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 site quickly. Changing out partial sections or replacing just certain plants will quickly spread any diseases to the new replacement plants. Mulching flowerbeds is forbidden because of the need for air and direct sunlight to kill fungus and dry the bed (except around the perimeter).

• Pathogens:

If any disease has been in the flowerbed it’s best to remove and discard the old soil-medium to a depth of at least six 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 tossing out all the old soil-medium. If you are not removing all the old soil-medium then do add about four to six 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 Potting Mix, we use it.

Otherwise seek long fiber peat moss with a wetting agent and Perlite for aeration. All 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 or just don't hold air. Avoid all tree barks and sawdust 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 suit). Compost is risky. There are not yet good government standards and inspections. Contact with even a very small amount of improperly composted material (not properly Pasteurized) can cause fatal disease especially during pregnancy. Although much compost is safe, the small amount of money saved by using it is not worth the legal risk to the professional. Avoid mulch. Avoid chunks of anything. No sand, it's only for weight to hold containers upright in the wind. Avoid Styrofoam because it floats in heavy rains then blows all over and can get slimy in the cracks of the sidewalks and can cause slip-and-falls (law suit). 

Fertilizer:

The best is Nutricote 10-10-17 time release 100 Day.  Heat doesn't make Nutricote over-release like the all the other brands. Sprinkle it over the new soil-medium so that the pellets fall about ONE INCH APART. More is not better. DON’T MIX IT IN.

• Spacing:

Closer is not better. Give them room to grow and to breathe. Especially breathe...moving air and sunlight are the death of fungus! Don’t plant so close that they are touching or you will grow tall, leggy, ugly plants with expensive-to-cure fungus problems. 

• Depth:

Never cover the surface of the rootball even slightly or else you’ll get stem rot or crown rot. You should still be able to still see the entire old top surface of the root balls when you are done. Brush off any soil or what-ever so the plant maintains its same depth in the ground...very critical. Never plant deep (except Marigolds).

• Drenching as the First Watering-In:

Immediately after planting Drench-water each plant individually! You must apply fungicide. Count the drenching as the first deep watering. Drench means to FLOOD the fungicide solution down onto the 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. 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 dries out in the second week. DO NOT LET ANY PARTS OF THE FLOWERBED WILT.

           Recipe 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.

If you follow this method you will save significant money on labor by having to send crews back to fix things way less often. Plus the beds will be stunning and you will get lots of compliments.