Tag Archives: Gardening

Gardening on a budget ~ In The Garden on KEZI

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Caleb Johnson, owner of Johnson Brothers Garden Market, has insider tips for anyone gardening on a budget.

EUGENE, Ore – Whether you are tackling big or small garden projects this season, you can save money by planning in advance.

Caleb Johnson, owner of Johnson Brothers Garden Market, has insider tips to save cash.

“The number one thing you can do is to make a plan. Figure out what your top priority is– what do you want to get done in your yard? And stay focused when you come into the garden center,” Johnson said.

Another tip to save money is to grow plants from seed.  It takes a little bit longer, but Johnson says it’s a lot more economical. You can also purchase plants in packs including grower packs, jumbo packs, and 6-packs.

Johnson also suggests investing in bulbs that you plant once and enjoy for many seasons.

For anyone interested in trees and shrubs consider buying smaller sizes.

“Not everything is available in smaller sizes, but those that you can find, get them. You have to be a little patient. It’s going to make your dollars go a lot further putting in landscape type items,” added Johnson.

Johnson Brothers Garden Market is located at 91444 Coburg Road in Eugene.

Got Yellow ?

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Ironite Greens Your Yellow Plants

Summer time and the livin’s easy… but maybe not quite as easy for your yard. This time of year the sun is out and the heat is on and your plants need a lot of water! With frequent watering it’s easy for fertilizers and nutrients to leach out of the soil leaving your plants starved for what they need most to take the heat. It is typical during the summer months to see faded yellow  where there was lush green only months ago; whether it be your lawn, garden vegetables, or ornamental shrubs and trees it is easy for plants to get exhausted.

Luckily there are ways to maintain your lush greenery even through the hottest months, and aside from the time it takes to do it—it’s pretty effortless. Of course there’s the obvious—keep your plants hydrated! (And yourself too!) On those scorching 90 degree days you may need to double and even triple up on your watering. Drooping leaves and dry soil are easy to spot indicators of plant thirst. During the hottest parts of the summer you also want to give your plants an extra dose of fertilizer to counter act that leaching out I mentioned. We recommend using a slow release fertilizer—our personal fave, Johnson’s Maxx throughout the growing season. Typically a slow release should be applied every three months or so—an easy to remember schedule is: April Fools Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. However, during the extra hot times it doesn’t hurt to throw in an extra application between July and September. If after consistent watering and an extra dose of food, some of your plants are still looking a little weathered you can give them a “shot in the arm” with some liquid iron. This is applied as a foliar spray and only takes about a week or so to see the results, as compared to fertilizer fed through the roots can take time to kick in.

before ironite1PMafter ironite2PM

Recently we noticed some Hydrangeas and Rose of Sharron that were looking a little yellow and not their best. We hosed them down with our favorite liquid iron concentrate, Ironite, and took some before and after pics to really assess the results. Here’s what a little iron applied right onto the foliage, in the middle of the day even, can do for your plants!