FAQ

There are four major reasons why your Hydrangea macrophylla (mop head varieties) won’t bloom.

• A late spring frost or freeze ruins all emerging buds and developing leaves. If you notice all the new growth coming from the base of the plant each year that is a bad sign. Even though macrophylla hydrangeas can bloom on old and new wood most of the blooms come on second year wood.


• Improper pruning techniques. Hydrangea macrophlla’s don’t really ever need to be pruned unless the plant is getting too large for an area or too old. In that case you need to understand that these hydrangeas set buds for spring blooming in the fall of the previous year, so if you prune, you need to do it before August or you will be cutting off all of next seasons blooms. You can remove deadwood or old blooms at anytime.


• The hydrangea is not hardy in this area. There are many varieties of hydrangeas and it is important to pay attention to the zone. Hornell (where Bennett’s is located) is a USDA hardiness zone 5. The hydrangeas we sell at Bennett’s are zoned for this area; however, many hydrangeas that you get from a florist are not, so check the tag before planting outside.


• Lack of fertilization. Plants are living things and like us and they need food to thrive. We recommend using a general purpose granular fertilizer such as a
  
  10-10-10 or a triple phosphate 0-45-0 to help encourage blooming and root growth.

When dividing your perennials you need to take a few things in to consideration. First, when does it flower? We recommend that perennials that flower between early spring and mid June should be divided in the early fall. Perennials that flower after mid June should be divided in the early spring. Once your perennial shoots growth (at least and inch or two) it can be divided. Another important factor to consider when dividing perennials is the performance of the plant. If a plant seems to struggle every year or never fills out till the end of the summer it is probably not a good candidate for division.

The worm damage on apples and pears is the result of the codling moth. This moth is active in early spring when your fruit trees are flowering and proceeds to lay eggs on your newly formed flowers and leaves. These worms/caterpillars then hatch and make their way to the center of your fruit where they stay undetected until they mature and then make their way out of the fruit and this is when you see the damage. Unfortunately, once you see the damage it is too late and the only way to salvage the fruit is by cutting out the bad parts. The first step to preventing codling moth damage is to spray the ground around your tree in early spring before it flowers. This will kill the moths as they emerge from their winter cocoons. Next you will treat your trees with a fruit tree spray once the tree has finished flowering and the fruit is starting to form. You want to repeat this treatment every two weeks for at least three applications. This treatment would began in late March and continue until late May. Finally, you should treat the tree with another application of fruit tree spray in late summer. This will get any moths you missed and prevent a new generation from forming.

Plants much like people require nutrients to grow and live to their full potential. Unfortunately most soil does not provide the essential nutrients that plants need for optimum growth. The three main nutrients that a plant needs are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, N, P and K. With any fertilizer that you purchase there will be what is referred to as a guaranteed analysis on the label. There are three numbers such as 5-10-5. The first is nitrogen, which is used by plants to make proteins essential for producing new tissue. The second is phosphorus, which is used to stimulate root growth, bud set and flowers. The third is potassium, which is used to improve the overall vigor of plants and helps with disease resistance. It is necessary to fertilize each year because as plants grow they continually take up these nutrients depleting them from the soil, so they must be replenished.

When applying fertilizer make sure to water thoroughly. For pots and hanging baskets apply water until it drains out the bottom of the container. In beds apply 1 gallon for every 2 sq. ft. When feeding indoor plants we recommend using a ½ teaspoon per gallon every other week. For outdoor fertilization of annuals, perennials, vegetables and roses apply 1 tablespoon per gallon every 7-10 days. For Evergreens, trees, and shrubs apply 1 tablespoon per gallon every 10- 14 days.