5 Things to do in the yard during lock down

My headline sounds like a guide to something you would find in a prison. When Governor Dewine issued the “In shelter” (Stay at home) order, and the majority of businesses were required to close, major changes we would of thought of unfathomable months ago have now occurred.

With kids having no school, many people off of work and “social distancing” being a common word now, the new normal is setting in. It seems we are all in a bad movie and if we do not take these precautions seriously, we will have an unhappy ending.

I like what Allan Armitage, a retired professor of Horticulture at the University of Georgia, recently wrote in one of our trade magazines.

He wrote,” We are at war. We did not declare this war, and did not cause it, yet here it is. It may have been a stranger when it first arrived, but we know the consequences, and we know how to fight. There are no bombs, no bullets, no improvised explosive devices or trenches. This war is the safest of any we have fought- force yourself to stay at home. We are both its target and its kryptonite. If you are stupid enough to go to the gym, the bar, or the mall, you allow it to attack all of us. Stay away and it will perish. I am scared for my kids, and my kids are scared their children- the virus does not discriminate. This has nothing to do with luck; it has to do with being smart. We can only win this war if you and I change the me to a we.”

No truer words could be written. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. This is where gardening can help. The onset of cabin fever will begin to grow larger. Many will be going stir crazy now or very soon.

I was talking to my wife and we wondered how clean everyone’s house would become during this time. And how many hours of binge watching series and movies we haven’t had time to see would be logged into the history books.

Now that the temperatures are warming, gardening can provide some much needed exercise both physically and mentally. Gardening is therapy and we all need some of that right now.

Here are some trends that I see are emerging. People are gardening again and in a big way. With future food and availability being a concern, many are becoming more self sustaining. Seed sales are on the rise and gardening is back in vogue. Many are buying seed starting soil, supplies and starting to sow seeds now for the garden.

Forced staycations at the homestead are offering the needed time to complete tasks in the yard and landscape.

We are seeing a surge in sales of pre-emergent crabgrass killer for the yard and weed preventer for landscape beds. Although a little early for applying a crabgrass killer, weeds are always on the rise and now is a great time to put down Hy Yield’s weed stopper in your landscape beds.

Color seems to be more important now than ever. Pansy, viola, English daisies and primrose bursting with flowers are a welcome symbol of hope. A simple flower really can brighten someone’s day. These plants all enjoy the cooler weather and can be planted now.

If you have had problems with Japanese beetles on your trees or shrubs, now through the month of April is a great time to apply Fertilome’s Tree and Shrub Systemic Insect Drench. Simply measure the distance around the tree trunk at chest height. This is the number of ounces of product to put in 1 gallon of water and pour around the base of the tree. Your tree will be protected for 1 year. It’s that simple. This drench controls algedids on pine trees, aphids, leaf eating beetles, vine weevils, borers on birch and ash trees, leafminers, mealybugs, pine tip moth larvae, psyllids on boxwood, lacebugs on azaleas, scales, thrips and whiteflies. This drench can be used on apple and pear trees as well as shrubs.

Espoma brand fertilizers such as tree-tone, hollytone and plant-tone can be applied now to ensure your plants get off to a great start. Just sprinkle a handful or two around the base of your plants and let nature do the rest.

I also have many clients over-seeding their lawns with grass seed. The spring rains will allow the seed to infiltrate into the soil so when temperatures get warm enough they will germinate. Keep in mind, you can not use a crabgrass preventer in an area you are reseeding unless you purchase a crabgrass preventer specifically designed for reseeding.

With the stay-at-home order in effect, we are seeing more businesses switch to a call ahead, curbside pick up service being offered. Restaurants have done this for years and now we have joined the ranks of this. Basically, you call ahead, tell us what you want, we’ll give you pricing, you pay for it, we pull your order, tell you when its ready for pick-up and we load it in your car for you. This “contactless” transaction may be the norm for some time moving forward. Of course delivery is also available.

We are also in the process of placing items on line for easy ordering as well. Although we may not have every item we offer on line, we will try our best to get the most popular ones first.

As we move forward I would plead with you ,and I believe all the small business owners would agree with me, to continue to ask you shop local where you can. I don’t care how big and super efficient of a company you run. This screeching halt to business is hurting all of us. If there is anything we can do for you, please call or email us or another local business. I am sure we all will be willing to help you out.

Wash your hands, stay 6’ away from each other and stay at home!