Huntree Newsletter August/Labor Day Weekend 2025

Finally !!!!    We can breathe again!   The humidity has dropped, and we actually got some rain!

It has been a long stress filled summer for plants.   If your perennials look bad, just cut them back and they will push out some nice fresh foliage.  Are your annuals looking tired?  Rip them out and come on in for some nice perky mums, sedum, and ornamental cabbages.  They will give your front porch a lift.   Our mums are hardy, so you can plant them in the ground and they will come back next year.  Just be sure you plant them in well drained soil.  (Mums do not overwinter in soggy, wet soil.)

We’ve been telling you all summer to WATER!   Well, it’s still not over.  So, we will say it again.  Don’t think you are off the hook.  Keep watering.  We’re still dry even though there has been a tad bit of rain.

We are getting lots of samples of tree leaves coming in for diagnosis.   Most of these are showing stress from heat, sun, and lack of adequate water.   The trees will be ok as long as you keep the soil moist.    Shedding of leaves is a way that a tree protects itself.  It’s nature’s coping skills.   By losing leaves, it reduces the demand for water and lowers the risk of long-term damage.  It’s almost fall, and they will be going dormant soon, so don’t stress over a few lost leaves.

Now is the time for everything to slow down growth and get ready for winter.  Stop fertilizing now.   (Except for your annuals and veggies.   Continue with Miracle Gro or Peter’s.)   Once the leaves have fallen off your plants you may fertilize with a slow release fertilizer…  Octoberish.   Our favorite is Espoma Plant Tone (or Holly Tone for acid loving plants)…. Or Milorganite (which will also help keep the deer away).   Fertilizing in the fall will encourage new root growth, repairing damage that may have occurred during this challenging season.

Cool nights, warm days….. perfect time to rejuvenate your lawn.  Grass seed sprouts best under these conditions!   We have Jonathon Green Grass Seed, which we think is the best!  Developed for deep roots and dark green color.    For super results, spread a layer of our beautiful leaf compost down first before spreading your seed and fertilizer.

Looking to add to your pollinator garden?   Come in and check out all the buzzing going on around our blooming perennials.  It’s a circus out there!   Calamintha, Goldenrod ‘Sugar Kisses’, Agastache, Heliopsis, Sedum.  The bees are going nuts!

Do we have to say anything about the deer????    Oh, yes!  Think about wrapping your tree trunks to protect from deer rubbing during rut season which will be coming up soon.  And, yes, we have tree wrap and also deer repellant in stock.

Be on the lookout for invasive species.  These are troublesome pest that can do devastating damage.  These two have not found us yet but it’s important to keep an eye out and report to the DNR if you see one:

Box Tree Moth.     This one has been sited on the east side of the state.  The young caterpillars are small and green and will be found feeding in the center of the boxwood plants.  It will cause defoliation.

Spotted Lanternfly.   A large plant hopper punctures leaf surfaces causing honeydew to be produced that can stress plants.  A few have been found on the east side of the state also.

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.  Check your Hemlocks for fuzzy little white masses on outer branches.  It is here in our area.  It can be treated with a systemic insecticide soil drench.  To save your Hemlocks we have Bonide All Season Insect Control which will protect for a year.

Go to the Michigan State University’s Invasive Species Website:   https://www.canr.msu.edu/invasive_species/     Please report if you see any of these.

Wishing you a reprieve from the heat and a fun time in your garden.

Jan and the Huntree Gang

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