Fertilizer may help
in the heat
Thursday, August 4, 2005
By RAYMOND A. EDEL
STAFF
WRITER
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When the growing gets tough, the tough get fertilizing.
Now that we're in the dog days of summer, it's as important
as ever to make sure your plants are well-nourished, says Ron
Binaghi, fifth generation owner of Stokes Farm in Old
Tappan.
"There is no need to stop using fertilizer just because it
is hot," says Binaghi. "On the contrary, certain plants - like
the wave petunias - need more fertilizer. Hot or cold plants
need nutrients to grow to their full potential."
If plants are well-watered and fed, they should be able to
endure the high temperatures and heavy humidity of late
summer, says Binaghi. "With proper fertilizing plants
shouldn't wilt or turn yellow in periods of heat and/or
stress," he adds.
The key to feeding your plants is to be consistent, says
Binaghi.
"Don't just put a lot of fertilizer down and then put a lot
about six weeks later," he says. "The secret is to be
persistent."
Two products that have been recently introduced to help
gardeners in fertilizing are TerraCycle Plant Food and the
Aquavor Total Plant System.
TerraCycle, developed by 23-year-old Princeton University
dropout Tom Szaky, is a liquid eco-friendly plant food made
from worm excrement. To create the food, the Trenton-based
TerraCycle Inc. soaks the worm poop in water, a process that
extracts the valuable compounds it contains. The product,
packaged in reused soda bottles, sells for $3.99 per 20-ounce
container. Information: terracycle.net
The Aquavor system is a specially designed watering can
with a plant food pump bottle attached. The beauty of the
system is that there is no need to measure or mix food. It
also solves the problem that many people have of forgetting to
feed their plants. The cans come in two sizes - 1.5-gallon
($19.95) and three gallon ($29.95). Food refills sell for
$7.95 and $9.95. Information: aquavor.com
Both items are available at Home Depot stores.
E-mail: edel@northjersey.com | 
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