Huntree Nursery mid-September Newsletter 2024

It’s me again with the same emergency message as last time:

PLEASE KEEP WATERING!!!      It is so dry, and getting dryer.  There’s no prediction of rain in the near future.   It is very important to keep plants hydrated in the fall.   Don’t give up.    Even if leaves have dried up and fallen off prematurely it doesn’t mean the plant is dead.   There’s still life in the plant.  It may just sit there looking ‘sticky’ until next spring.  It’s been especially hard on Hydrangeas.  They need plenty of water because of their huge flowers and they’re just not getting enough.   So keep at it.   If you have an irrigation system check to make sure all the sprinkler heads are working.   (We have lots customers bringing in sad samples of plants that are just not getting enough water.)

Fall is in the air.   We love Michigan because of the seasonal changes.  Here we go again!  Time to get some Mums (our’s are hardy) and pumpkins out there on the front porch.

Come check out our Tulip and Daffodil bulbs (and other kinds, too).  Get them in the ground this fall for pops of color next spring.    They have just arrived from the Netherlands.   The size of the bulbs is robust!   The larger the bulb means the bigger the flower and the faster they will multiply.  Size makes a difference.    And especially for Tulips, fertilizing is important too.

Be on the lookout for the next new invasive species to give us a headache.  Grrr.   They are quickly spreading across the country.   They were first found on the other side of the state in 2008.  It is a creepy, crawly, jumpy, gross worm that is invading our soils.   They are fat and large: 3 to 5 inches long with a defining white collar.   When disturbed they wiggle with wild, contorted movements.  The problem is they deplete the soil by feeding ravenously on nutrients that plants, animals, fungi and bacteria need to survive.  If you find one kill it and put it in the trash.   Please go to www.misin.msu.edu/report/ and report your finding.   They want to track those buggers.

If you want to protect your evergreens from winterburn this winter put a sticky note on your November calendar to apply ANTIDESSICANT on them.   We have vials of concentrate to dilute in water and spray onto the foliage in November.   While you are doing that you can also add into the mix your deer repellant and spray both at the same time.  The antidessicant will help  the deer spray remain on your plants longer.

Speaking of deer, protect your young  trees with tree wrap (which we happen to have).   They like to scrape their antlers on things… and you don’t want the target to be your trees.     Bark injury could be detrimental to the health of your young trees.    We also have deer netting and 3 brands of repellant.

Remember…..  WATER!

We are open every day.   Last day is Friday, November 1.

Get out there and get your hands in the dirt.

Jan and the Huntree Gang

Categorised in: Newsletter

This post was written by MHarrison9