Fall is for planting. Recent rain has brought moisture back into our ground. For Mother Nature to work for us; we need to work with her. This is the time to get our gardens back into shape. At the Nursery, a dedicated staff is keeping up with feeding, watering and weeds. This has resulted in fuller healthier plants. Our feeding program features the use of Daniels Fertilizer and the results are quite amazing. Much of our stock is oversized, making our plants a terrific value. With the soil being moist and the weather turning cool, this will be a great year for major plantings, renovations or replacements of overgrown foundation plants. Many landscapes can use a facelift. Don't let the value of your home deteriorate. . Sprainbrook Nursery carries a full fall selection. Keep up with your responsibilities to have a neat, well-maintained piece of property. If you need help, contact our Landscape Designers. This is a free fall service.

Annuals: It's been a good year for those who kept up with their watering. Water was a critical factor this year and containers require the most watering. It only takes 2-3 days to cause heat stalling and a few more days to cause death. Those who watered adequately and followed our organic program reported the greatest success. Plants grown organically tend to do exceptionally well because they are stronger and healthier and have developed a deeper root system. Dead-heading, weekly organic feeding, light haircuts and spraying Employ® every three weeks help keep plants in good shape. Fall is a new season and a new set of plants represent the season. Add fall color to areas that are lacking. There is a lot to pick from at the Nursery. Make your fall more beautiful. Being part of Nature is more important than you may think.

Perennials: This is a great time of the year to put in a new perennial garden. So many properties are sterile, lacking the beauty of flowering plants. We carry a large selection of perennials throughout the fall. The "In Look" in landscape design is achieved by adding colorful perennials, grasses and flowering shrubs to the front of your house and to your borders. Evergreens form the foundation and perennials add color. Enjoy them approaching or leaving your home each day; or as you sit in your back yard. Place them so you can enjoy the view from a window in your home. Installing now allows your plants to become well-established in the fall. Make sure you add Myke at planting time. This stimulates root growth, so plants take off in the spring, acting like two-year-old plants. We have been propagating and planting all summer long, and our new crop of perennials is in great shape. They are on sale at twenty percent off so it is a cost-effective time of the year to purchase. Make sure you spend time cutting back, dividing, deadheading and weeding. Perennials will give you a lot more than you need to give them; but they do need care. Set aside some time for them. Your perennial garden should be full of color at all times of the year. When it is lacking color, go to the Nursery and find what is in bloom and add it. Our recommendation for this month is to feed with Daniels organic liquid fertilizer or Neptune Harvest Fish and Seaweed Fertilizer.

Vegetables: More vegetable seed was sold this year than ever before and more and more people are investing in a vegetable garden. We have added Myke to our planting program and those who used it at planting time have reported incredible results. We have raised a mixture of cool weather crops in small packs for the fall season. These are ready to be planted now.

Roses: Hang in there. The second flush of bloom is on its way. Keep up with your Organic Program. It has been a good rose year. Reports coming back from customers who used Employ® claim flowering and reduced Black Spot during a very difficult year. Continue to follow our Organic Rose Program. You can download it on Sprainbrook.com. Make sure any infected fallen leaves are picked up and discarded, preventing spread of Black Spot spores. Recommendations for September are: feed roses with one cup of Plant-Tone per bush, spray Soil Ecolizer™ EM2 every two weeks and Employ® every three weeks. Foliar Ecolizer and Employ® can be mixed together.

Evergreens, Trees and Shrubs: This is the time of the year to rethink your outdoor living area. Overgrown foundation plants can be moved to the perimeter of the property and new lower plants should replace them. Open up your plantings and show off the beauty of your home. There are many homes in Westchester whose beauty is masked by overgrown plants. Make sure there is adequate screening for privacy and that there is enough shade for your sitting areas and enough sun for your growing areas. There are many micro climates on your property and it is important to study our online Catalogue so that you choose the right plant for the right location. Everything in the Nursery was heavily fed this summer with Daniels organic liquid fertilizer and the plants look incredible. Planting organically grown shrubs helps insure their survivability. Couple these plants with our great selection and we are ready to meet your fall needs with competitive prices and superior quality. All outdoor plant material will continue to be on sale for the month of September at twenty percent off. Fall is the time for planting, so don't procrastinate. Tackle a renovation project now.

Lawns: Lawns have suffered this year due to excessive heat and lack of water. Crabgrass and weeds loved the hot weather while our grasses, a cool weather, crop suffered. Weeds were more prolific than ever this year and were able to gain a competitive advantage. With the cooler weather coming, grass will gain back its competitive edge. July and August are the most difficult time of the year for our northern grasses. Chinch bug and Grubs are major insect problems during the summer and early fall period. Those following our organic lawn program will have a well-fed lawn at this point and should have fewer problems. Microbes in your soil are doing their work breaking down organic material into a well-balanced food supply. Nematodes will control your grubs. The beauty of an organic lawn is that each year it becomes stronger, the roots go deeper and your grass is healthier. The Harvard study has proved this and Harvard University is switching their whole lawn program to an organic one. The deeper root system we are able to develop stands up better to heavy foot traffic. In an organic lawn eventually your grass will become so thick it will crowd out all weeds and its increased resistance will ward off insect and disease problems. September is an important month for all lawns and in particular for the organic lawn. It is the month where re-seeding takes place to thicken it. Particular emphasis should be placed in sections where weeds and crabgrass are trying to take hold. Where possible and as time permits, hand weed or hoe out the weeds and re-seed the bare areas. Where this is not possible, add seed to the weedy areas so that grass can have a chance to germinate and compete. The process here is to heavily over-seed the areas filled with weeds: broom or rake the seed in so it comes in contact with soil: top dress these areas with Fafard top soil and broom or rake it in so it lightly covers these seeds. Water these areas three times a day until the grass germinates. Remember crabgrass is an annual and will die with your first heavy frost. The formula for building a lawn is now archived on our website Sprainbrook.com. If your lawn is more than 50% weeds or your lawn lacks a good soil structure and is beyond rejuvenation, this is the time to build a new organic lawn. In the long run this procedure pays off. Timing is very important. If you are not able to download the information, we will be happy to supply you with a copy of our August letter showing you step by step how to build a new lawn. Aerating, re-seeding with a strong seed such as Black Beauty Plus and fertilizing can go a long way to rebuilding your lawn. If we are hired to do the aerating for you we will add Myke to the preparation working toward developing a deeper and stronger root system. Myke is incredible in developing a deep root system. This is the beginning of new generation of lawns by applying cutting edge technology.

Changing to an Organic Lawn is an important step for everyone to take. The health of our children, families, pets and friends depends on it. It is not only an individual decision but a community decision. Learn the facts. Information on this can be picked up at the Nursery. We are ruining our beautiful earth and our health. Chemical fertilizers are adding nitrates to our waterways and non-organic phosphates which are water soluble wash into our streams, lakes, ponds and rivers. Pesticides and herbicides affect both our water and our health. Going organic will solve these environmental problems We all need to be part of the solution. Mother Nature has shown us a way; all we need to do is follow. September is a new growing season for grass, making it a great time to switch to our organic approach. Copies are available at the Nursery or on our web site. Besides re-seeding in September we recommend that you apply Jonathan Green Organic Lawn Fertilizer. Grass loves the cooler weather and with heavy fertilization grass will thicken up. With cool weather likely to continue be on the look out for mildew and other fungus problems. Do not water your lawn in the evenings as this will perpetuate the diseases. In summation, if your lawn looks good but you have a few bare spots, reseed these areas with the proper seed, cover the seed with a 1/8in. of Farfard top soil and water three times a day. If your lawn looks poor, and your soil structure is poor; it is time to build a new lawn or follow a strong renovation program. . To grow a good lawn you need an organic soil filled with microbes, earth worms and organic matter.

Plant Feature: Chrysanthemums
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Chrysanthemums are perennials that represent the coming of the fall season. We have a fantastic array of colors. They are easy to grow preferring a well-drained, sunny area but can be planted anywhere if they are used as a fall display. They sell in an 8" pots for $4.95 each. If buying a dozen or more the price is reduced to $4.50 each. We also have some beautiful large pots available at 12.95 each. Can mix and match with Cabbage and Kale.

Landscape Design: Landscape design pays. Curb appeal and a beautiful yard will sell a house . . . Outdoor living areas are important for you and your family. Screening yourself from neighbors affords you privacy and peace of mind. Professional help will go a long way to solving your problems and enhancing your yard. Landscape designs are free for the fall season. Take advantage of installations at a time of the year when Nurseries are not under spring pressures.

November 20th Saturday from 10:00am- 12 noon Lecture on House Plants.Invite friends and neighbors to these events.

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Gardening Frequently Asked Question: Leaf Spot
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Questions about leaf spots, powdery mildew and other fungus problems are the most prevalent questions. We have organic fungicides to control each of these problems. Euonymus scale is rampant again. Spray "All Seasons Horticultural Spray or Earth-Tone Horticultural Oil". I can't stress enough the importance of following a good organic program. Healthy plants will resist most insect and disease problems. Animals are causing incredible amounts of plant damage. We have a large selection of repellents available. Gardening is always a challenge.

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Tour the Nursery: Fall plants
[Archived Articles]

We have grown a beautiful crop of fall chrysanthemums. The plants are short, compact, full of buds and just coming into bloom. We do not like to force our plants into bloom too early, so our customers get the maximum amount of enjoyment with the longest period of bloom. Take advantage of our sales. Add Fall color to your garden with

Cabbage and Kale. We have a tremendous selection. It will take some cool weather to get good color but this is a plant that puts on a stunning display well beyond Christmas. 8 inch pans are $.4.95 each or $4.50 each for a dozen or more.

Pansies are increasing in popularity as a fall plant. They will re-bloom in the spring. Pansies tolerate frost and cold weather. They lend themselves beautifully to window boxes, containers and cluster plantings. They can be planted with spring bulbs. Ornamental Grasses: We have a very large selection of ornamental grasses. Fall is when they are in their glory and it is a great time to plant them. Interesting combinations can be created by mixing Chrysanthemums, Cabbage, Kale, Pansies and the Ornamental Grasses.

Perennials: We have lots of nice color with large pots of perennials for instant gratification. Add color to your perennial bed. By planting perennials in early fall you get a head start on Spring. A well-planned perennial garden should become a part of every home.

NURSERY STOCK: This section includes Trees, Shrubs, Evergreens and Fruits. Fall is definitely the best time of the year to plant. Add Myke at planting time and your plants will take off developing a strong root system. Healthy strong plants have a better chance of transplant survival than weakly, stressed out plants. Smart gardeners will seize the moment. The stock looks excellent with a lot of new plants coming in. We are ready to meet all your fall needs. All Nursery stock is on sale at twenty percent off. Our nurserymen will be happy to help you, or you may want to use our Landscape Service. If you are interested in having us do the planting, the design and estimate are free. Contact us early for an appointment. Fall is for planting.

GARDEN CENTER: Stocked with fall fertilizers, spreaders, carts, high quality tools, watering devices, leaf bags, netting, books, pots, insecticides and fungicides, birds feeders, bird food, gift items and much more.

DUTCH BULBS: The Dutch Bulbs will be in soon. Come in early to get a good selection. We handle only top grade bulbs which give the most flower power for your money.

WATER GARDENING: Check out our waterfall. We excel at building waterfalls. A natural water feature is a great addition to any garden.