Insecticidal Soap for Safe Insect Control

Safer's Insecticidal Soap: 500mL Concentrate


This is another product that I really LOVE! Insecticidal Soap is a really amazing and a SAFE way to control those little bugs that like to eat on your plants. The Insecticidal Soap will stick to the leaves really well and it works to kill the bugs fast. I like it because there are no dangerous chemicals in it. It has an odor, but its light and not too bad. You can safely use it on houseplants and tropical plants. You can also use it on shrubs and flowers like pansies and roses.. It works well on aphids, spider mites, scale and mealy bugs. Sometimes it may take a few spraying's to get rid of all the insects, but at least you don't have to break out the hard-core insecticides! Happy Gardening!

Ross Root Feeder's Rock!

Just a few products I really Love!!

I really endorse the Ross Root Feeder....It helps to water down where you really need to water, under the soil-line in the root zone. You can add Ross fertilizer to the Feeder and shoot the food straight to where its needed and you don't waste it. The plants in our South Texas soil LOVE this! Its hard to get the fertilizer to feed evenly with "gumbo" soil. The Ross Root feeder gets the job done. This is especially wonderful for trees and shrubs.... In a later post I will talk more about soils, mulches and other organic/ non-organic ammendments.

Brrrrr it's cold.......or not???

All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!

Is it winter or not??? Here in South East Texas our weather will be cold one minute and if you blink....it's warm again!   Yes! Just two days ago we were close to 34 degrees and Today's high is 78. So what are our plants thinking.....Do I bloom or drop my leaves??? Unfortunately all we can do is go with it and try to keep them healthy and protected. When the temps are in the upper 60's to high 70's, our plant's are happy and lovin' it! But if it's 75 degrees today and tonight it will be in the 40's, our plant's are a little confused and it's possible to get some frost damage on the leaves and new growth. Since the plant's are getting new growth due to the warmer temps...you need to be diligent about protection. If the temps are going to dip more than 20 degrees in a day, you need to be concerned about certain plants. By now a lot of your annuals and perennials have already started to go to seed or die back. You can prune them back or collect seeds for next year. If its an annual and its time is up...pull it up and throw it in the compost pile! So how do you protect your plants??? Mulch..... any kind is good. Don't overdo it though, too much mulch is bad too. Use pine needles( for acid-loving plants), cedar, pine bark, redwood, hardwood...etc. Water your plants well before a freeze and most importantly..cover them up! Now when you cover them up, you want to use freeze blankets or sheets. You want to use something lightweight. Secure it well. Don't use plastic unless you absolutely have to. If you use plastic.....remove it before the sun can cause too much condensation. The condensation  can burn your plants. Here in Zone 9/10 we plant a lot of Tropical plants in our landscaping. We use palm trees, hibiscus and ixora's. oleanders and Ti plants. We even plant ficus trees outdoors. These are the plants that we need to protect. Also other plants like gardenias, mandevillas, ginger, banana trees, bougainvilleas. There are many others....Like citrus and avocados. If you have any questions about specific plants....leave me a comment below! Happy Gardening!

Root Stimulator

Because Fall is for Planting........Use Root Stimulator for success!
Root Stimulator is sold by many companies and is available in many garden centers.
Most root Stimulator's have a fertilizer ratio made up of low numbers, higher in the middle number (phosphorus). Some contain vitamins and hormones. Phosphorus rich plant foods encourage root growth, blooms, stronger stem growth and seed production. When you are planting any plant a root stimulator is going to help to get it established. It will make the smaller roots grow off the root ball and help the plant to thrive. It helps to keep the plant from going into "shock". If you planted some shrubs or trees in the late spring or summer but they dropped all their leaves chances are they are in shock. The new roots will try to grow off the root ball and then something causes them to die back. Maybe too much water, maybe not enough....maybe the wind blew too hard on your young trees. If they are still in the ground...give them Root Stimulator.
If you are moving plants that have already been planted to a new spot....Root Stimulator.
Houseplants....RS will encourage growth and you will have better luck with them.
Bedding plants....Sure!
Root Stimulator will help get them going so you wont need to water so much!
When planting new shrubs and trees from the garden center....dig your holes, add diluted Root Stimulator to the hole. Place your tree or shrub in the hole, replace soil around the root ball and water with RS. Use RS once a month or more often on any plants under a year old. Sometimes older plantings defiantly benefit from RS.
If you have any questions about new planting or Root Stimulator just ask in my comment box....... Happy Gardening!

Dianthus (Caryophyllaceae) There are almost 300 species of Dianthus. Did you know that the Carnation is a cousin to the Dianthus in your flower bed?? The dianthus flowers come in many colors and sizes. They smell sweet and they bloom a whole bunch! The wonderful thing about the Dianthus plant is that they last a long time. Unlike other annuals in this area, you can plant a bunch of Dianthus and if they are happy they will stay with you and perform for a year or two. They do reseed themselves, all you have to do is leave old blooms on the plant and they will go to seed. Let them drop on their own or collect them and redistribute. If you want to have happy Dianthus, follow these simple rules... give them about 6 hrs of sunlight a day, do not over water, but don't let them get wilted either. Fertilize with a blooming plant food (water soluble) and don't mulch up close to the plants. They like to be in well drained soil, built up a bit. Try to "dead-head" old blooms as much as possible to encourage rebloom. Just use garden scissors to cut away dead flower heads. Dianthus do not like acidic soil, so don't plant them with acid loving plants like Azaleas, and Gardenias. Remember that in our zone, it gets HOT in the summer even for plants that like the heat. Dianthus has learned to adapt to our heat but only if it is started in cooler weather and it has time to get established. Have fun with this durable and pretty flower! Happy Gardening!

CHRISTMAS CACTUS

I know....Thanksgiving isn't here yet but the Christmas Cactus are hitting all the stores already! I just wanted to give you some instructions on how to care for these beautiful plants in case you get one for the holidays......

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera Zygocactus)

Likes bright indirect light, loves humidity(recreate with a misting bottle) and "even" watering. Christmas cactus come in a few different colors and have very fragile joints so be careful they don't get knocked around too much. Prune them back about 4 weeks after blooming. Don't let them get too cold either. They will freeze. The Christmas cactus is not a true desert-like cactus. They originated from high up in the Brazilian forest, growing from tree limbs. Many times the healthy Christmas cactus will re bloom around Easter. They really like to be root- bound and to get them to bloom they need fertilizer and equal amounts of light and darkness. It is always best to leave the Christmas cactus in one "happy" place during blooming so it doesn't drop it's blooms. Hope you get one of these beautiful plants for the holidays this year! Happy Gardening!

Mums the Word....

Chrysanthemums or Mums....You see them in vases at the florist or big spirit mums at Homecoming games, but Mums are beautiful in the garden. Garden mums bloom profusely at least twice a year. Give them full sun 6 hrs a day to make them produce abundantly. Most garden centers will sell the garden mums in the Fall around September but some will get them in the spring too. If you are just getting them in the ground you need to know that they need plenty water when blooming. Now if you have already planted the mums.......AFTER they bloom, cut the plants back. Cut them back to 4 inches. Don't forget they are there, give them water still but not as much. Mums bloom around April-May and October. So after you cut them back they will come back out and Bloom again when it is time. Success Tip: Fertilize with Green Light Super Bloom starting at least one month before they should bloom ...... once a week, through the blooming period. A mistake some people make when they plant mums is that they think they are so pretty they plant them right at the front of a bed. Mums can get big! Give them room to grow ...at least 2 feet tall and wide! Remember if its at the front of your bed, you may block other plants..... Now for those of you that bought mums this Fall and they are still in pots, that's fine! Leave them in the pots till spring or plant them now. If you need to pull some up to re-plant, go for it! Our weather is so mild right now, it's a great time to plant!! Happy Gardening!

Pansies!

Pansies are here! Pretty Pansies swaying in the wind.........

There are only a few annuals that really do well here in the Fall- Winter months. Pansies are one of them. Pansies love the cooler weather and give you some much needed color! Pansies grow to 6-8 inches tall and each plant spreads about 6 inches wide. You can plant them close or space them as far apart as you want to. Pansies do well in a sunny location. The sun helps keep your pansies blooming. Pansies bloom a lot! =)

To fertilize your pansies you should put a pinch of Blood Meal in the hole before you plant. Then apply blood meal as needed to keep them happy. Pansies are acid loving plant's. The blood meal doesn't help with this but pine needle mulch and prepping your soil with soil acidifier will.

Keep your pansies evenly moist. Remember sunny, windy days will dry your soil out faster and pansies have a shallow root system. Blood meal is a organic source of nitrogen from poultry. It can be found in most garden centers or feed stores either in the fertilizer or the organic section. Happy Gardening!!!

Welcome to ThePrettyPetunias....

Fall is here finally! I love Fall!
I live on the Texas Gulf Coast 2 blocks away from Galveston Bay. I am so glad to have a break from the heat of our Summer. The plants are perking up and growing again and the customers are coming back to the garden center to visit again.
It was a long, hot, dry summer. Sure glad it's over.....
Most people don't seem to know that Fall is a great "planting time". It is a good time to put trees in the ground and get some "cool weather" annuals going. The lawn needs a feeding and the beds need some mulching. Most people don't do as much in the yard when it is hot, so now is catch-up time. Spray as needed to get rid of pest like aphids and whitefly......
Did you get some grasshopers this year???? Boy they were a mess! Did you have you some lawn fungus?? Don't fertilize if you still have active fungus, instead treat it with a lawn fungicide.
Happy gardening!