FoxFarm Blog

Wake Up!

Have you noticed that all your perennials are leafing out and getting ready to bloom?  Lilacs, apple trees, hydrangeas, roses—everything’s waking up and enjoying the longer days and warmer temps.  Give your mature, established garden plants the boost they need with a top-dressing of fertilizer and soil conditioner. 

 

Here’s what we like to do.  Clear the ground of weeds, then sprinkle on your choice of our Happy Frog organic all-purpose fertilizer, or, for a time-release option, choose Marine Cuisine for evergreens, acid-loving plants, and vegetables, or American Pride for roses, flowering trees, and shrubs.  Apply according to package directions, water well, then mulch with 3-4 inches of Happy Frog Soil Conditioner to add nutrients, smother weeds, and hold in moisture.  Then stand back and watch the garden bloom! American Pride and Marine Cuisine have staying power. Marine Cuisine can be used 1-2 times per year and American Pride 2-3 times per year. It really is that simple.

 

Have you envied your neighbor’s breathtaking roses? Well, American Pride is the best rose fertilizer you will ever use. It encourages healthy root growth, provides feeding for dark green foliage, and has a perfect balance of nutrition for award winning blossoms. In fact, we know many members of the American Rose Society that swear by it.

Great Soil Prep

Now that the garden centers are bursting with spring blooms, it’s time to think about—dirt.  Okay, so maybe dirt’s not as glamorous as tropical red hibiscus or those tantalizing jasmines in full bloom.  But getting things right with your soil is the first step toward a lush, gorgeous garden.

 

Most experts recommend that you skip back-breaking double-digging and instead lightly turn over the soil with a spading fork, clearing weeds and breaking up hard clay.  Adding lime to clay soils will not only raise pH levels, but it will help in breaking up the clay. Then spread compost on top and let nature do the rest.  It really is that easy!  Top-dressing with a high-quality compost or mulch will add plenty of nutrients to the soil and give young plants everything they need to get growing.

 

All it takes is 3-4 inches of our Happy Frog Soil Conditioner or our classic FoxFarm Original Planting Mix.  Spread it around, water well, and get ready to plant.  Young flower and vegetable seedlings will benefit from a dose of Peace of Mind Starter or Happy Frog Jump Start fertilizer mixed into the planting hole when you get ready to plant.  That’s all you need to wake up your soil for spring!