10/25/2022 - By Dr. Jeff Atkinson

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Each spring I travel to my local nursery to stock up on spring annuals to add color to my home landscape. I always start out with the best of intentions.

·         I amend the media with compost.

·         I place the plants at the appropriate spacing.

·         I then nourish the plants with an appropriate dose of fertility and water to set them up to flourish.

·         Over the next few weeks, I will continue to water and fertilize on a frequent basis, then less and less regularly as summer draws on and life gets busy.

Inevitably, the ornamentals decline in quality, ultimately ending up as part of next year’s batch of compost and not reaching their ornamental potential.

I am sure many, regardless of position as a homeowner, golf course superintendent, or landscape manager can relate. Today’s atmosphere of doing more with less labor does not allow for extra time to tend to ornamental plantings. Turf fertility, water management, and cultural practices often take priority leaving ornamentals to mostly fend for themselves. Which begs the question…

What Can We Do?

It may be surprising to learn that not only is POLYON® controlled-release fertilizer a predictable, consistent tool for turfgrass management, but also an equally useful tool for ornamental management. As a controlled-release fertilizer, a unique characteristic of POLYON® fertilizer is Harrell’s ability to coat a variety of fertilizer substrates with our proprietary POLYON® reactive layer coating technology.

POLYON® Fertilizer

Whereas urea serves as the substrate of choice for turf POLYON® fertilizer applications, Harrell’s manufactures a variety of N-P-K and N-P-K + micronutrient POLYON® fertilizer products formulated specifically for ornamental applications. Similar to POLYON® fertilizer for turf, these ornamental blends are manufactured with a range of coating thicknesses which can be selected based on desired nutrient release longevity. Release longevities range from 2 to 12 months, plenty of longevity for a single application to last for an entire growing season.

Learn more about POLYON® fertilizer's physical characteristics.

Incorporating POLYON® Fertilizer into Your Program

A natural question is how to determine application rates considering most ornamentals are not planted on a per 1000 sq. ft. or per acre basis. The label of Harrell’s POLYON® fertilizer ornamental blends includes easy-to-understand rates for media incorporation and container topdressing (Figure 1). These rates should serve as a starting point to determine the appropriate application rate, with consultation with your Harrell’s representative being the final step in your decision.

Application is easy as measuring the appropriate amount of material and then either placing it on the soil surface close to the ornamental planting or incorporating it into your soil or planting media (Figure 2).

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Reducing Labor and Knowing What's Ahead

Finally, much like POLYON® fertilizer for turf applications, release can be predicted for POLYON® fertilizer ornamental blends using Harrell’s proprietary Polygraph® software. Based on laboratory-determined release characteristics of POLYON® fertilizer and historical weather data for a given location, the Polygraph® will provide an accurate description of week-to-week and month-to-month nutrient release so that adequate fertility is ensured through a growing season.

Utilizing POLYON® fertilizer technology for ornamental fertility is an effective way to reduce labor needs, related to ornamental maintenance while enhancing plant quality and health. As always, your Harrell’s representative is the best resource for selecting the appropriate products and application rates for you to build a successful and comprehensive POLYON® fertilizer program.

Dr. Aaron Palmateer is Here to Help

Dr. Aaron Palmateer is our newest Directory of Agronomy at Harrell's, specializing in horticulture and working hard to solve the toughest of Horticulture diseases and problems. Although Dr. Palmateer's main workspace is horticulture, he will support Golf Course Superintendents as they care for the ornamentals plantings on or around the golf course. "Golf courses have plants too, and I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues who support the turfgrass industry by providing expertise on managing pests and diseases of ornamental plantings on and around golf courses."

The Lawncare industry will also benefit from Dr. Palmateer's research and service. Regarding lawncare, he said, "As a Plant Pathologist and Extension Specialist at the University of Florida, I had the opportunity to work with numerous landscape professionals and horticultural consultants on solving pest and disease issues in the landscape, and I look forward to continuing these efforts in collaboration with my colleagues at Harrell’s."