Fall is a special time a year for many reasons. One my favorite reason is the beautiful fall color we can enjoy with a variety of gorgeous fall & winter annual color. We buy them small and with the right care they bush out into these little mountains of blooms that bring joy every time we see them. Very inexpensively we can dress up any property.
The big keys from an Organic point of view are reduced culture stress and proper nutrition.
Cultural Stress – Annual fall flowers do not like a lot of water. Too much water brings on soil diseases which is the biggest problem facing our annual color. We often forget that summer is over and the heat is drastically reduced from the summer yet we forget to turn the water down. Plus flowers are always planted in prepared top soil which contains a lot of organic matter. That organic matter holds water which is much different than the soil turfgrass is grown on which contains very little organic matter. On top of all this flowers always get a layer of mulch which further holds water.
Bed Preparation – We are not talking about a lot of space when we plant flowers even on large commercial properties so we can invest in great growing soil. True plant health begins in the soil. For new beds or containers look for quality top soil with properly aged compost, clean sand mixed in and is slightly acidic. The top soil must drain well and contain a lot of beneficial microorganisms.
If you don’t want to replace the entire soil site then add quality, well-aged compost. You should plan for a cubic yard of compost to cover 125’ – 250’ before you work into the soil to a depth of 3” – 4”. Good compost will be rich in beneficial microbes and nutrients.
Fertilization and Disease Prevention – These two major areas will go hand in hand. We already visited about ‘not overwatering’ and the beneficial microbes you get by adding well aged compost products. Remember when given a chance good microbes beat bad microbes every time. When buying new plants it is very important to look at the plants carefully (take a few out of the pot and look at the roots) to make sure they are healthy to start with.
At time of planting use 4 lb of MicroLife Ultimate 8-4-6 per 100 sq ft.
MicroLife will never burn and is completely safe for all children and pets. And MicroLife is completely unique, nothing else like it in the marketplace. 100% slow release, 70 + minerals and Billions of beneficial microbes per bag including different species of the all-important Mycorrhizal Fungi. Many of these included microbes are specific disease fighters as well as growth promoters. For complete product specifications please view our Products.
After installation water in well with MicroLife Maximum Blooms 3-8-3 to ease transplanting and to fast start the new plantings. MicroLife Maximum Blooms is another completely unique product that produces terrific results for you. It is the Organic ‘Super Bloom that really Pops * Pops * Pops blooms on flowers. Finally apply a 1” layer of aged native hardwood mulch and Viola’ … you’re done!
Follow Up – After initial use with the organic liquid fertilizer re-apply this product every 2 – 4 weeks as a foliar spray to keep your flowers jumping. Annual flowers are heavy feeders and will enjoy the nutrition you give them.
Conclusion – With healthy plants to start with, correct watering, healthy soil/mulch and MicroLife products you will have outstanding flowers and another reason to smile this fall and winter.
