spraying Deer Stopper or another Deer repellent applied on the foliage is a very effective control. My Deer Chapter is on page 295 in my book. The list of deer resistant plants is large and I consider it one of the best lists published. Look at the deer resistant garden I installed in front of Krautter’s Year Round Organic Vegetable Garden. Although the deer are having a feast at Sprainbrook this year they have not touched this beautiful garden.
LAWNS
Now is the time to switch to an organic lawn program. Fall is the beginning of the lawn season. Apply Ringer lawn fertilizer if you have not done so in July. At this time of the year apply Instant Compost Tea-Soil Ecolizer from Mother Earth Organics. It contains fulvic, humic and ulmic acids (naturally found in compost) and microbes, including endo and ecto Mychorrhizae. Apply at the rate of one teaspoon in a gallon of water. If you are brewing your own compost tea, you can use it instead. The second application of Milky Spore Disease should take place. Apply Nematodes if you haven’t already done so. In the heat of the summer, lawns struggle. As the warm weather moves in, the grass problems increase. Grubs are re-infesting your lawn.
Chinchbugs can become a problem. Summer diseases can occur. Refer to my diagnostic chart on page 144 in my book. We will help with organic controls. This is the time of the year when crabgrass likes to take over. Hand weeding will save you a lot of problems later. If your lawn has been doing poorly, if your soil is heavy Westchester clay and has not been conditioned, or your lawn is more than 60% weeds, you may want to build a new lawn. Late August is the time to do it. Warm weather will get your seed to germinate and the cool fall and cool spring will grow a thick strong lawn before the hot weather of summer arrives again next year. The window of opportunity is small.
To grow a good lawn, soil structure is very important. Bring us a sample of your soil 6-8 inches deep and we will take a look and advise you. Line up your contractor early so that the timing of building a new lawn will take place early enough. Oscar and his crew installed great organic lawns. They follow the 11 step Sprainbrook Nursery formula for building a new lawn. This is a program that has produced some great organic lawns.
If the lawn area is heavily shaded, remove lower limbs on trees to allow more light. It is difficult to grow grass under shallow rooted trees such as Norway Maples. A ground cover like pachysandra might be a better choice. If you are going to build a new lawn, think about an irrigation system. Think about reducing your lawn by adding ground cover in difficult areas. Beautiful lawns are not accidental; they are the result of experience, knowledge and intelligent hard work. . Let us help you create a beautiful organic lawn that will be the pride of the neighborhood.
FORMULA FOR BUILDING A NEW LAWN
This process should take place from mid August on.
- On top of your existing lawn evenly spread 3 bales of peat moss, 2 bags of. Coir, 6 bags of Lobster Compost, 10 lbs. of Bio-tone Starter Plus and 2 bags of Penobscot Blend per 1,000 square feet.
- Apply and evenly spread Magical per 1,000 square feet.
- Rent a rot tiller. Make sure it is large enough to till to a depth of six or more inches. Till the area twice making sure the ingredients are well mixed into the soil. On small areas, hand digging can be done.
- Rough rake the lawn area to remove large rocks, clumps of weeds and to establish your desired grade.
- Apply Jonathan Green Humates (Love Your Soil) evenly over the area. Add mineral rock dust (Azomite). Apply Myke evenly over the complete surface.
- Finely rake your area establishing the final seeding bed. Do not allow the prongs of your iron rake to penetrate too deeply into the soil and use the opposite side of the rake to develop a smooth bed.
- Seed your lawn using the proper seed mixture. Bring us details of your exposures and the lay of the land and we will advise you. Use a hand-held spreader and seed walking backwards.
- Lightly rake in the grass seed, covering it with only 1/8th of an inch of soil. Cover seed with a sterile Straw mulch. .
- Water the seed 3 times daily: 10AM 12Noon and 4PM. Do this for three weeks until all the grass has germinated. Set yourself up with sprinklers and automatic timers.
- Cut the grass as soon as it is 4 inches long.
- Follow our Organic Lawn Program which is listed in my book “12 Steps to Natural Gardening”.
PLANT FEATURE
There are several annuals which thrive in the heat of summer and would be a worthwhile addition to any fill-ins that your garden may need:
Scaevola: This is one of my favorites. It hugs the ground or trails in a container, giving a dramatic and constant show of bright blue color until frost. A truly great plant that no garden should be without. Cuphea “Lavender Lace” (Mexican Heather): This is a very hardy plant that never stops blooming and requires little care. It likes full sun, has compact foliage and delicate lavender flowers. Evolvulus: Angelonia: a colorful plant that stands up well to heat. Pentas which are used in Florida where periods of long intense heat are prevalent, and my absolute favorite the Dragon Wing Begonia which give you a dramatic show of color well into fall. All of these plants will also stand up well to rainy weather. .
MOST ASKED QUESTION
The insect and animal population has built up to alarming proportions this year. Samples have been brought in of Euonymous scale on Euonymous, Lacebug on Andromeda and Azaleas. Holes in plants caused by caterpillars and slugs and beetle damage seems to be particularly heavy this year as are discolored leaves form mite injury. Aphids and Thrips as usual are prevalent. Come in or call and we will advise you with the organic solution. Rabbits, deer, chipmunks, squuirrels and groundhogs are devastating herbaceous plants. There are many repellents on the market for almost any animal. Identifying the culprit is important for effective control. You may have to stay up late at night or get up early in the morning to observe the problem. After heavy periods of rain, a very light re-application of the repellent should take place.
BEST VALUE
Fantastic Summer Bargains on annuals
Buy a flat of peat pots and get one flat free
Buy a dozen 4 ½” pots and get a dozen free.
Buy a hanging basket and get one free.
Twenty percent off all other plant material.
Don’t miss out on these huge savings.
Editorial.
Global warming continues to be the biggest problem our world faces. We can still reverse it if we all get on board. Mother Nature provides the answers. It all starts in our own back yard. We can all make a difference by following organic programs and learning how the food web works. Once we become organic minded we will understand the workings of the earth. Once we understand the workings of the earth we will be able to find ways to capture sustainable energy. We will learn how to use green products that will not poison the earth. It amazes me the terrible mess that we have created for ourselves and the extensive lack of concern. If we don’t change our ways, we are in big trouble. In the long run we are facing the extinction of our earth and in the short run our coastal cities will be flooded. We do not need to keep pouring carbon into our air when Mother Nature has the answers for reclaiming clean energy. All we need to do is grow all our plants organically and pull CO2 out of the air. The more plants we grow the more CO2 we will extract. In my year round organic vegetable garden I have proved how we can heat with solar energy, compost energy and thermal energy. We do not have to fight wars over oil. We just need to understand nature and learn how to capture clean energy from our earth. Mother Nature has set up a system for us and instead of following it we are destroying it. We need to get more organic gardeners to be vocal. In the US we have already ruined our food supply; and the farmers by using tons of chemical fertilizers, toxic pesticides and harmful weed controls have put our health and environment at risk. Genetically modified plants that allow us to spray Round- up without injuring the plant are producing crops of food that we know very little about. And in the process we continue to contaminate the earth. This is not how Mother Nature intended us to work within the system. Powerful chemical companies continue to get legislation enacted that will benefit them at our expense. Everything in nature is connected. Our food crisis is connected to global warming. If we would switch our growing to organic methods we would reduce our carbon imprint instead of contributing to it. Our reliance on fossil fuels is connected to global warming. We have known for years that there is a different path that we can follow. These paths have always been blocked by money to protect interests and profits of chemical and oil companies and other big business. Politician campaigns are funded by these companies. University grants are funded by these companies. Newspaper advertisements are funded by these companies. Nothing is free. It is time that we do what is right for the people of our country. It is up to the people to create this revolution for the legislators are not going to get it done. It is critical for our children and our grandchildren that we leave them a world they can live in. It is not the wars of the world that should worry us the most it is the war against global warming that we have to win. Lives matter but extinction is irreversible. If we can focus on this war, we can all have a common cause to fight for. We need to educate our youth. Nature is full of wisdom and a great teacher. That is why I would like to see Krautter’s Year Round Organic Vegetable Garden Become part of the school curriculum. Get people in positions of authority to help make this happen by sending them my promotional video to view.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO. Pass this information on to others.
We can all come together for the salvation of mankind. This is a fight worthwhile taking on.
Go Organic, become vocal and help make a difference before it is too late. We are all in this together and only together can we make the change. Your voice can make a difference.
