• By the appearance of the plant (holes, parts eaten, webbing, mold, pale spots, etc.), you should be able to identify the issue.
• By the type of pest/animal found in the area. A larger animal will leave clear signs like droppings, footprints, etc. Smaller pests will generally be spotted on or under leaves or on blooms or fruits.
• Pests simply cause damage to the plants by extracting water and food from the plant. Signs you have pests in your garden include wilting foliage, noticeable nibbling on the leaves and stems, falling leaves, dry leaves, and bad appearance.
  
• Plant diseases change the plants physiology commonly from fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Symptoms of plant disease include loss of rigidity and fall of plants, stains on the leaves and fruits, abnormal local swelling, and non-uniform coloring in the foliage. 

Most diseases will spread if the plant isn't tended to immediately. Remove all affected parts of plant if possible and separate from any other plants in area.

• It is considered full sun if it gets at least 6 full hours of direct sunlight on most days.
• Full sun is the trickiest level of exposure to achieve because while many plants need full sun to set buds and flower, some cannot handle the intense heat and/or dry conditions that often come with that much sunshine. Morning sun is best for more sensitive plants while others that can tolerate dry and high heat can handle Afternoon or all-day sun.
• Plants that prefer full sun is by far the largest group you will encounter. Most flowering annuals and perennials will enjoy full sun, provided their moisture requirements are met.
• Vegetable gardens also are generally best positioned in the very sunniest location you can find, although a few vegetables and herbs (mostly the leafy types) will tolerate some shade.

Most vegetables varieties that are grown in Colorado are annuals. Tomatoes, beans, cucumbers complete their entire life cycle in a single growing season and are killed by the first hard frost.

There are a few varieties of perennial vegetables that may come back every year including asparagus, chives, horseradish, rhubarb, and shallots. Once established, these vegetables can produce for many years.

Always check out the zone hardiness of the vegetables you choose to see if it will be a perennial in your Planting Zone. 

• Stakes, sticks, rings, a trellis, cages, and even twine can help support your plant during its growth
• Harvest and cover plant before sudden freeze

• BEFORE: Turning over the soil, raking leaves and adding any fertilizer needed to the soil.
• AFTER: Cutting/trimming back spent plants.

Building a garden with a variety of pollinating sources is a huge start, but there is more you can do to promote our pollinator community. You can create bee habitats away from your home made from wood like dead trees and tree limbs or you can even make a bee condo of your own. Supplying hummingbirds with feeders and nectar will also help attract them to your garden.

The best way to ensure that you protect our pollinators, and our plant life, is by using natural pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides at every opportunity!

Neonicotinoids are ‘systemic agricultural insecticide resembling nicotine’ closely related to a neurotoxin. Many studies have found a link between neonicotinoids and declining bee populations. InColor's policy is to not promote or use neonicotinoids.

Summer hail can arrive quickly and sometimes without warning, leaving your garden and plants vulnerable to hail stone damage, high winds, and heavy rain.

Bringing plants in under cover is the only way to 100% prevent damage, but when that is not possible there are several things that can be done to help protect plants from hail damage.

Here are some tips to help prevent hail damage:

• Add extra soil around the bases of plants to keep them upright and prevent the soil from washing away.
• Place pots, buckets, baskets, or large garbage cans over plants to protect them from hail. Weigh them down with bricks or other heavy objects.
• Cover plants that are growing along a fence or building with a piece of cardboard, wood, or other flat material. Lean it against the fence or building to provide protection.
• Place some stakes in the soil that reach above the highest plant. Cover the entire area with a large tarp, weigh the corners down with bricks or other heavy objects. 

• Loam is the best mixture of soil consisting of 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay.
• It is recommended to add fertilizer or plant food as needed to provide additional nutrients.
• InColor plants contain enough fertilizer for 2-3 months. Continue fertilizing as needed.

If you overwater a plant, the best advice is to immediately stop all watering for the next several days. 

If potted, make sure your plant has adequate drainage to let the water properly flow out of the planter and away from the roots. Also, don’t let your plant sit in pools of water for long periods of time.

If you have underwatered an in-ground plant: find a long stick or pencil to carefully penetrate the surrounding soil with a stick to make several long holes. This will aerate the soil and allow the water to flow down to the root system easier to help revive your plant a little quicker. 

If you have an underwatered potted plant: grab a plastic tray or fill the bottom of a sink/tub with water. Place the potted plant in the water so its drainage holes will be submerged. Remove the planter after an hour or two once the soil inside the pot expands and moistens. 

If your potted plant does NOT have drainage holes, you can also water this with the in-ground method.

Supplies:

• Trowel/Shovel
• Gloves
• InColor plant
• In Ground or Bedding Soil
• Fertilizer or manure (Optional)
• Mulch (Optional)

You will begin by putting on gloves and digging a hole in your desired planting area that is roughly 1/3 larger than the size of your current pot. Make sure that it is both 1/3 deeper & 1/3 wider. You can place the plant still potted inside the hole to check for size as well as to make sure it is level with the ground. Covering the base with too much soil can cause collar rot from moist soil covering the base/truck of a plant so keep as level to the ground as you can.

At the bottom of your in-ground hole, scatter some manure/fertilizer to add nutrients to the plant and soil around it. Do not overfill. Feel free to test the height again with your plant inside the hole.

Now, if your plant is still inside its original plastic container, you can leave it in the hole and surround all its sides with the dirt. Do not pack it in too tight; we are leaving it in to create the perfect indention for your plant to go inside!

You will pull your plant out of the newly shaped hole, careful to not collapse the structure you made. Slip the plant out of the plastic container but holding it on its side with one hand and grasping the base of the plant with the other. Gently shimmy the plant out of the planter.

Now place it inside its new home! Place a little bit of dirt on top if needed and give it a very thorough watering and cover the top with mulch if you choose to for better water retention and for weather protection.

The good news is most of our InColor plants have fertilizer that will last anywhere between 2-3 months. Before fertilizing on your own, do some quick research and look up the fertilizing needs of your specific plant and look to see if has any specific nutrient needs like more nitrogen.

After that, you should investigate if you want to invest in an organic short term or long-term fertilizer (usually split between liquid and granular fertilizer options). We recommend an organic fertilizer as some standard fertilizers can “burn” your plants & their roots with too many chemicals.

Potted outdoor plants should be fertilized one to two times a month when plants are flowering or growing, depending on if your fertilizer is liquid or granular. During the winter, when plants are dormant, you can skip fertilizer altogether. If a plant is dropping its lower leaves, showing weak growth or an overall yellow-green color, it may need more fertilizer.

Outdoor plants should be fertilized one a month; do not use LIQUID fertilizer before watering or rainfall as the water will wash most of the nutrients away from the soil. Granular fertilizer should be safe.

Fertilizer/Manure should also be added at the beginning of the growing season as you are preparing your garden or your containers. For best results, apply them again at the end of the season to replace lost nutrients and organic matter.

To fertilize your plant with GRANULAR fertilizer: Spread several handfuls around the base of your plant spanning about a 6-inch circle around. Using either a gloved hand or a tool, mix the fertilizer into the soil around the plant careful to avoid any roots.

To fertilize your plant with a LIQUID fertilizer: Dilute the fertilizer in your watering container to the specified instructions and then pour around the base of the plant. Be careful to not put the fertilizer directly on the roots as this can cause “burns” if the soil is too dry.

Making an all-natural pesticide at home is easier than you may think! Here are some quick recipes to try:

Oil Spray: Mix one cup of vegetable oil with a tablespoon of a mild hand soap (we recommend an organic or natural scentless soap, such as castile soap) and mix these together in a container. Cover and shake well to combine. When ready, mix two teaspoons of your oil spray mixture to one quart of water and apply it thoroughly on any areas effected by: Mites, aphids, etc.

Soap Spray: Mix one and a half teaspoons of mild soap (we recommend an organic or natural scentless soap, such as castile soap) into one-quart water and spray on effected areas. This can be useful against: Beetles, aphids, mites, whiteflies, etc.

Garlic Spray: Take two full bulbs of garlic and puree them raw with a quart of water in a food processor or blender until smooth. Let this sit in a covered container in the fridge overnight. Strain with cheesecloth into a container and save. Save the leftover garlic so you can mix it in the soil where the plant is most effected by pests as a further repellent. When ready to use, mix your garlic water with one quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray effected areas thoroughly.

Spacing between plants is important because it gives room to promote the best root growth we can give to our plants. It all depends on the size of the plant at its largest. 

If you are planting vegetables like corn, you will want at least 10” to 15” of space between each plant. For most annuals it is best to have 7” to 12” of space. If your plant gets very bushy, plan for possibly as much as 2’ between plants live lavender bushes.