Landscape Flower Growers, Inc.
P.O. Box 7 Wimauma, Florida 33598
(813) 672-4121

• The Change-Out:

Dispose of all the old plants, weeds, mulch etc. Carry this refuse off quickly. Changing out sections or pulling and replacing certain plants will just spread any disease to the new ones quickly. Mulching flowerbeds is not recommended except around the perimeter.

• Pathogens:

If any disease has been in the flowerbed then it’s best to remove and discard the old soil-medium to a depth of at least eight inches. Even in an apparently healthy flowerbed do this at least once yearly at the start of autumn. You save money on labor and chemicals by just tossing out all the old soil-medium. Many first-rate professionals always change the soil-medium four times a year!
If you are not removing all the old soil-medium then do add about six to eight inches of new soil-medium right over the old and DON’T MIX IT IN. Just fertilize (see below) then plant into this new disease-free layer.

• Soil-Medium:

If you use a really quality soil-medium then you can have much adversity and still look good. Long fiber, blonde Canadian peat moss and Perlite are the two most costly ingredients possible in any potting mix. The best is Sunshine #4 Mix, we use it, and we sell it.

Otherwise seek long fiber peat moss with a wetting
agent and Perlite for aeration. Peat Moss breaks down into muck sooner or later. Later is better. The lighter color peat lasts longer. Fiber length is the key: longer fiber gets to break more times than shorter before becoming muck. Canadian is better than Florida Peat. Cold Hardened Fibers break less. All peat must have a wetting agent or it won't absorb water. 
Aeration, which is absolutely needed, stops root rot, is a cost dilemma: Perlite has no side effects. It doesn't decompose. Doesn't float. Holds air real well. It's perfect...but it is costly. So substitutes are often tried. None work well. All either have bad side effects, break down too soon and just don't hold air. Avoid all tree barks and sawdusts whether "composted" or not. Especially avoid not- composted barks and sawdust because as they decompose they will use up the nutrients in the Bed. Avoid manure and compost because of possible diseases in it (law-suits). Compost is risky. There are not yet good government standards and inspections. Contact with even a small amount of improperly composted material (not properly Pasteurized) can cause fatal disease especially during pregnancy. Although some compost is safe, the money saved is not worth the risk to the professional. Avoid mulch. Avoid chunks of anything. No sand. Avoid Styrofoam because it floats then blows all over and can get slimy and cause slip-and-falls. 

• Fertilizer:

The best is Nutricote 10-10-17 time release 100 Day, we use it, and we sell it.  Heat doesn't make Nutricote over-release like the other brands. Sprinkle it over the new soil-medium so that the pellets fall about ONE INCH APART. More is not better. Five pounds goes on each 10-foot X 10 foot square! DON’T MIX IT IN.

• Spacing:

Closer is not better. Give them room to grow and to breathe. Don’t plant so they are touching or you will grow tall, leggy plants with fungus problems. 

• Depth:

Never cover the neck of the plant or else you’ll get stem rot. You should be able to still see the top of the root balls when you are done. 

• The First Watering-In:

The very first watering, minutes after you plant, is super important! You MUST use a hose with a 3-foot wand and a water breaker (showerhead). Water each rootball top one at a time, sideways directly on the root top not through the leaves. Be exact. 
           WATER EACH PLANT INDIVIDUALLY! 
Shake the wand to settle the soil around the root ball and eliminate air pockets. Pause often. Water heavily, slowly and thoroughly. Get the bubbles out. Submerge the roots. Later during this first week, only lightly spot-water any dry plants with wand and breaker. Running the irrigation is forbidden until after the Drench (see below) dries out in the second week.
DO NOT LET ANY PARTS OF THE FLOWERBED WILT.
Make the entire flowerbed dry out evenly so it's ready to receive the soon coming Deep Drench Fungicide.

• Drench, the Second Watering:

You must apply fungicide within about one week of planting. Count the drenching as the second deep watering. The roots should be slightly dry so as to absorb it. Drench means to FLOOD the fungicide solution down onto the plants and root balls so it goes deep into the center of the roots. From your big tank or proportional injector use a hose with a wand and water breaker (showerhead) to submerge the roots getting the fungicidal liquid all over the leaves too.

              Receipe number one:
          2 Ounces of Medallion
          and 1 Ounce of Subdue Maxx
          in each 100 Gallons of water

          Recipe number two:
          8 Ounces of BanRot
          and 1 Ounce of Subdue Maxx
          in each 100 Gallons of water

            Use either formula not both at once.

• Routine Watering:

Don’t try to keep the flowerbed "Moist" all the time…this grows pathogens. Feel the soil-medium with your hands. Get into a cycle where you let the flowerbed dry out good before watering. Water really heavily then wait and let it ALMOST WILT. This very-wet-to-very-dry cycle kills pathogens and encourages deeper roots and flowering. Mornings or before dawn are good times to water.

• Spray:

Disease is always worst during high temperature and humidity periods…Summer Monsoon into Fall. Spray your flowerbeds routinely every 14 days and more frequently if it rains daily. Spray each plant to the point of drip. Never spray dry, stressed plants. Mornings are the best time. Keep an eye out for the occasional insect damage and spray insecticide only when needed (which is seldom).

Here are two recipes for Routine Spray:

    Recipe number one:
     16 Ounces of Chipco 26019
     and 16 Ounces of Dipel 2X (for worms)
     in each 100 Gallons of water

    Recipe number two:
      24 Ounces of Spectro 90 WDG
     and 11 Ounces of Orthene
     in each 100 Gallons of water

          Use either formula not both at once.

How to Keep your Flower Beds
Healthy and Beautiful

1. Get As Close as Feasible to the Ideal Dates with your Change-Outs
2. Choose Seasonally Appropriate, Trouble-Free Plants
3. Clean Beds Out and Quickly Get the Refuse Carried Off
4. Add Soil-Medium: Sunshine #4 Mix
5. Sprinkle Nutricote Time-Release Fertilizer, don’t mix it in
6. Plant, Not Too Close Nor Too Deep
7. Water In Thoroughly with Hose, Wand and Breaker Directly onto Top of Root Balls; Check Daily During First Week for Dry SPOTS
8. Drench Correctly, Evenly and Deeply. Flood.
9. Water on Very-Wet-To-Very-Dry Cycle
10. Spray Every 2 Weeks, More or Less, Depending on the humidity