Dayton "Dirt" - June 5, 2015

What a deluge we received last Saturday and Sunday of maybe up to 4 inches of rain for the week.  The irrigation lake is full and the lower collection pond is completely full.  With the water table replenished after the May dry spell, ground water will alone replenish the lower collection pond for at least one week so that it may be pumped up to the irrigation lake for storage to replace water used in irrigation of the nursery stock.

I just finished applying 150 lbs. of ammonium sulfate 21-0-0 to all the rhododendron, azalea and blueberries in the ground, in the field and garden before the second rain we received on Saturday afternoon.  Ammonium sulfate is a strong acidifier of the soil but must be used sparingly as the salt index is quite high compared to that of Holly-tone which has a salt index of 6 compared to 21-0-0 which is 69 for a salt index which is more likely to burn plants.

Our next batch of up to a thousand various hydrangeas will be ready in a couple of weeks and will fill our somewhat empty movable roof greenhouse called the Cravo house which is the name of the manufacturer.  While the greenhouse sales are winding down we are ever wary of keeping control of spider mites and thrip insects in the annual flower house and perennial house.  Then too are diseases such as powdery mildew that can appear out of nowhere with the high humidity.

This week and next the theme at the nursery will be flower planting and weed control!  More flowers will be planted in more areas this year for a benefit dinner on July 16th for the Ronald McDonald House.  The dinner will be sponsored by the Summit County Farm bureau and cost $100 per person for which a gourmet dinner prepared by an expert chef will be served outdoors complete with wine from Wolf Creek Winery, hordeuvres and educational talks on water conservation.  Anyone is welcome to reserve a spot and tickets may be purchased by contacting the office of the Summit County Farm Bureau at 330-456-4889 or 800-654-5158.  Hope to see you there!

Tom