HORT Shorts
- For low-light spots in a room, such as dark corners, use pots of low-growing fittonia. Fittonia is slow growing, requires constant moisture and a monthly feeding of liquid fertilizer.
- Keep faded blooms clipped from rose bushes. This prevents plants from producing hips (the fruit that contains seed). Removing faded flowers prevents plants from diverting energy toward seed production rather than flower buds.
- Lawn grasses need about an inch of water a week. When rainfall is scant, measure the amount applied by using empty coffee cans at equal distance within sprinkler coverage. When the cans have about an inch of water in them, the lawn has enough water.
- Continue spraying roses with fungicide. Feed each bush with approximately a 1⁄2 cup of 5-to-5 fertilizers.
- A good maintenance program is the best way to control lawn weeds. Proper fertilizing, watering, and mowing lead to a good lawn. Otherwise, weeds can become a nuisance.
- To speed up the flowering of annuals, sow seeds in a permanent location. Hasten flower growth by scooping out a shallow hole and mixing a teaspoon of plant food into soil. Sow three seeds in each hole. Lightly cover seed with fine soil. If garden soil is heavy, mix sand with covering soil. Sprinkle daily with fine spray, taking care to avoid washing seeds from ground. Transplant discards elsewhere. Undisturbed plants will grow faster and flower first. Fertilize when flower buds appear.