How To Plant in July And Keep Your Gardens Alive!
1) Before planting , prepare the soil by adding 2″ of compost and dig it into the to top 6″-8″ of soil OR Add 1″-2″ of expanded shale with the compost, then dig it in. This will open clay soil, increasing both porosity (aeration) and water holding capacity. Set the prepared soil aside.
Japanese Beetle is an invasive insect pest that feeds on over 300 different plants. It emerges from a grub stage in the ground in late June, peaks around mid July and continues until early September. There are no natural enemies for Japanese Beetle in the US, and no one seems to have a successful strategy for eliminating them. We recommend a cumulative approach, which when combined, can be helpful.
We have stopped selling the BeetleGone and GrubGone because they are so expensive and only partially control beetles in your yard, and beetles fly in from the neighbors and beyond. We also don’t recommend Milky Spore, because it seems to not be effective in Colorado. Nematodes can work, but must be applied at the right time and often require repeated applications.
Here are some methods we do suggest; we hear it is better to start early in the season before the beetles make attracting chemical trails:
1) Hand-collecting: Very laborious and effective. Hold a container of soapy water under the beetles and tap them in. You can also use a one gallon jug with 2” of soapy water with a 6” funnel inserted in the top. Hold underneath and tap in. This is often more effective, fewer get away. Morning and evening collection works best, because this is when the beetles are sluggish.
2) Wild West Method: Fill a quart spray bottle with water and a capful of Dr. Bronners soap. Turn the sprayer to a single stream and shoot them down. Supposedly faster, and does kill the beetles.
3) Spray the plants with Neem: Neem is a non-toxic herb with insecticidal and fungicidal properties. It acts as an antifeedant, meaning the beetles don’t like to eat it, and if they do, their eggs will not live to the adult stage. Follow the directions using warm water and spray in the cool of the day. It is an oil, so don’t apply too often or it can affect plant respiration.
4) Trapping: I know, I know, reputable sources claim traps attract more than they catch. But we have many reports and our own experience indicating that they reduce numbers with less labor than collecting. We learned our method from anEast Coast teacher: skip the plastic traps which are expensive, stink, are hard to clean and have to be thrown away every year. Get a 5 gallon bucket, stick the adhesive bait on the inside of the bucket, 2”-3” down from the upper lip, put 3” of soapy water in the bottom. The beetles will hit the side of the bucket and fall into the water. Use a sieve to scoop out the beetles once a week and replace the water as needed. Easy, doesn’t stink and you reuse the bucket. If it is a bad year, use a new second bait mid-season. An improvement we learned is to site the bucket on the west side of the property, because the beetles usually fly in on the wind from the west and will get to the trap before they get to your roses or grapes. Let us know if it works for you.
5) Garlic Barrier and Mosquito Barrier: Garlic is strong medicine and most insects don’t like it. The smell goes away soon, but not to insects. Spray in the morning or evening in the summer. It will also reduce aphids and spider mites.
6) Remove buds and flowers: When the beetle damage starts to get bad, remove the flowers and buds, keep at it. These flowers will be damaged anyway, and removing them with remove the main attraction and save the energy of the plant. Then when beetle numbers have decreased, stop removing the buds and you will have a glorious late season bloom
7) Plant spring blooming roses/flowers: Ones that are done blooming by mid June/early July (like Heirloom and species roses).
8) Remove plants that are magnets to the beetles: Virginia Creeper, Morden Sunrise Rose etc.
9) Rowcover Fabric: Cover after fruit has started to form on veggies and berries, cover with light pest-fabric. We carry ‘Seed Guard’ fabric.
10) Plant strongly aromatic plants like garlic, thyme, annual geraniums etc with your roses or plants that are being eaten
11) Don’t spray toxic chemicals: They will kill or weaken your beneficial insects, birds, pets, kids, you, or your soil life.
root system with myccorhizae
Mycorrhizae are fungi that form mutually beneficial relationships with plants. Over 90% of all plants on Earth form these relationships with plant roots: plants share the food sugars they produce through photosynthesis, and mycorrhizae, with their extensive mycelial network, bring water and nutrients to the plants. This relationship is often essential to the survival of plants growing in harsh conditions or through climate extremes. [Read More]
Our compost tea will be ready this week, hopefully by Friday. Our tea has always been good, but this year we are working on making it even better. Please let us know if you can see good results from using it, and if it seems to be more effective.
Say Hello to ECOPLUS Organic Compost! We are replacing our A-1 Eco-Grow compost with the newly-available ECOPLUS Organic Compost, an OMRI certified organic compost made by A-1 Organics in Colorado.[Read More]
Jen Grant creates these cheerful and artful flags with her original designs. Display your affection for wildflowers, bees, birds, bicycles, etc. by garlanding a doorway, deck, porch, window or wall. She makes her original block-printed designs on cotton fabric in Lafayette, CO.
It all starts with the Soil, and we have some very special products to benefit your Soil Life and Your Plant Life!
All of these are sold pre-packaged, and we bag many of them ourselves in refundable, reusable plastic bags. Our Compost Tea is sold in refundable, reusable 1-gallon jugs, or you can bring your own.[Read More]
Botanical Interests goes to great lengths to provide all the information you need, and more (like an illustration of what the seedling looks like when it emerges), on both the outside and the inside of the packet, plus stunning, botanically accurate illustrations by highly skilled local artists adorning the front of each packet! We have carefully selected varieties from their catalog that will thrive in Colorado’s short season, early heat, cool nights, etc.
Enjoy them in your own garden and share them with a friend.
We know Mother Nature teases Coloradans with delightful warm weather days in between snow and cold spells, and while they give us hope for the warm spring days ahead, this is a pattern that will continue through March, and into April.
If you’re eager to get your garden started here are tools that you can gather now, which will help your plants succeed during the turbulent early spring transition period. [Read More]
Unexpected cold snaps can still occur even after the last average frost date (around May 9). Just as we need to add another layer of clothing during cold snaps, our warm-season veggie starts also need additional insulation as the spring season and soil slowly begin to warm up. This layering can come in several forms, each with their own advantages and applications: low-tech overturned plant pots, row cover anchored over wire or plastic pipe frame (as illustrated in the “Hardening-Off” portion of this article), and Solar Caps.
Because of their versatility and re-usability, Solar Caps have been one of our favorite garden tools for over a decade. [Read More]
Harlequin’s blend of certified organic fertilizer, humate, rock minerals, dry molasses, land: sourced coral calcium and mycorrhizae. Great for veggie gardens and all plants. Increases root mass, top growth, soil life, and productivity naturally. This is not just a fertilizer. The combination of ingredients and mycorrhizae act synergistically to support fertility.
We are making compost tea with a biodynamic compost, a mineral concentrate, kelp extract, molasses, etc., and it is being made in a Vortex brewer. Compost tea increases the soil life (beneficial micro-organisms), which can bring more nutrients and water to the plants and make them stronger and better able to cope with stress. It can be used full-strength as a mild organic fertilizer, or it can be diluted in water up to 3 times as a soil inoculant. It can also be used to inoculate compost piles to make materials break down faster. We have observed some very good results and received positive reports from customers who have tried it. Bring your own jugs, or use ours for a $1 deposit (refundable upon return).
These are the composts we carry during the season, although we don’t always have them all in stock at the same time:[Read More]
Fine Woodchip Mulch: Mats tight to prevent blowing by the wind, and lets less light get to weed seeds, has more nutritive potential than cedar or redwood, decomposes rapidly against the ground.
We carry a range of Age Old Fertilizers products in both liquid and dry (granular) forms with good history of success in Colorado gardens.[Read More]
The Soil Food Web is an important component for healthy plants. This concentrate has not only outstanding Mycorrhizae but also carriers of Biochar, kelp and worm castings. Improve water and nutrienet uptake, root growth and plant growth while reducing transplant shock and drought stress.
A locally made organic fertilizer: 7-2-2. It is an alfalfa-based product with a high organic matter content, very high humic acid value, low pH for Colorado alkaline soils, and is non-burning. It also contains blood meal, cottonseed meal and bone meal. Excellent for vegetable gardens and lawns. Slow releasing over a long time. Feeds soil microbes.
A natural source of phosphorus which is responsible for root development, fruiting and flower production in plants.
encourages water movement through soil and soilless media. High fertilizer use can compromise plant growth over time due to concentrated mineral salt deposits. This product is a unique rinse formula designed to remove fertilizer buildup which may relieve nutrient lockout. Derived from saponin, an extract of the Yucca schidigera plant. Can be used for both hydroponic and soil applications
A non-toxic, weed-and-feed with 9% nitrogen. It inhibits seed germination, but is harmless to plants with root systems, people, worms, and microorganisms. The effect can last up to 6 months and is especially useful in lawns.
“Applied in September / October, and again in late February / March it will prevent the majority of existing weed seeds from germinating. By doing this every year, you can virtually eliminate your weed problem.”
Kelly Grummons: Timberline Gardens, July 2010
Organic Healthy Grow Plant Food for Acid-Loving Plants: Derived from composted chicken manure from an egg farm, feather meal, and sulfate of potash (non-synthetic mined mineral-Sul-Po-Mag)
Organic Healthy Grow Plant Food for Tomatoes: Derived from composted chicken manure from an egg farm, feather meal, & sulfate of potash (non-synthetic mined mineral – Sul-Po-Mag)
Mined south of Boulder, then fired. A superior clay buster, loosens and aerates clay soils, holds water & air, and supports microorganisms. Excellent for Roses and Fruit Trees. Used at Texas A&M and recommended by Joan Franson, Rosarian.
New Jersey Greensand: An organic source of 3% Potassium that holds moisture, has a high cation exchange capacity, and contains many trace minerals. It is a slow release product.
Texas Greensand: Texas’s finest source of organic greensand, contains 3% Potassium. This slow release product holds moisture, has a high cation exchange capacity, and contains many trace minerals.
this is a mined carbon concentrate that multiplies microorganisms and has the effect of making nutrients in the soil available. We have been using this for years in our potting mixes and gardens.
This is a water-absorbing gel that absorbs 200-400 times its density in water. It is used as a soil amendment to increase the water-holding capacity of soils, reducing watering frequency by 20-40% in the ground and 50-75% in containers and hanging baskets. It greatly aids establishing of young plants, and improves soil structure, staying effective for 8 years. It has been used to help trees in drought and to reduce the water requirements of lawns. I have used this product for 12 years in producing plants from seed and found it very useful, needing very little in the soil. It is a synthetic polyacrylamide polymer that has been determined nonhazardous by OSHA, but has not passed organic standards by OMRI.
This seaweed product holds moisture, improves soil structure, provides a wide range of naturally chelated (available) minerals, adds organic matter, helps plants in stress, supports soil life and adds vitamins and plant hormones. It has been reported to help prevent fungus diseases. For roses half a cup is recommended two times a year (with the Rose Feed). Also recommended for vegetables, perennials and shrubs.
100% Guaranteed to work to repel deer and rabbits with once a month application. If they are really hungry, or if it rains more than 1″ per week, spray more often. It does not have a strong odor after it dries, is environmentally safe and also stimulates growth. NOW there is a formulation for moles and voles.
Mineral-rich fertilizer containing trace minerals in a form that is readily available to plants at any soil pH. Feeds plants and soil life.
Myke has two different blends of mycorrhizae to help when transplanting. One for vegetable gardens in the green bag and one for tress and shrubs in the blue box. Both stimulate root development and phosphorous uptake while reducing watering needs.
We like these fertilizers derived from the mineral rich North Atlantic Ocean and carry several of their different dry and liquid fertilizers. [Read More]
Rock dust fertilizer containing over 30 trace minerals. Great for clay, rock gardens, natives, cacti, and vegetables. Especially good for penstemons & wildflowers. Best for soil prep or side-dress every 2 years.
a 100% organic product made in Platteville from dehydrated poultry manure and beetle-kill wood wastes. Excellent for shrubs and trees and is recommended for raspberries and other small fruits. Economical and is effective for fertilizing lawns. Listed by OMRI for organic use. Ideal for lawns, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, vegetables and roses. Covers 2,000 sq. ft. for turf. 5-3-2.
a natural source of phosphorus and calcium, immediately available over a long time. Does not reduce mycorrhizae like petroleum-derived phosphorus.
This is a rock dust product containing over 30 trace minerals. When there is not a proper balance of trace minerals, deficiencies will cause problems with plant growth. In heavy clay soils, movement of these minerals is difficult. Therefore it is good to add Planters II when doing your soil prep. It can also be broadcast around established plants every two years. Very beneficial for vegetables, native plants, cacti and succulents and for supporting a healthy soil life.
Worm castings are soil or compost that had passed through an earthworm. What comes out contains 5x more nitrogen, 2x more calcium, 7x more phosphorus and potassium and many minerals and beneficial microorganisms all in water-soluble and plant-available forms. Worm “manure” will not burn and is safe for all plants, including houseplants. Worm castings support growth, root development, and disease resistance.
