Filed under: General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles | Tags: Compost Tea, Composted Manure, Fruit, Gardening, Growing Blueberries, Mulching, Organic Gardening, PH of Blueberries, Pruning, Southern Blueberries, Trimming Blueberries, Vernicompost
I ❤️ blueberries! I eat them most everyday too! They are great in oatmeal, cereal, salads, fruit salads, smoothies, pies, juice, Ad infinitum… Blueberries rock!!! They are also a native fruit that grow well in many areas.
Blueberries are a very rewarding plant. Beautiful, hardy & the fruit is so tasty and healthy! | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
Here in the South with our long growing season & plentiful water, growing blueberries is a no-brainer’… I LOVE to put them in with ornamentals too! They make a great fill in plant along a sunny foundation or a backdrop for a bird feeding area or even as a screening hedge! Very versatile 😊
Tips for Growing –
– One of the most important things to remember when growing blueberry plants is that they need a very low PH (acidic 4.5 – 5.5 or so) to grow well & thrive. So yearly you have to check PH and usually add an acidifier like Sulfur, Aluminum Sulfate, Ammonium Sulfate, etc… I usually opt for the organic sulfur because I am eating these 🙂 AND, I think it gives a better, sweeter taste.
I recommend using an Organic Acidifier (Sulfur) to keep the PH low. This will make for healthy, vigorous Blueberries, that just taste great! | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
– If your planting Blueberries in our area, initial soil prep is key! Build up beds a little to aid in drainage. Till in some peat and some organic compost. Apply sulfur as needed based on PH test.
– Planting the right varieties is huge too! Always choose Southern Rabbit eye varieties for success in our area. A few of my favorites are – Premier, Tifblue, Powder Blue & Climax. Fertilize with an organic fertilizer for fruit in late Winter/early Spring. Then I feed several times throughout the season with an organic compost tea and side dress mid season with a little composted manure. Mulching is very important too! Try crushed pine bark or pine needles. Both are acidic and work well.
– Click on this link below to learn about how to trim/prune your blueberries for better form & function!
https://savvygardening.com/pruning-blueberries/
PS: This is a great time to set out some blueberries! And, a great time to prune & apply compost & sulphur for PH to your existing bushes.
Good Luck! & Happy Gardening!
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Filed under: Fountains, General Blog Entry's, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden | Tags: Fertilizer, Friday blog, Friday Radio Report, Fruit Tree care, fruit trees, Garden Preperation, Mulch, Planting, Pruning, Trimming Crepe Myrtles
GREAT Show today with Dan Reaves & Sea Bass – The 180 Crew!
LOTS of comments today on the sheer amount of rainfall we have had this year… Over 20″ so far and we are just kicking off March! The rivers are mostly all at flood stage & they even called school out yesterday because of local flooding. BUT, just walk outside today and breath in some fresh air, look up into that bluebird sky and the feeling of Spring takes you. Blue sky’s have prevailed! 🙂 What a gorgeous start to what looks to be a ‘Perfect Weekend’!
Call in every Friday from 10-11am with ALL your gardening and Outdoor Lifestyle questions – 731-423-8101. You can TEXT in too – 731-277-5155.
What happened on the show today? We had several calls and a TON of texts! We couldn’t get to all of them, but here are a few highlights –
- Our own Sea Bass is going to try his hand at growing some peaches! He is going to plant some China Pearl peaches because they are his favorite! We will keep you posted …
- We had some interest in getting a Gas Fire Pit with a “Cowboy Cooker” – that’s a removable grilling, cooking accessory that you can add to a Fire Pit. We do install these and I hope the caller comes by and that I can help him further.
- We talked about using Juniper as a groundcover on a sunny hillside that’s hard to mow.
And mainly that this is a great time to get out and catch up on gardening chores – trimming and pruning, weeding, aerating & overseeding lawn grass, fertilizing, mulching, spraying Dormant Oil, applying pre-emergent herbicides to your lawn and flower beds, etc…
Another great Friday show is in the books & I want to thank everyone who calls in and everyone who listens! You can Listen &/or call in with your questions every Friday from 10 – 11 am. at WNWS 101.5 FM in Jackson, TN. You can also listen on your smart phone on your TuneIn App.! This is a LIVE show and we appreciate your calls and questions! The number is 731-423-8101. You can also TEXT in your inquiries to 731-277-5155.
Now is the time! Spring is upon us…
Have a GREAT Weekend! Happy Pondering,
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: Landscaping & Gardening | Tags: Fertilizer, Gardening, Mulch, Pruning
– Trimming and Pruning! This is a great time of year to get out there and do some trimming.Cut back you Roses, Ornamental Grasses, Perennials, and most Ornamental Shrubs like hollies and boxwoods. Not azaleas yet… Wait until they have bloomed to trim these 🙂 Limb up those trees in the landscape and along the borders too. Many people ask me WHEN to prune their Crape Myrtles, IF you haven’t already, do it now – It’s time!
Pruning tools and organic products are your friends in the garden.
– Spray you fruit trees! Start out with a good Dormant Oil spray. Mix as directed on the label and spray well. This is the first step in a Spray program and is well worth the effort!
– Prepare your Soil in the Vegetable Garden! This is a wonderful time to clean up your vegetable garden! Clean out old plants and weeds, till the soil and add some good organic amendments – Chicken Poop, Black Cow manure, lime, Epson Salt, Mushroom Compost and Earthworm Castings. After you till your garden space, rake it out and plant some cool season vegetables like turnips, collards, carrots, radish, and the cool season list goes on…
We have organic soil amendments for your garden. Manure, compost and more.
– Fertilize! This is a great time to fertilize your Shrubs and Trees! This is a great time to fertilize your cool season lawns too. You can use a good balanced fertilizer like 15-15-15 for most chores or you can “Go Green” with a Organic fertilizer like Milorganite. Another GREAT Organic choice is to side dress your shrubs, trees & other plants with Composted Manure! Chicken Poop is my favorite and we have it available at the Nursery.
– Mulch! Aged Hardwood Bark Mulch is the most popular for ornamentals. But there are other great mulches too! Like pine bark, pine needles, cypress mulch, lava rock and decorative gravel. All these are great and really help your plants – it keeps weeds down and looks beautiful, it stabilizes soil temperature, protects the root system, protects the trunk of your trees from mechanical damage from mowers and string trimmers and much more! Mulch is the answer.
We have bulk mulch in stock for your project.
– Planting! This is an awesome time to plant most any ornamental plants in your landscape! Trees, shrubs, bulbs and more! Get your plan together, go by the nursery and get those beautiful plants in the ground.
OK, I just gave you LOTS to do…. Lets get out there and enjoy the coming season!
Here’s to Spring!
~Mark Carte
Filed under: General Blog Entry's | Tags: Gardening, Pruning, Shrubs, Trees, Vegetable gardening
WOW! What a nice weekend! I spent quite a bit of time out in my garden this past weekend. It was sunny and warm and it felt so good after the LONG Winter we endured! I also spoke with many people about the coming Spring season and what to do in the garden this time of year. There are LOTS of things to do now to be ready for the quickly approaching growing season. Here is a short list…
– Spray you fruit trees! Start out with a good Dormant Oil spray. Mix as directed on the label and spray well. This is the first step in a Spray program and is well worth the effort!
– Trimming and Pruning! This is a great time of year to get out there and do some trimming. Many people ask me WHEN to prune their Crape Myrtles, IF you haven’t already, do it now! Cut back you Roses, Ornamental Grasses, Perennials, and most Ornamental Shrubs. Limb up those trees in the lawn and along the borders too.
– Fertilize! This is a great time to fertilize your Shrubs and Trees! This is a great time to fertilize your cool season lawns too. You can use a good balanced fertilizer like 15-15-15 for most chores or you can “Go Green” with a Organic fertilizer like Milorganite. Another GREAT Organic choice is to side dress your shrubs, trees & other plants with Composted Manure! Chicken Poop is my favorite and we have it available at the Nursery.
– Prepare your Soil in the Vegetable Garden! This is a wonderful time to clean up your vegetable garden! Clean out old plants and weeds, till the soil and add some amendments like ; Chicken Poop, Black Cow manure, lime, Epson Salt, Compost and pot ash. After you till your garden space, rake it out and cover the area with black plastic and weight it down with bricks or stones to hold it in place. This will heat the soil, kill off some weed seeds and help you get a earlier start with your planting.
Here’s to Spring and to ‘Living the Life Abundant’…
~Mark Carter
