Thursday, July 23, 2009

Katrina, help is on the way!

Actually, more like suggestions....

I'm no expert. In fact - I'm not even intermediate! But, what I do is read a lot and go from there. And I know I already spoke to you on the phone about my suggestions; but just in case your forget, I think of more ideas, or others want to know - here it is!

1. Find the tags to the plants and research their ideal growing situations. Some may prefer acidic soil, neutral soil, or alkaline soil. Some may actually require watering every day, and others may need to dry out completely before watering again. Also, I remember your soil being sandy - some plants don't grown well in sandy soil (that is why I had you mix soil from the nursery with your ground soil, just in case). This may seem complicated and like a lot of trouble for just plants BUT, it's easy to do a little research about the plants. And you may find that it's a simple fix like watering frequency or mulching to keep roots cool? Who knows!?! Doesn't hurt to try.

2. Soil pH: If your plants require acidic or alkaline soil, here's how to get that: Sawdust, composted leaves, wood chips, cottonseed meal, leaf mold and especially peat moss (found at Home Depot) will lower the soil pH for a more acidic soil. Garden lime (also found at Home Depot) will raise the pH for a more alkaline soil.

3. Try fertilizing. You can probably choose just a general garden fertilizer from Home Depot. Just read the instructions on the back, and if you have a hard time picking one, the Home Depot people can be helpful!

4. Sun Exposure: I remember we found your bushes in a shady part of the nursery. Maybe these bushes aren't supposed to be in full sun? - which unfortunately they are. Not sure what to do in that situation...

But I guess my main suggestion is, research about the plants!! It shouldn't be too hard to find a plant profile online :D

Good Luck, hope this helps!!

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