Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Yardening 8 April 2014 "Better late than never", 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Dear happy---

Gita does not do much of anything to her plants...No special care--no special
products--no searching for cultural information--.no PH testing--none of that!

When it comes to plant care--my motto is--"Ignoring them (to some level) is best"....
Yes--I water them...and, yes--I walk by and look at them all but, other than that,
I SWEAR i do not do anything special.
i DO pay attention to light requirements and-if I get any bug issues--
Then I come here on DG and whine about "What's wrong"? and "What can I do about it?"
I DO plant them properly and carefully. I believe in always watering any plants
you have planted IMMEDIATELY. Started fertilizer works good here...
IF you can afford to buy Kelp Meal--that will be a bonus. Perhaps watering new plants
in with some kind of sea kelp fertilizer will work even better.

Everyone thinks I have some kind of a magic touch. i DO NOT!
I plant them--I water them--I weed...I deadhead--I am very lax about fertilizing anything--
my downfall....I do not grow fancy/shmancy new plants--just the old stand-byes.

I HUGELY respect any plants that thrive and grow and bloom in my YUK bed!
I seldom add any new plants to this bed--as i cannot dig in there w/o a major effort.
Yet--in spring--this bed will be full of color--just from all the perennials that DO
thrive there...most annuals I try to plant there never make it...
Maybe choosing the right plants for the right location is care enough???
Then--let them do their thing....don't interfere....just enjoy...

I DO have a lot of accumulated gardening knowledge. It is just there--in my brain.
Like on a computer--my brain clicks "search" and immediately I can talk to people for
half an hour about what they wanted to know. This usually leaves a lot of customers in awe..
I do not just give good customer service-I educate them at the same time....
We talk and talk until the other person has that "AHA" moment and understands
what i am telling them.
That is my reward--because i KNOW when they "get it"--they will pass it on to other people.
Then those "other people"will come and buy the right product because they also "get it"...
And--so it continues by word-of-mouth.....

Remember my mission to sell Milorganite to anyone that will take the time
to listen to me? I have done it--and will continue to do it...We just need more of it..
I, literally, take people by the hand and say: "Come with me--I want to show you something
that will give you a great lawn....I want to SELL this to you!"

Then we walk by all the $$$$ Scotts and other $$$products in this aisle--and I say;"LOOK!"
I flip the bag over so the customers can read it themselves. Then I say--"Look at the price!"
A 35lb bag of organic, Eco friendly fertilizer--that covers 2500sf. for $12, 37.
They usually buy it. ...........:o)

There are 5 bags left on this palate--and we have no more---it was 3/4 full when I the lawn
feeding season started...now it is almost empty. YESSSSS!!!

OK! I know this sounds like a Self-Promo--but I believe in what I know. Simple and basic
gardening...if it works for me.....it will work for you too...

Need to find the right person to order another pallet of Milorganite......

I'll see if I can sell all of THAT one by the end of gardening season as well....

Pic. #2--my lawn--April of last year....Milorganite fed ONCE!.