Thornapple River Nursery

Plant Care

Fertilization:
Spring is the time for fertilization of your lawn. But, when do you fertilize? Right after the early spring cleanup is a good time to start the annual fertilizing program for the lawn. This early application is one of the most important of the season because grass soon will be utilizing nutrients when the weather warms. Fertilizer will help it to grow vigorously at a time when growing conditions are most favorable. And since a dense stand of grass is one of the best ways of keeping down weeds, lawns should be given every opportunity to grow with vigor, fertilizer is a key requirement.

There are a number of very good lawn fertilizers, these should be used according to recommendations of the manufacturer. A good standard rule for the amount to use is to apply one pound of actual nitrogen for each thousand square feet of lawn surface. The first number in a fertilizer formula refers to the percent of nitrogen. Divide this number into 100 and the answer will be the number of pounds of that fertilizer to use for each one thousand feet of lawn surface. Some turf specialists recommend a combination of fifty percent organic and fifty percent inorganic fertilizer. As a rule, lawn fertilizers do not have to be watered if they are applied in early spring. Spring rains and the moist condition of the earth make it unnecessary to follow an otherwise strict rule to always water right after applying fertilizer on a lawn. If you need a maintenance program to help get your lawn in shape contact us today. We'll be glad to come out, inspect your lawn and landscaping and put you on a shape up plan that will WOW your neighbors!

Be an Intelligent Buyer:
In gardening and growing plants, perhaps more than in anything else, top quality makes for happiness.  For every dollar spent on a plant, you spend hours of work maintaining it and months or years waiting for it to mature. If you are successful you will have many years and perhaps decades of enjoyment.  An experienced landscaper or a wise gardener knows that this doesn't always mean "higher price, better plant."  But you do have to be careful to tell a real bargain from a waste of money.  If you are landscaping on a budget a good tip is to purchase small, good quality plants and grow them to a larger size yourself.  This practice is particularly effective with perennials, since they have such a fast growth rate. You can start with a small size and have a beautiful specimen before you know it.

Buy Well-Known, High Quality:
Another budget landscaping tip is to purchase well-known, high quality varieties that have been in commerce for a long time.  Old varieties may sell for far less than some of the newer patented varieties.  Unless you are a collector intent on owning the newest plants, you can be well satisfied with the proven varieties.  Occasionally a new variety will be such a great improvement over existing varieties that it is no longer practical to purchase the old cultivars.

Whether you buy old or new, top quality is of utmost importance.  Top quality means stock (or seeds) grown under the best prescribed conditions- healthy, free of disease or insects and given the best possible care as the plant matures.  This does not mean that the variety must be new and expensive.  One can often get great bargains in beauty for the garden by selecting the top plants of years past.  They may have been scarce when first introduced but are now in full supply and often at a fraction of their original cost.  Chances are they will still be considered as beautiful as when they were first introduced.

Buy at the Right Time:
Before you start any landscape project it's always a good idea to ask questions and research your current landscaping needs.  Try to learn what trees, shrubs and perennials best fit your needs.  Also learn when is the right time for you to order them for prime time planting in your yard. Another good idea is to do your shopping early in the season (usually before you think you should!), and either early in the morning or on a rainy Saturday when the crowd stays home.  By doing this you will find that our experts will have more time to answer questions and show you a wide range of plant choices.  If you wait until a sunny Saturday afternoon in May when everyone in town is crowding the parking lot you'll have to make most of the decisions by yourself.  Finally, ask our experts questions.  It takes an experienced plant care specialist to know proper placement, watering and care of growing or dormant trees, shrubs and perennials.  We're here to help.


Connect with our experts!