Jungle Jim Sez

This is the middle of Spring for Modesto. We have been getting warm weather, blue skies and lots of flowers.

Now is a good time to fertilize if you haven’t. Roses especially like lots of fertilizer to bloom well. Monthly applications of Rose and Flower Food until October will give you the most and best blooms.

It can be amazing what some regular applications of fertilizer can do. At home even I will fertilize sometimes and then step back and wonder about the difference it made.

For color I am still surprised with some of the new perennial color plants that are coming out. Some of my favorites include Million Bells, a miniature petunia like ground cover; Bidens, golden yellow ground cover or hanging plant with two or three varieties that grow to different heights in the ground; and Nemesia, a perennial that does best with filtered light. If you are looking for some unusual plants, check out our 4” perennial tables. We receive new varieties almost every week.

A perennial topic in these columns is the value in mulching. I strongly believe 1-2” of humus over the ground makes plants grow better. It keeps the soil moist, cool and increases the microbial activity in the soil. All of these help plants grow better. It needs to be redone every 2-3 years so go out and check. Almost all my Garden Crew projects get mulched.

Now is the time to start checking your irrigation system. If you have areas that run dry because of lack of water the tendency is to increase the water in the entire yard to keep those areas moist. The pie pan check over the lawn can help decide if there is an irrigation system problem. If there is more than a 30% difference in the amount of water in the pie pans you need to check and adjust your system.