Garden Barn Recommends

With so many products on the market to choose from, sometimes it's difficult to know which one to use. Here at the Garden Barn we have a number of tried-and-true products for every garden need. The list below describes some of our favorite products and their uses. If you have a concern or problem that is not addressed by this list feel free to call us at 860-872-7291, e-mail us at info@gardenbarn.com, or stop in so that we can come up with a solution together.

Bumper Crop: Best used as a soil amendment when putting in trees, shrubs, or vegetable gardens, Bumper Crop is a combination of peat moss, poultry manure, lobster compost, kelp meal, worm castings, and more. "It will loosen clay and other hard, compacted earths, improving drainage, planting texture, and aeration. It will help bind sandy or rocky soils to promote water retention. In all kinds of garden soils, Bumper Crop® Soil Builder will make cultivation easier, provide better moisture absorption and retention, increase all-around soil aeration and provide a beneficial environment for micro-organisms" (www.coastofmaine.com)

B1 Rootmaster: An excellent product for reducing transplant shock and to encourage proper root establishment, B1 Rootmaster stimulates root growth to ensure your plant's success.

Plant-tone: An organic fertilizer that can be mixed into the soil when planting or used as a top-dressing for already established plants. We love that it won't burn your plants if over-applied and that it doesn't contain any harmful salts that are present in many other fertilizers. Apply twice a year, in spring and fall.

Holly-tone: Just like Plant-tone, but for use on evergreen trees and shrubs and particular acid-loving plants like blueberries, rhododendron, dogwood, blue hydrangea, magnolia and oak.

Osmocote: One of the best slow-release fertilizers on the market, Osmocote pellets only need to be put down once every four to six months. Every time that you water the coating on the pellet dissolves, releasing a controlled amount of fertilizer into the soil. We use Osmocote on everything from annual planters to perennial beds to large trees.

Repels-All: An all-natural animal repellant that comes in liquid or granular form. Repels-All has great reviews from many of our customers who say that it worked when nothing else did to keep away pests such as deer and rodents.

Liquid Fence: Another well-reviewed brand of animal repellant, Liquid Fence is specific to deer and rabbits. It comes in liquid or granular form, which is ironic but versatile.

Preen: An excellent inhibitor of weed growth when used as a pre-emergent. Preen needs to be put down on flower beds or landscaped areas in the early spring and throughout the season to prevent weed seeds from germinating. It is not intended to get rid of established weeds.

Bayer 3 in 1: A combination insecticide, miticide, and fungicide that can be applied with a sprayer and protects trees and shrubs for weeks. Particularly recommended for delicate flowering shrubs like roses and magnolias.

Rose 3 in 1: This product contains an insecticide, fungicide, and a miticide, so no matter what is attacking your plant it will be treated. It's also organic!

Eight: An all-purpose insect killer, Eight can be used on ornamentals any time and on food-producing plants up to eight days prior to harvest.

Triple Phosphate: When flowering plants don't seem to bloom year after year, we recommend using Triple Phosphate. This product contains high levels of the nutrient that plants need in order to set blooms. Particular plants that benefit from occasional treatment include hydrangeas, roses, and azaleas.

Revitalize: A relatively new product, Revitalize has impressed our staff with its effectiveness. Bonide describes it as "a high potency biofungicide/bactericide that controls blight, molds, rots, spots and mildews on vegetables, fruits, nuts, ornamentals, lawns, houseplants and tropical plants grown inside and out. This organic gardening product may be used right up to the day of harvest." (www.bonide.com)

Copper Fungicide: A great, natural way to get rid of fungus such as powdery mildew.

Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew: An organic insecticide that kills on contact. It can also be used to kill gypsy moth caterpillars!

All Seasons Horticultural Oil: A multi-purpose insecticide, fungicide, and miticide that can be used in temperatures ranging from 40 to 90 degrees. Particularly useful on certain types of scale.

Black Gold Potting Soils: We plant all of our Garden Barn Grown material in Black Gold soils. Ranging from specialty soils such as cactus mix to african violet mix to an all-purpose blend, Black Gold has to product you need to give your potted plants the perfect home.