February 21, 2026 • 39 mins
Anne Morton with Hose Link talks about hose problems.
Dirty Word of the Day.
Teresa give us a list of what to plant.
Dirty Word of the Day.
Teresa give us a list of what to plant.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Good morning, Welcome back to the second hour of Better
Lawns and Gardens from the Summit Responsible Solution Studios. I'm
Teresa Watkins. I'm a garden designer, landscape designer, horticulturist, garden author.
I just love taking care of plants and helping people
with their plant questions, just walking through and just seeing
(00:30):
how beautiful the world can be with a beautiful landscape.
So we love to talk with you. If you have
your garden questions we have You can call in with
your garden questions one triple eight four five five, two
nine sixty seven, or you can text two three six
eight zero.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
We have a wonderful interview coming up.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
I'm very excited about this product and I just I
can't wait to talk about it because it's it's exciting.
But I did want to remind everyone that we are
in a drought period right now, and what that means
is that we're not getting rainfall even in the springtime.
(01:09):
In the winter, which is supposed to be our dry period,
it's even drier than normal and that's not a good thing.
So there is a burn band throughout most of the
state of Florida.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
You do not want to be burning.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Anything because everything will catch fire very easily, and we
want to prevent forest fires. So there is a burn
band going on right now. Now, what does it mean
when we're in a drought. Does that mean gosh, I
got a water more? No, We're going to get some
really good rain tomorrow. That should be all we need
for the week. In fact, if you wanted to water
(01:41):
just once a week, if no rainfall for the entire year,
that's all we need to water. You do not have
to water every couple of days, three times a week,
or every day. If you're doing that, one you're wasting
a lot of money, and two you're hurting your own
landscape because as we go through these droughts, the landscapes
(02:02):
that are watered most often and most in depth, they
are going to be the ones that die first.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Okay. So the more you water, the shorter root.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
System your plants will have and they will not be
able to handle a dry period.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
So when we are in droughts, it doesn't matter if
it's native or non native. We have our native xeric
plants that handle dry sandy conditions like you have in
Lake County and Clearmont parts of Central Orlando. But then
we also have our mesic soils, which have really good
earthworms in them, lots of organic material. If you have earthworms,
(02:43):
you have mesic soils. And what that means is that
your soil has moisture and organic material, not too much
because worms can't swim, but just enough to keep, you know,
hold on to the water just a little bit longer.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
And then we have our hydrich soils.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
These are soils next to lakefronts and shallow areas, compacted
areas that have a claypan soil like that there's no
percolation of the water, and those are really wet soils.
And so, you know, to determine what you have, what
kind of soil you have, you want to go out
(03:21):
to the yard to the area you want to plant
in and dig down about you know, five to six
inches and put the soil in your hand. Now you
want to do this forty eight hours after rainfall or
after irrigation. So if we get rain Sunday and Monday Wednesday,
(03:42):
go out to your yard, put some soil in your hand,
five or six inches down under the ground. Put it
in your hand and squeeze it. If after forty eight
hours you could open your hand back up and the
sand is warm and it just filters right through your hand,
doesn't make a mound, it just filters right through.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Then you have.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Xeric soils, very sandy soils. You need to buy plants
and install plants that can handle those conditions. If after
forty eight hours you squeeze your hand and open it
back up and it makes a little mound, you know,
it's shaped like your fingers, and you see little twigs
in it. It's dark brown, you see a little bit
of bark in it.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Some dark soil.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Those are music soils, and so you know to have
plants that can handle those conditions.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Then after forty eight hours, if you can squeeze your.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Hand and still get moisture or feel the dampness in
the soil after forty eight hours, then you have hydric soils.
You need to buy plants that can handle wet conditions.
All right, So that's a really easy way to do this,
and so just check your soils.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
That way.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
We should plant so that we can our plants and
our landscapes are based just on rainfall. We don't want
them to uh to be in a situation where we
have to water them to keep them, you know, healthy
and thrive. Lizzy, do you like to lug the irrigation
hose around your turkeys in your yard?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Absolutely? Love it? Do you? I don't? I thought you
do so annoying. It is annoying.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
The hoses are so heavy, aren't they and you're dragging them,
and then after a while they start to get deteriorate
and degrade and they get stiff.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
I am so angry. I just had to throw out
like one hundred and fifty dollars hose because I didn't
plan ahead when we had the freeze, and so yeah,
it got a huge crack in it. Oh my good
looking at it now. Yes, I could have actually cut
it and redone it. But you know what, I'm that
pain How what's going on in life? Yeah? That's out
the door, so yes.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
No, okay, yeah, so lugging the it's it's annoying.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
In my front yard.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
I do not like to lug around the thing because
you have to lug them around plants, and then you
it lays on top of the plant and it breaks
the shrubs, and then then you have to pull it
back in and roll it back up again and throw
it underneath the house.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
And you know it's just I.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Just like you've been at my house before.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, we have a product that we're going to be
talking about with Annie Morton. She is with host Link
and it is incredible, it's beautiful, it can go anywhere,
and I just can't wait to talk.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
To about it. So we are going to be back.
Did I miss the dirty word of the day? You
sure enough? Then we'll have to do that at the
bottom of the half hour. Okay, the dirty word of
the day will be at the half hour.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
If it's Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens,
I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's talk and entertainment network,
(07:08):
and welcome back to Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm Teresa Watkins.
Since joining hose Link in twenty twenty, Annie Morton has
been a key contributor to the company. She leverages her
expertise in gardening, sustainability and her appreciation for the natural environment.
She has comprehensive experience across product development, customer service, and marketing.
(07:30):
So this diverse background enables Annie to provide valuable insights
into hose links impact on how quality tools can have
on both effective gardening and overall lifestyle enjoyment. So I
so appreciate Annie coming on. I saw this product this
week and I said, you have to come on and
tell us about it because it's so exciting.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Annie Morton, good morning, How are you?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Good morning? Thank you so much for having me. I'm wonderful.
It's nice to join you.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
So despite vital conservation efforts and water restrictions around Florida,
there are still reasons homeowners need to hand water their landscapes,
particularly when caring for new plants, containers, and hanging baskets.
So Annie, what challenges do residents face with hoses, irrigation systems,
and hoa's.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
When dealing with manual watering?
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Yeah? Look, water, Your restrictions are really challenging as a homeowner,
aren't they? But I also think they're a bit of
a nice reminder of our obligation to be good citizens
and to be really mindful of our resources. So normally
I think, you know, we think of sprinklers and irrigation
systems as being time savers, which they certainly can be.
But while we've got all these restrictions in place, we
(08:46):
actually just need to really focus on getting right to
the root of what needs water the most, and so
handwatering really comes in as kind of the savior on
the spot there, so that we can really target plants,
get right in at the bay with our hand watering
as opposed to kind of dispersing a huge amount of
water through the air, you know, our sprinkler systems and
(09:07):
what not, right, and it.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Just transpires and it's wasted really when it goes through
the air.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Exactly. The last thing we want to be doing is
you know, we've got this tiny amount of water to
use right now, we really want to make sure it's
going where it needs to go. And also hand watering
also lets us get up nice and close to our
plants and really identify any extra stresses or diseases that
are happening as well. So you kind of you get
a bit of a two for one benefit with hand
watering at the moment.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Oh, I so appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
I have a client who we just installed a new
landscape for and he likes to go out there and
water the plants and that's what he does.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
And you know, I said, enjoy it, and he does.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
He goes out there for you know, twenty minutes and
water is the plants, and he kind of meditates and
you know he really appreciates the landscape a little bit
more so, So tell me.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
We hear that a lot with people. There are a
lot of coffee cups dispersed through the garden where people
are going through doing their morning watering and kind of
enjoying that meditative property. And before you know what, you
watch a week worth of coffee mugs out there.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
That is that's so true.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
So your product is called it evolved. So how did
the Evolve irrigation series evolve? See what I did there?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I see you.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
So so hoad Link is actually an Australian company and
growing up in Australia, we experience these water restrictions every
single year. You know, this is everything that people are
experiencing Florida at the moment. This is kind of an
every summer situation. So it's a really natural progression for
our products to consider how we can best conserve water.
(10:39):
So with Evolve, I think we've managed to strike a
really nice balance between making sure that there's still a
really strong and consistent slow But the real one of
the real water saving up upgrades is actually the quick
connect fittings that we use, so instead of a click
on style, which if you've used a click on style
fitting with a strong water pressure, you'll see sometimes they
(11:01):
just come off and all of a sudden you're gushing
water everywhere and it's hugely wastefall and your water bills
going through the roof. So our fittings actually have a
bayonet style connection, so it's completely water tight, impossible to burst,
and it actually saves you thousands of gallons of water
each year sorry, just in terms of just a regular
(11:23):
drip or a leak. So you've got huge water saving
benefits of that. And then there's another piece. So all
of our all of our R and D has gone
into evolve and so what you've got is that strong
water flow, a user friendly design, but also it's you've stabilized.
So with that, it's also is going to withstand the
sun because obviously if we're not getting if we're not
(11:44):
getting rain, we are getting a lot of sun, that's true,
and so we're not just addressing the need to conserve water,
we're also making sure that the hose is wrapped up
in a nice kind of protective casing so that the
entire product is designed to last for year and years.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I am so glad that you say that, because our
hose do break down. They do degrade in our heat
and it doesn't take long. And so from Australia, I
can tell your accent from Australia, and so they are
very They're number one in conservation. They're just really really
progressive in that in that respect. So there are plants,
(12:21):
the conservation plants. They are just incredible. They do well
here in Florida to as well. So what hose lengths
are available?
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Sure things. So we have we have a couple of
different models of retractable hose reel. So if you were
in say a townhouse, then we have a fifty foot
retractable model, and it goes all the way up to
one hundred foot retractable model. So whatever size property you're on,
you can absolutely enjoy the convenience of a retractable hose reel.
It is I don't want to say it'll change your life,
(12:55):
but at the same time, that's what our customers have
told us. It feels like hyperbole, but it truly kind
of makes a chore something that's actually quite enjoyable.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I so agree with you, and I will tell you
I appreciate the accessibility of the hose and for home
owners young and old, this is a very easy way
to get out in the garden and hand water. But
I'm also very impressed by its elegant design. That's what
caught me right away. I love the design. It's very
classy and it will look good on your patio or
(13:27):
your pool area.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Yeah. Look, I think we wanted to make sure that
we're creating a solution and not another problem. I think,
you know, hoses can be such an eye though where
they are you know, tangled up around a cart or
in a bit of a mess of a pile on
the ground. I think, you know, we really want to
make sure that whilst we're offering this convenience, it also
(13:50):
it needs to look good. I think we're working so
hard on our yards and our gardens to make sure
that they're they're beautiful, they're calming, they're pleasing, and so
this product it's you know, we're not trying to add
not trying to add another mess to a landscape. Sure,
the idea is that it tidies itself away. It's got
a beautiful, smooth, sleek casing and we've got two colorwaves,
(14:13):
Beiji and charcoal, but both of which are quite neutral,
so they can really blend in with your yard to
keep everything kind of intact, to keep the aesthetic that
you've designed for your home, to keep that intact.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
And this is what's nice about it is that it's
kind of like hoa friendly.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
Oh incredibly, so you know you are never going to
get dings for leaving your hose out on your yard
because one little tug and the entire thing retracts smoothly
back into the casing. So in that case, you know
it's hoa friendly. It gets through to tripping hazards in
your yard. You'll never have to wonder is that a
hose or is that a snake.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
That's always a good selling point exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
So, now the traditional irrigation hoses, as they last four
or five years, how long can you expect the evolved
retractable hose to work. Is it difficult to replace it
if it needs replaced.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
No, So we've actually made evolve very very easy to
work with and for it to last a very long time.
So in terms of that retraction mechanism, you can honestly
expect say about twenty five years worth of daily watering.
So that spring loaded retraction is tested for ten thousand,
ten thousand retractions, So that's twenty five years of daily use. Wow,
(15:31):
which is we are just so proud of. Sure, I'm
so proud of that. And then another couple of really
nice pieces. It comes with a five year warranty, which
again that's the longest warranty we've ever been able to
offer us on one of our host products, and also
has some replaceable parts as well, so it's actually the
only retractable in the market where if something was to
happen with your host for whatever reason you I think,
(15:51):
life happens, right, Sometimes a dog thinks it's a true toy.
Sometimes you should retract it, but you didn't, and then
someone goes over it with Lawnolla. Now if that happens,
we can replace the actual hose. So the product itself
is actually incredibly sustainable and really really serviceable. So in
(16:12):
that sense, it really can last years and years and years,
as opposed to, like, as you said, those traditional hoses
that you're getting from your big box store leaving out
in the sun and you know, cracking from the heat
and then you get you get that freak freeze that
comes through. Sure everything's just protected within that casing, so
it's really it's tucked away out of the element. So
(16:33):
you're extending the life of your host just by having
it sitting there in the casing. And then on top
of that all of those durable features that we've designed
into the product as well, so you truly you are
looking at about a lifetime of watering out of this well.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
That that's so good to hear. And I like the
five year warranty that that's important. Now, Annie, so let's
talk about price, because something that's quality isn't always cheap.
But tell us about the price, and is it a kid?
Do you buy all of it?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
And one? So how much does it cost?
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Sure things? So look, I'm not going to tell you
it's the cheapest piece of watering equipment on the market,
but I will say it's a oneful investment. So our
retractable hose reels all come into everything that you need
to get started. So that is the casing, the hose, sorry,
the mounting bracket and hardware, spray nozzle and quick connect fittings.
(17:27):
So it is it is truly and all in one.
And that's for our revolved series hose reels. They come
in at two hundred and ninety nine dollars. So what
we find is that, you know, people start with one
because they want to change it out, and then truly
within weeks they get another one well and not the
other because they're like, well, how did I do this?
(17:48):
Why did I deal with this previously? Why did I
deal with manually winding up my hoses? And before you
know it, there's one out the back, there's one out
the front, and come Christmas time there's one for the
kids or one for their pets.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Sure right, Actually add up the cost of a good
sturdy hose, it doesn't kink and doesn't like the sun
damage and rot here in the state of Florida, and
then the quick connects like the brass ones. If you
add that all up, you're actually in my opinion is
that you're getting a better price and a better quality
(18:19):
set up with them.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yes, that the evolved series. That is so true.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
So so Annie, thank you so much for coming on.
What where can people see this product? It's gorgeous. I
love it and definitely going to invest in it for
our yard, But where can people see the video and things?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Sure thing I had to www dot hoselink dot com
and you can find all of the details there. You
can also find us on social so Instagram and Facebook
at hostlink USA. But for everything you need just jump
on the website and any questions, We've got a wonderfully
friendly customer service team here in the US as well,
so always do not hesitate to reach out to us
(19:00):
any questions.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Well, Annie, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
I will also be posting it on our Facebook page
and in my newsletter, so you'll be able to get
it from there too as well. Annie, thank you so
much for reaching out from down under.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Thank you so much for having me all right, Annie.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
That's hoselink dot com. And it's just beautiful. I can
see this for use in pools, patios, small front yards,
h o as and uh and and just the just the.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Turkey runs, Turkey runs there you go.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Thank you so much, Annie Morton for with hostlink dot com.
If it's Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Logs and Gardens,
I'm Teresa Watkins. The Dirty Word of the Day is next.
This is Florida's talk and Entertainment network. Welcome back to
(20:00):
Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm Teresa Watkins, and we're taking
your phone calls one triple eight four five five two
nine sixty seven one triple eight four five five two
nine sixty seven, or you can text two three six
eight zero and we can answer your gardening questions. I
want to remind everyone that the Seminole County Expo is
(20:22):
going on today from nine a m.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Until three pm.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Lots of things to do for the children's activities, lots
of scavenger hunts and educational workshops, and even the museum
is free today to go into open for everyone. They'll
have somebody there, a historical docent there, and then also
do lots of talks on bees and native plants. I
(20:47):
will be doing a talk at ten thirty on landscape design,
designing your dream landscape. I look forward to seeing everyone
and giving you all my little tips and some great photos.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
I have a question, sure, when do we need to
plant potatoes or and or do we need to start
them so they have the eyes? What do we need
to do?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Well, you can take them and let them dry out
a little bit, you know, so that and then when
you can plant them. Uh, Usually potatoes are planted in
the fall late summer and fall. But you can go
ahead and plant a midsummer too as well and just
let them grow in the ground.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Okay, even potato bags. I like the potato bags.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Okay, yeah, you bought me one, and that's those.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Are really cool. Yeah, we don't want to get.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
It dirty though. I keep looking at like it's so pretty.
It has its own little what's that called that the
pajamas that had.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
The little the diaper bottom. Yeah, they get the trap
trap shoot or whatever.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
The trap door where you can open it up without
taking all the plants out of it.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yes, but yeah, that's you know. So I was wondering
because I see that in a box store that they
have a bag of them for like ten twelve bucks.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
There's like four in there.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
I'm going, wow, potatoes are so expensive when it's so
easy to grow your own.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Yeah, I agree that.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
And the corn is the time for corn, if you
will like the midsummer corn and corn for picnics. Now
it is the time to plant.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
It, okay, seeds or yeah, like I mean, you go
ahead and get through your seeds and the brown right now.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Right seeds right now is fine? So one triple eight, four, five, five,
two nine, sixty seven, or you can text two three
eight two three six eight zero and I would love
to answer your gardening questions right now. You can be
also two perennials. Your plants that are dead, they may
(22:38):
not be so dead, you know, just again, like Tom
McCubbin said earlier, depends on how patient you want to be.
All right, So we are gonna have that little cold
front come through on Monday.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
We're used to it.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
You know.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
If your plants haven't been cut, they will handle it
just fine because they haven't had any new growth stimulation.
But I'm really surprised to see the new growth. Like
crinum lilies quyum lilies got really damaged, and they already
three days after the freeze, they were already starting to
shoot up new plants.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
It's great and it's crazy because it's like this freeze
like turn a lot of my plants that end up
getting hit that still had covered, but turn them into mush.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Then I look down into the soil and they've got
a pretty little green flower leaf coming up, and I'm going, what.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Do you know, what's blooming beautifully in my yard right now?
Speaker 2 (23:27):
I must have I should have.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I'll send to show you pictures my amarillas, all the
orange red red orange flowers. They're all blooming like we
didn't have any in any winter, you know, and they're
they're just beautiful right now, Amrylla's and they're blooming gorgeous
and like they didn't even experience nice the wintertime nice.
And I'm just really I was really surprised. I walked
(23:49):
out my yard and go, whoa, those are already blooming.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
And so because you know, we started Lent and Easter
is gonna be right here around the corner.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
This is true.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
What do you do for Easter?
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Absolutely nothing.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
You don't do anything.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
I mean, I it's so crazy because.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
The kids, the kids are too big.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Yeah it's it's yeah, they're just too big. And then
they have their own families that they do their own stuff.
So we do a little Easter story and we talk
about Jesus and the resurrection, and but yeah we don't
that isn't really are a big thing. Our big thing
is the fall and Christmas.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
I agree with you. I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I just remember getting all dressed up and the little
white gloves and a little dressed with the bows, and.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
Well, I have a grand niece in Seattle, Washington, and
so I found at Cracker Barrel they had cute little
bunny the little shoes, the dress shoes, they had the
little bunnies on them. So I've got a cute dress
to go with it. And oh how cool is that?
Speaker 1 (24:53):
We used to when we dressed like that. My dad
would take us the three oldest because that's all there
was at the time, just Viper's gardens, and we would
get our photographs taken in cypress gardens and it was
just lovely. So point setia is if your points setia
made it through the freeze, you can go ahead and
put it out in the landscape. Now if you brought
it in, that will be great. I want to hear
(25:15):
from the guy who had the five foot tall coconut
tree on the coast. Remember he called in and said
he had a five foot tall coconut tree.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
What did you do with your cocona tree?
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Because I told him very seriously to dig it up
and bring it into the garage, And I wonder if
he did that. Uh, so you can take it now
out of the garage and put it back in the yard.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
You do, okay, So what is case? So he takes
it out after Monday, take it out. Does he need
to put anything in the ground, and what do you
need to do to make it re established?
Speaker 1 (25:47):
You don't want to You don't want to fill a
single hole with any organic material because most of your
plants when you buy them already have good soil in them,
and so there's no reason to.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Amend a single hole.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Uh, you want to amend the attired garden bed if
you do any kind of soil amendment, and then that
way it is spaced throughout where all the roots grow.
If you amend a single hole, what's going to happen
is that the tree is going to send out new
roots and it's going to love that new organic material
and it's going to keep on growing. And then either
(26:19):
with the warmer temperatures or if you put fertilizer down again,
it's going to go through another gross spurt and it's
going to send the roots out more and it's going
to hit that sugar sand. Most likely it's not going
to like it, and it's going to turn back into
the good organic soil and it will literally, over the
next couple of years girdle itself. So you want to
(26:39):
while the plants in shock, go ahead and amend your
soil bed. You want to use one bag of top soil,
one bag of compost, one bag of manure black calminure
for every ten square feet of property, and then you
just mix it all up and incorporate it. Then you
plant your plant, and then while it's in shock, it's
going to send those new roots out and it's going
(27:01):
to be in the soil that is there, and then
when it goes to another gros spurt, it's just it's
going to be the same soil. So it's going to
continue to expand out into the garden bed. If you
amend a single hole, the chances of you girdling your
plant and it dying. Have you ever seen I don't
know in your yard, but I've seen in landscapes where
(27:21):
after two to three years you pull the azalea up
and it's still in the same root ball as what
it was planted.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Oh, it happens more often because we have a lot
of sand. I mean, we're Florida. We have a lot
of sand on our property alone. And it's like, I'm like,
it didn't make sense, it didn't make sense. So yeah,
that makes sense now that you've.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Yeah, so it doesn't it didn't it One, you didn't
probably stimulate it, you know, open up that root ball
a little bit. And then two, so when you add
the organic amendments, it's going to kind of stay in
that area. So amend the entire garden bed, not a
single hole, and that'll save you some some time and
it'll save your plants and that'll be great, all right.
(28:00):
So also too, we want to thank Tom for calling
in this morning. It's always great to talk with him,
and we do appreciate him, and I appreciate him. He's
going to be filling in for me. So yes, I'm
very excited when we go on these wonderful garden tours.
If you would like to hear more about our garden tours,
we would love for you to come with us. Go
to Art and bloomgardentours dot com. We're going to some
(28:22):
beautiful places this year and we're very excited about it.
And we have small groups, beautiful accommodations, delicious food, and.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
We just have a great time.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
I mean, I know, you know, I know that everybody
sees Teresa as a rockstar, which she is, but she
does like to keep it to smaller groups.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Yeah, yes it does, you know, But I just want
to be able to talk to everybody and get to
know everybody, yes, and then talk about our gardens because
when we go, I will let you.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Know what we'll grow in Florida.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
And you know, the color combinations you see are all exciting.
But that's how I found out some of my plants
that are great for Florida. I saw them in Scotland
and Ireland and you know up in Canada, and I'm going,
this will grow great in Florida. Why didn't I know
about this?
Speaker 2 (29:09):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
And you know you're also passing that knowledge onto those
who go on the tour.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
So where do they go?
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Because they need to know the cost, They need to
know that there's possible waiting lists, and they need to
make sure that they've got their their passport to.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Their passport too.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
If if you want to go to the international tours,
they can go to art and bloomgardentours dot com. And
so right now you can go ahead and well just
your container gardens, get them all prepared for springtime. If
you haven't replenished the soil, it's gonna have. You'll see
your containers, the soil and the containers go down and
down and down and down. And that's because plants eat soil.
(29:45):
They don't eat fertilizer. You know, if I was to
give Tony a plate of fertilizer, you know, plate of vitamins,
because that's what.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
You're basically to jail.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Yeah, no, he would not be a happy camper. And
so you know the vitamins that are very important for plants,
but they get nutrition from the soil when the fertilizers
break down and it's absorbed by the plants.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
So that's important.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Great time to start composting leaves. The oak trees are
going to be dropping their leaves again, so it's a
great time to use those composts. You know, those leaves
in your compost. If it's Saturday morning, you're listening to
Better Lawns and Gardens. Thank you to Annie morton hostlink
dot com and Tom MCCOBBN appreciate them, and Lizzie thank
you for all you do.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Thank you for our listeners, those that have called in,
those that didn't want to speak on air, we still
I'll relay the message. So everyone for you guys, well,
you know what, we wouldn't have such a good time from.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
The Summit Responsible Solutions Studios. This is Florida's talk and
entertainment network.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
You can always go back and recap any of the
shows at Better Lawns dot com and also check out
the Facebook and social media pages, which is Better Lawns
and Gardens.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Welcome back to Better Lawns and Gardens. And I went
right through. I was so interested in my letting you
know what kind of soil conditions you have, that I
forgot about the dirty word of the day.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
So let's do it right now. Let's do the dirty
word of the day. And now it's time for the
dirty word of the Day on Better Lawns and Gardens
with Teresa Watkins.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
And the dirty word of the day is California flory
califlory calliflory. It is a botanical phenomenon in which plants
produce flowers and fruits directly from their main stems or
woody trucks, rather than from new growth or shoots. And
so the word comes from Collie meet collis meaning stem
(31:59):
and flory from the word flour, and the tray is
uncommon in temperate regions, but very common in tropical forests.
One widely discussed hypothesis for the evolution of califfery califfery
thank you is that it facilitates pollination or deed seed
(32:19):
dispersal by animals such as bats, which can climb on
trunks and sturdy limbs to excess nectar and fruit. Certain
species may instead bear fruit that falls from the canopy
and matures only upon reaching the ground. Additional theories include
competitive dynamics for sugars and minerals between flowers and young leaves,
(32:41):
as well as mechanical support for larger floral structures and fruits.
Examples of cliffery cacao trees, showy bottle brush, umbrella plant,
the chefflorers, starfruit, jackfruit, coffee, arabica, cannonball tree, Haaya, the
eastern red bud fig species, and Durian, which is the
(33:06):
king of fruits. Califfery provides several advantages. Pollination. Flowers are
accessible to climbing mammals, bats and birds, seed dispersal fruits
are easier for animals to reach, increasing the likelihood of
spreading seeds away from the parent tree and adaptation to environment.
(33:27):
In dense tropical forests, flowers on trunks are more visible
and reachable than those in the canopy. So the dirty
word of the day is califfery.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Set it correctly.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
At the end of the thank you so much that
we are going to take your phone calls one triple
eight four five five two nine sixty seven, or you
can text two three six eight zero. Let's go, Linda.
We're glad you're up and running again. So thank you
very much for letting us know. We wanted to make
sure you could hear us. So greetings from Melbourne Beach.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
This is Buffalo. Good morning.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
My avocado tree, papaya, my guava tree, and my bananas
suffered terribly. Some of my bananas have started sprouting out
green again, and I'm not worried about the ones that
have the big, big root systems grown.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Those will regrow.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
I'm mostly worried about my avocado tree that does not
have one green leaf on it. I don't see green
buds at the top. Should I cut those back or
what should I do? The same with aguava, which is
as much smaller tree. Everything in here, everything here in
Melbourne Beach suffered terribly. I guess that's what we call
the Florida fall, when the leaves turn. I had a
(34:35):
beautiful cheffle or tree that has lost every leaf, and
I see some green sprouts at the tips, and I
lost all the shade in my back porch. Will those
come back? Thank you very much? Well, Buffalo, I will
tell you I think it will be just fine. I'm
concerned about your avocado tree. But what I need you
to do is start at the highest level that you
can reach, and again, scrape that outer layer of bark
(35:00):
to where if you see green. If you see green,
then the tree's going to recover. Scrape until if it's brown,
keep scraping back and it will probably come back, you know,
probably just right above the main trunk. So you may
have to cut it back some. But I would find
that green first before, and that'll tell you where you
need to cut. Okay, your guavtree, I would do the
(35:23):
same thing too. It may come back, Okay, might not,
but it should come back, and then everything else your scheffler.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
Will be just fine.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Just go ahead and cut the shuffler right down to
where you can keep it as a tree.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Cut it back as much as you can.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Go ahead and scrape and find the green area, and
it should come back.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
So it's not going to be too bad.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Just take a deep breath, Buffalo, we will recover good
morning treesaid Lizzie, I don't really have a lot of plants,
but I would like to grow some cherry tomatoes in
a container and wonder which ones are best. I'm in
a courtyard villa and I have no grass. My bushes
came through the freeze.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
I just enjoyed listening to the program and I learned
a lot. Last time I asked a question, it was
can I grow a tree in a pot?
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Was told yes, as long as every so.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
Often I pull it up and trim the roots so
it doesn't become pot bound. Are peach trees feasible to
grow in a pot? And what kind of cherry tomatoes
are the best? Thank you Teres for your advice. Instens, Well,
I appreciate you texting, and so yes, you can grow
your peach tree in a pot in a container. Just
think of Spain and in the courtyards they have all
(36:37):
those fruit trees growing in containers. So you want to
make sure you've got a good sized container so that
you have enough room for a good sized root ball.
So I would say anything from fifteen to twenty five
gallon Okay, pot that you can put into your patio
area or outside in your patio area and it should
(36:59):
do just fine. You want to make sure that you're
cutting it correctly at the right time of the year
and you're fertilizing. Okay, so that would be fine. But
it's got to get enough sunlight in your courtyard.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
That's gonna be the one thing that I'm concerned about
is how much sunlight you get.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Now.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Your cherry tomatoes sweet millions are wonderful. You can do
black night are the darker ones. There's so many different
varieties of cherry tomatoes, including the Everglades cherry tomato, which
has fruit all year round. So there's so many different
varieties sweet one hundred, You've got the sweet million, and
(37:36):
then you've got million, all kinds of really great cherry tomatoes.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
So I'm gonna have to look to see what I got.
And because I'm not a big cherry tomato fan, because
they just I haven't really found too many that are
actually sweet. So but I was going by the name
it said.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Sweet million, sweet million, try those. And then there's also
the sweet one hundred, so you can grow those. So
let us know how you do with your your container
pot and your tomatoes. Thank you for texting one triple
eight four five five, two nine sixty seven, or you
can text two three six eight zero. So what can
you be doing right now in your yard? Well, I
(38:13):
just kind of want you to focus. If you're growing
deciduous fruit trees like your apples, your peaches, your pears,
your nectarines, your plums, you need to prune those now
so that they can go ahead and get their new
growth going and produce flowers for the springtime. You want
to make sure you're cutting your peach tree so that
it's in a vase shape. Keep the peach trees and
(38:36):
nectarines at a height that you can see across. That's
going to enable you to harvest the peaches and the
nectarines reasonably and you'll get more.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
So the vase shape just.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
Think of a champagne glass, the old fashioned cocktail glass,
and you want to have where the interior kind of cups,
and that's going to be the best wave for air circulation.
You Also, it's an open center. It's called face shape.
If you need to have a publication on it, just
send me an email and I'll send you a publication
(39:10):
on it. It's okay to prune your deciduous trees and
fruits right now. Go ahead and do it. This Saturday morning.
You're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm Teresa Watkins
and this is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Network
Good morning, Welcome back to the second hour of Better
Lawns and Gardens from the Summit Responsible Solution Studios. I'm
Teresa Watkins. I'm a garden designer, landscape designer, horticulturist, garden author.
I just love taking care of plants and helping people
with their plant questions, just walking through and just seeing
(00:30):
how beautiful the world can be with a beautiful landscape.
So we love to talk with you. If you have
your garden questions we have You can call in with
your garden questions one triple eight four five five, two
nine sixty seven, or you can text two three six
eight zero.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
We have a wonderful interview coming up.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
I'm very excited about this product and I just I
can't wait to talk about it because it's it's exciting.
But I did want to remind everyone that we are
in a drought period right now, and what that means
is that we're not getting rainfall even in the springtime.
(01:09):
In the winter, which is supposed to be our dry period,
it's even drier than normal and that's not a good thing.
So there is a burn band throughout most of the
state of Florida.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
You do not want to be burning.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Anything because everything will catch fire very easily, and we
want to prevent forest fires. So there is a burn
band going on right now. Now, what does it mean
when we're in a drought. Does that mean gosh, I
got a water more? No, We're going to get some
really good rain tomorrow. That should be all we need
for the week. In fact, if you wanted to water
(01:41):
just once a week, if no rainfall for the entire year,
that's all we need to water. You do not have
to water every couple of days, three times a week,
or every day. If you're doing that, one you're wasting
a lot of money, and two you're hurting your own
landscape because as we go through these droughts, the landscapes
(02:02):
that are watered most often and most in depth, they
are going to be the ones that die first.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Okay. So the more you water, the shorter root.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
System your plants will have and they will not be
able to handle a dry period.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
So when we are in droughts, it doesn't matter if
it's native or non native. We have our native xeric
plants that handle dry sandy conditions like you have in
Lake County and Clearmont parts of Central Orlando. But then
we also have our mesic soils, which have really good
earthworms in them, lots of organic material. If you have earthworms,
(02:43):
you have mesic soils. And what that means is that
your soil has moisture and organic material, not too much
because worms can't swim, but just enough to keep, you know,
hold on to the water just a little bit longer.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
And then we have our hydrich soils.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
These are soils next to lakefronts and shallow areas, compacted
areas that have a claypan soil like that there's no
percolation of the water, and those are really wet soils.
And so, you know, to determine what you have, what
kind of soil you have, you want to go out
(03:21):
to the yard to the area you want to plant
in and dig down about you know, five to six
inches and put the soil in your hand. Now you
want to do this forty eight hours after rainfall or
after irrigation. So if we get rain Sunday and Monday Wednesday,
(03:42):
go out to your yard, put some soil in your hand,
five or six inches down under the ground. Put it
in your hand and squeeze it. If after forty eight
hours you could open your hand back up and the
sand is warm and it just filters right through your hand,
doesn't make a mound, it just filters right through.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Then you have.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Xeric soils, very sandy soils. You need to buy plants
and install plants that can handle those conditions. If after
forty eight hours you squeeze your hand and open it
back up and it makes a little mound, you know,
it's shaped like your fingers, and you see little twigs
in it. It's dark brown, you see a little bit
of bark in it.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Some dark soil.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Those are music soils, and so you know to have
plants that can handle those conditions.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Then after forty eight hours, if you can squeeze your.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Hand and still get moisture or feel the dampness in
the soil after forty eight hours, then you have hydric soils.
You need to buy plants that can handle wet conditions.
All right, So that's a really easy way to do this,
and so just check your soils.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
That way.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
We should plant so that we can our plants and
our landscapes are based just on rainfall. We don't want
them to uh to be in a situation where we
have to water them to keep them, you know, healthy
and thrive. Lizzy, do you like to lug the irrigation
hose around your turkeys in your yard?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Absolutely? Love it? Do you? I don't? I thought you
do so annoying. It is annoying.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
The hoses are so heavy, aren't they and you're dragging them,
and then after a while they start to get deteriorate
and degrade and they get stiff.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
I am so angry. I just had to throw out
like one hundred and fifty dollars hose because I didn't
plan ahead when we had the freeze, and so yeah,
it got a huge crack in it. Oh my good
looking at it now. Yes, I could have actually cut
it and redone it. But you know what, I'm that
pain How what's going on in life? Yeah? That's out
the door, so yes.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
No, okay, yeah, so lugging the it's it's annoying.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
In my front yard.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
I do not like to lug around the thing because
you have to lug them around plants, and then you
it lays on top of the plant and it breaks
the shrubs, and then then you have to pull it
back in and roll it back up again and throw
it underneath the house.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
And you know it's just I.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Just like you've been at my house before.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, we have a product that we're going to be
talking about with Annie Morton. She is with host Link
and it is incredible, it's beautiful, it can go anywhere,
and I just can't wait to talk.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
To about it. So we are going to be back.
Did I miss the dirty word of the day? You
sure enough? Then we'll have to do that at the
bottom of the half hour. Okay, the dirty word of
the day will be at the half hour.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
If it's Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens,
I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's talk and entertainment network,
(07:08):
and welcome back to Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm Teresa Watkins.
Since joining hose Link in twenty twenty, Annie Morton has
been a key contributor to the company. She leverages her
expertise in gardening, sustainability and her appreciation for the natural environment.
She has comprehensive experience across product development, customer service, and marketing.
(07:30):
So this diverse background enables Annie to provide valuable insights
into hose links impact on how quality tools can have
on both effective gardening and overall lifestyle enjoyment. So I
so appreciate Annie coming on. I saw this product this
week and I said, you have to come on and
tell us about it because it's so exciting.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Annie Morton, good morning, How are you?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Good morning? Thank you so much for having me. I'm wonderful.
It's nice to join you.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
So despite vital conservation efforts and water restrictions around Florida,
there are still reasons homeowners need to hand water their landscapes,
particularly when caring for new plants, containers, and hanging baskets.
So Annie, what challenges do residents face with hoses, irrigation systems,
and hoa's.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
When dealing with manual watering?
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Yeah? Look, water, Your restrictions are really challenging as a homeowner,
aren't they? But I also think they're a bit of
a nice reminder of our obligation to be good citizens
and to be really mindful of our resources. So normally
I think, you know, we think of sprinklers and irrigation
systems as being time savers, which they certainly can be.
But while we've got all these restrictions in place, we
(08:46):
actually just need to really focus on getting right to
the root of what needs water the most, and so
handwatering really comes in as kind of the savior on
the spot there, so that we can really target plants,
get right in at the bay with our hand watering
as opposed to kind of dispersing a huge amount of
water through the air, you know, our sprinkler systems and
(09:07):
what not, right, and it.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Just transpires and it's wasted really when it goes through
the air.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Exactly. The last thing we want to be doing is
you know, we've got this tiny amount of water to
use right now, we really want to make sure it's
going where it needs to go. And also hand watering
also lets us get up nice and close to our
plants and really identify any extra stresses or diseases that
are happening as well. So you kind of you get
a bit of a two for one benefit with hand
watering at the moment.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Oh, I so appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
I have a client who we just installed a new
landscape for and he likes to go out there and
water the plants and that's what he does.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
And you know, I said, enjoy it, and he does.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
He goes out there for you know, twenty minutes and
water is the plants, and he kind of meditates and
you know he really appreciates the landscape a little bit
more so, So tell me.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
We hear that a lot with people. There are a
lot of coffee cups dispersed through the garden where people
are going through doing their morning watering and kind of
enjoying that meditative property. And before you know what, you
watch a week worth of coffee mugs out there.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
That is that's so true.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
So your product is called it evolved. So how did
the Evolve irrigation series evolve? See what I did there?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I see you.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
So so hoad Link is actually an Australian company and
growing up in Australia, we experience these water restrictions every
single year. You know, this is everything that people are
experiencing Florida at the moment. This is kind of an
every summer situation. So it's a really natural progression for
our products to consider how we can best conserve water.
(10:39):
So with Evolve, I think we've managed to strike a
really nice balance between making sure that there's still a
really strong and consistent slow But the real one of
the real water saving up upgrades is actually the quick
connect fittings that we use, so instead of a click
on style, which if you've used a click on style
fitting with a strong water pressure, you'll see sometimes they
(11:01):
just come off and all of a sudden you're gushing
water everywhere and it's hugely wastefall and your water bills
going through the roof. So our fittings actually have a
bayonet style connection, so it's completely water tight, impossible to burst,
and it actually saves you thousands of gallons of water
each year sorry, just in terms of just a regular
(11:23):
drip or a leak. So you've got huge water saving
benefits of that. And then there's another piece. So all
of our all of our R and D has gone
into evolve and so what you've got is that strong
water flow, a user friendly design, but also it's you've stabilized.
So with that, it's also is going to withstand the
sun because obviously if we're not getting if we're not
(11:44):
getting rain, we are getting a lot of sun, that's true,
and so we're not just addressing the need to conserve water,
we're also making sure that the hose is wrapped up
in a nice kind of protective casing so that the
entire product is designed to last for year and years.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I am so glad that you say that, because our
hose do break down. They do degrade in our heat
and it doesn't take long. And so from Australia, I
can tell your accent from Australia, and so they are
very They're number one in conservation. They're just really really
progressive in that in that respect. So there are plants,
(12:21):
the conservation plants. They are just incredible. They do well
here in Florida to as well. So what hose lengths
are available?
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Sure things. So we have we have a couple of
different models of retractable hose reel. So if you were
in say a townhouse, then we have a fifty foot
retractable model, and it goes all the way up to
one hundred foot retractable model. So whatever size property you're on,
you can absolutely enjoy the convenience of a retractable hose reel.
It is I don't want to say it'll change your life,
(12:55):
but at the same time, that's what our customers have
told us. It feels like hyperbole, but it truly kind
of makes a chore something that's actually quite enjoyable.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I so agree with you, and I will tell you
I appreciate the accessibility of the hose and for home
owners young and old, this is a very easy way
to get out in the garden and hand water. But
I'm also very impressed by its elegant design. That's what
caught me right away. I love the design. It's very
classy and it will look good on your patio or
(13:27):
your pool area.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Yeah. Look, I think we wanted to make sure that
we're creating a solution and not another problem. I think,
you know, hoses can be such an eye though where
they are you know, tangled up around a cart or
in a bit of a mess of a pile on
the ground. I think, you know, we really want to
make sure that whilst we're offering this convenience, it also
(13:50):
it needs to look good. I think we're working so
hard on our yards and our gardens to make sure
that they're they're beautiful, they're calming, they're pleasing, and so
this product it's you know, we're not trying to add
not trying to add another mess to a landscape. Sure,
the idea is that it tidies itself away. It's got
a beautiful, smooth, sleek casing and we've got two colorwaves,
(14:13):
Beiji and charcoal, but both of which are quite neutral,
so they can really blend in with your yard to
keep everything kind of intact, to keep the aesthetic that
you've designed for your home, to keep that intact.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
And this is what's nice about it is that it's
kind of like hoa friendly.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
Oh incredibly, so you know you are never going to
get dings for leaving your hose out on your yard
because one little tug and the entire thing retracts smoothly
back into the casing. So in that case, you know
it's hoa friendly. It gets through to tripping hazards in
your yard. You'll never have to wonder is that a
hose or is that a snake.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
That's always a good selling point exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
So, now the traditional irrigation hoses, as they last four
or five years, how long can you expect the evolved
retractable hose to work. Is it difficult to replace it
if it needs replaced.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
No, So we've actually made evolve very very easy to
work with and for it to last a very long time.
So in terms of that retraction mechanism, you can honestly
expect say about twenty five years worth of daily watering.
So that spring loaded retraction is tested for ten thousand,
ten thousand retractions, So that's twenty five years of daily use. Wow,
(15:31):
which is we are just so proud of. Sure, I'm
so proud of that. And then another couple of really
nice pieces. It comes with a five year warranty, which
again that's the longest warranty we've ever been able to
offer us on one of our host products, and also
has some replaceable parts as well, so it's actually the
only retractable in the market where if something was to
happen with your host for whatever reason you I think,
(15:51):
life happens, right, Sometimes a dog thinks it's a true toy.
Sometimes you should retract it, but you didn't, and then
someone goes over it with Lawnolla. Now if that happens,
we can replace the actual hose. So the product itself
is actually incredibly sustainable and really really serviceable. So in
(16:12):
that sense, it really can last years and years and years,
as opposed to, like, as you said, those traditional hoses
that you're getting from your big box store leaving out
in the sun and you know, cracking from the heat
and then you get you get that freak freeze that
comes through. Sure everything's just protected within that casing, so
it's really it's tucked away out of the element. So
(16:33):
you're extending the life of your host just by having
it sitting there in the casing. And then on top
of that all of those durable features that we've designed
into the product as well, so you truly you are
looking at about a lifetime of watering out of this well.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
That that's so good to hear. And I like the
five year warranty that that's important. Now, Annie, so let's
talk about price, because something that's quality isn't always cheap.
But tell us about the price, and is it a kid?
Do you buy all of it?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
And one? So how much does it cost?
Speaker 4 (17:06):
Sure things? So look, I'm not going to tell you
it's the cheapest piece of watering equipment on the market,
but I will say it's a oneful investment. So our
retractable hose reels all come into everything that you need
to get started. So that is the casing, the hose, sorry,
the mounting bracket and hardware, spray nozzle and quick connect fittings.
(17:27):
So it is it is truly and all in one.
And that's for our revolved series hose reels. They come
in at two hundred and ninety nine dollars. So what
we find is that, you know, people start with one
because they want to change it out, and then truly
within weeks they get another one well and not the
other because they're like, well, how did I do this?
(17:48):
Why did I deal with this previously? Why did I
deal with manually winding up my hoses? And before you
know it, there's one out the back, there's one out
the front, and come Christmas time there's one for the
kids or one for their pets.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Sure right, Actually add up the cost of a good
sturdy hose, it doesn't kink and doesn't like the sun
damage and rot here in the state of Florida, and
then the quick connects like the brass ones. If you
add that all up, you're actually in my opinion is
that you're getting a better price and a better quality
(18:19):
set up with them.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yes, that the evolved series. That is so true.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
So so Annie, thank you so much for coming on.
What where can people see this product? It's gorgeous. I
love it and definitely going to invest in it for
our yard, But where can people see the video and things?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Sure thing I had to www dot hoselink dot com
and you can find all of the details there. You
can also find us on social so Instagram and Facebook
at hostlink USA. But for everything you need just jump
on the website and any questions, We've got a wonderfully
friendly customer service team here in the US as well,
so always do not hesitate to reach out to us
(19:00):
any questions.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Well, Annie, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
I will also be posting it on our Facebook page
and in my newsletter, so you'll be able to get
it from there too as well. Annie, thank you so
much for reaching out from down under.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Thank you so much for having me all right, Annie.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
That's hoselink dot com. And it's just beautiful. I can
see this for use in pools, patios, small front yards,
h o as and uh and and just the just the.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Turkey runs, Turkey runs there you go.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Thank you so much, Annie Morton for with hostlink dot com.
If it's Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Logs and Gardens,
I'm Teresa Watkins. The Dirty Word of the Day is next.
This is Florida's talk and Entertainment network. Welcome back to
(20:00):
Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm Teresa Watkins, and we're taking
your phone calls one triple eight four five five two
nine sixty seven one triple eight four five five two
nine sixty seven, or you can text two three six
eight zero and we can answer your gardening questions. I
want to remind everyone that the Seminole County Expo is
(20:22):
going on today from nine a m.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Until three pm.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Lots of things to do for the children's activities, lots
of scavenger hunts and educational workshops, and even the museum
is free today to go into open for everyone. They'll
have somebody there, a historical docent there, and then also
do lots of talks on bees and native plants. I
(20:47):
will be doing a talk at ten thirty on landscape design,
designing your dream landscape. I look forward to seeing everyone
and giving you all my little tips and some great photos.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
I have a question, sure, when do we need to
plant potatoes or and or do we need to start
them so they have the eyes? What do we need
to do?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Well, you can take them and let them dry out
a little bit, you know, so that and then when
you can plant them. Uh, Usually potatoes are planted in
the fall late summer and fall. But you can go
ahead and plant a midsummer too as well and just
let them grow in the ground.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Okay, even potato bags. I like the potato bags.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Okay, yeah, you bought me one, and that's those.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Are really cool. Yeah, we don't want to get.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
It dirty though. I keep looking at like it's so pretty.
It has its own little what's that called that the
pajamas that had.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
The little the diaper bottom. Yeah, they get the trap
trap shoot or whatever.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
The trap door where you can open it up without
taking all the plants out of it.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yes, but yeah, that's you know. So I was wondering
because I see that in a box store that they
have a bag of them for like ten twelve bucks.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
There's like four in there.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
I'm going, wow, potatoes are so expensive when it's so
easy to grow your own.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Yeah, I agree that.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
And the corn is the time for corn, if you
will like the midsummer corn and corn for picnics. Now
it is the time to plant.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
It, okay, seeds or yeah, like I mean, you go
ahead and get through your seeds and the brown right now.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Right seeds right now is fine? So one triple eight, four, five, five,
two nine, sixty seven, or you can text two three
eight two three six eight zero and I would love
to answer your gardening questions right now. You can be
also two perennials. Your plants that are dead, they may
(22:38):
not be so dead, you know, just again, like Tom
McCubbin said earlier, depends on how patient you want to be.
All right, So we are gonna have that little cold
front come through on Monday.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
We're used to it.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
You know.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
If your plants haven't been cut, they will handle it
just fine because they haven't had any new growth stimulation.
But I'm really surprised to see the new growth. Like
crinum lilies quyum lilies got really damaged, and they already
three days after the freeze, they were already starting to
shoot up new plants.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
It's great and it's crazy because it's like this freeze
like turn a lot of my plants that end up
getting hit that still had covered, but turn them into mush.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Then I look down into the soil and they've got
a pretty little green flower leaf coming up, and I'm going, what.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Do you know, what's blooming beautifully in my yard right now?
Speaker 2 (23:27):
I must have I should have.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I'll send to show you pictures my amarillas, all the
orange red red orange flowers. They're all blooming like we
didn't have any in any winter, you know, and they're
they're just beautiful right now, Amrylla's and they're blooming gorgeous
and like they didn't even experience nice the wintertime nice.
And I'm just really I was really surprised. I walked
(23:49):
out my yard and go, whoa, those are already blooming.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
And so because you know, we started Lent and Easter
is gonna be right here around the corner.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
This is true.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
What do you do for Easter?
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Absolutely nothing.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
You don't do anything.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
I mean, I it's so crazy because.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
The kids, the kids are too big.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Yeah it's it's yeah, they're just too big. And then
they have their own families that they do their own stuff.
So we do a little Easter story and we talk
about Jesus and the resurrection, and but yeah we don't
that isn't really are a big thing. Our big thing
is the fall and Christmas.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
I agree with you. I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I just remember getting all dressed up and the little
white gloves and a little dressed with the bows, and.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
Well, I have a grand niece in Seattle, Washington, and
so I found at Cracker Barrel they had cute little
bunny the little shoes, the dress shoes, they had the
little bunnies on them. So I've got a cute dress
to go with it. And oh how cool is that?
Speaker 1 (24:53):
We used to when we dressed like that. My dad
would take us the three oldest because that's all there
was at the time, just Viper's gardens, and we would
get our photographs taken in cypress gardens and it was
just lovely. So point setia is if your points setia
made it through the freeze, you can go ahead and
put it out in the landscape. Now if you brought
it in, that will be great. I want to hear
(25:15):
from the guy who had the five foot tall coconut
tree on the coast. Remember he called in and said
he had a five foot tall coconut tree.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
What did you do with your cocona tree?
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Because I told him very seriously to dig it up
and bring it into the garage, And I wonder if
he did that. Uh, so you can take it now
out of the garage and put it back in the yard.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
You do, okay, So what is case? So he takes
it out after Monday, take it out. Does he need
to put anything in the ground, and what do you
need to do to make it re established?
Speaker 1 (25:47):
You don't want to You don't want to fill a
single hole with any organic material because most of your
plants when you buy them already have good soil in them,
and so there's no reason to.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Amend a single hole.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Uh, you want to amend the attired garden bed if
you do any kind of soil amendment, and then that
way it is spaced throughout where all the roots grow.
If you amend a single hole, what's going to happen
is that the tree is going to send out new
roots and it's going to love that new organic material
and it's going to keep on growing. And then either
(26:19):
with the warmer temperatures or if you put fertilizer down again,
it's going to go through another gross spurt and it's
going to send the roots out more and it's going
to hit that sugar sand. Most likely it's not going
to like it, and it's going to turn back into
the good organic soil and it will literally, over the
next couple of years girdle itself. So you want to
(26:39):
while the plants in shock, go ahead and amend your
soil bed. You want to use one bag of top soil,
one bag of compost, one bag of manure black calminure
for every ten square feet of property, and then you
just mix it all up and incorporate it. Then you
plant your plant, and then while it's in shock, it's
going to send those new roots out and it's going
(27:01):
to be in the soil that is there, and then
when it goes to another gros spurt, it's just it's
going to be the same soil. So it's going to
continue to expand out into the garden bed. If you
amend a single hole, the chances of you girdling your
plant and it dying. Have you ever seen I don't
know in your yard, but I've seen in landscapes where
(27:21):
after two to three years you pull the azalea up
and it's still in the same root ball as what
it was planted.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Oh, it happens more often because we have a lot
of sand. I mean, we're Florida. We have a lot
of sand on our property alone. And it's like, I'm like,
it didn't make sense, it didn't make sense. So yeah,
that makes sense now that you've.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Yeah, so it doesn't it didn't it One, you didn't
probably stimulate it, you know, open up that root ball
a little bit. And then two, so when you add
the organic amendments, it's going to kind of stay in
that area. So amend the entire garden bed, not a
single hole, and that'll save you some some time and
it'll save your plants and that'll be great, all right.
(28:00):
So also too, we want to thank Tom for calling
in this morning. It's always great to talk with him,
and we do appreciate him, and I appreciate him. He's
going to be filling in for me. So yes, I'm
very excited when we go on these wonderful garden tours.
If you would like to hear more about our garden tours,
we would love for you to come with us. Go
to Art and bloomgardentours dot com. We're going to some
(28:22):
beautiful places this year and we're very excited about it.
And we have small groups, beautiful accommodations, delicious food, and.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
We just have a great time.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
I mean, I know, you know, I know that everybody
sees Teresa as a rockstar, which she is, but she
does like to keep it to smaller groups.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Yeah, yes it does, you know, But I just want
to be able to talk to everybody and get to
know everybody, yes, and then talk about our gardens because
when we go, I will let you.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Know what we'll grow in Florida.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
And you know, the color combinations you see are all exciting.
But that's how I found out some of my plants
that are great for Florida. I saw them in Scotland
and Ireland and you know up in Canada, and I'm going,
this will grow great in Florida. Why didn't I know
about this?
Speaker 2 (29:09):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
And you know you're also passing that knowledge onto those
who go on the tour.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
So where do they go?
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Because they need to know the cost, They need to
know that there's possible waiting lists, and they need to
make sure that they've got their their passport to.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Their passport too.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
If if you want to go to the international tours,
they can go to art and bloomgardentours dot com. And
so right now you can go ahead and well just
your container gardens, get them all prepared for springtime. If
you haven't replenished the soil, it's gonna have. You'll see
your containers, the soil and the containers go down and
down and down and down. And that's because plants eat soil.
(29:45):
They don't eat fertilizer. You know, if I was to
give Tony a plate of fertilizer, you know, plate of vitamins,
because that's what.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
You're basically to jail.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Yeah, no, he would not be a happy camper. And
so you know the vitamins that are very important for plants,
but they get nutrition from the soil when the fertilizers
break down and it's absorbed by the plants.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
So that's important.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Great time to start composting leaves. The oak trees are
going to be dropping their leaves again, so it's a
great time to use those composts. You know, those leaves
in your compost. If it's Saturday morning, you're listening to
Better Lawns and Gardens. Thank you to Annie morton hostlink
dot com and Tom MCCOBBN appreciate them, and Lizzie thank
you for all you do.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Thank you for our listeners, those that have called in,
those that didn't want to speak on air, we still
I'll relay the message. So everyone for you guys, well,
you know what, we wouldn't have such a good time from.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
The Summit Responsible Solutions Studios. This is Florida's talk and
entertainment network.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
You can always go back and recap any of the
shows at Better Lawns dot com and also check out
the Facebook and social media pages, which is Better Lawns
and Gardens.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Welcome back to Better Lawns and Gardens. And I went
right through. I was so interested in my letting you
know what kind of soil conditions you have, that I
forgot about the dirty word of the day.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
So let's do it right now. Let's do the dirty
word of the day. And now it's time for the
dirty word of the Day on Better Lawns and Gardens
with Teresa Watkins.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
And the dirty word of the day is California flory
califlory calliflory. It is a botanical phenomenon in which plants
produce flowers and fruits directly from their main stems or
woody trucks, rather than from new growth or shoots. And
so the word comes from Collie meet collis meaning stem
(31:59):
and flory from the word flour, and the tray is
uncommon in temperate regions, but very common in tropical forests.
One widely discussed hypothesis for the evolution of califfery califfery
thank you is that it facilitates pollination or deed seed
(32:19):
dispersal by animals such as bats, which can climb on
trunks and sturdy limbs to excess nectar and fruit. Certain
species may instead bear fruit that falls from the canopy
and matures only upon reaching the ground. Additional theories include
competitive dynamics for sugars and minerals between flowers and young leaves,
(32:41):
as well as mechanical support for larger floral structures and fruits.
Examples of cliffery cacao trees, showy bottle brush, umbrella plant,
the chefflorers, starfruit, jackfruit, coffee, arabica, cannonball tree, Haaya, the
eastern red bud fig species, and Durian, which is the
(33:06):
king of fruits. Califfery provides several advantages. Pollination. Flowers are
accessible to climbing mammals, bats and birds, seed dispersal fruits
are easier for animals to reach, increasing the likelihood of
spreading seeds away from the parent tree and adaptation to environment.
(33:27):
In dense tropical forests, flowers on trunks are more visible
and reachable than those in the canopy. So the dirty
word of the day is califfery.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Set it correctly.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
At the end of the thank you so much that
we are going to take your phone calls one triple
eight four five five two nine sixty seven, or you
can text two three six eight zero. Let's go, Linda.
We're glad you're up and running again. So thank you
very much for letting us know. We wanted to make
sure you could hear us. So greetings from Melbourne Beach.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
This is Buffalo. Good morning.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
My avocado tree, papaya, my guava tree, and my bananas
suffered terribly. Some of my bananas have started sprouting out
green again, and I'm not worried about the ones that
have the big, big root systems grown.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Those will regrow.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
I'm mostly worried about my avocado tree that does not
have one green leaf on it. I don't see green
buds at the top. Should I cut those back or
what should I do? The same with aguava, which is
as much smaller tree. Everything in here, everything here in
Melbourne Beach suffered terribly. I guess that's what we call
the Florida fall, when the leaves turn. I had a
(34:35):
beautiful cheffle or tree that has lost every leaf, and
I see some green sprouts at the tips, and I
lost all the shade in my back porch. Will those
come back? Thank you very much? Well, Buffalo, I will
tell you I think it will be just fine. I'm
concerned about your avocado tree. But what I need you
to do is start at the highest level that you
can reach, and again, scrape that outer layer of bark
(35:00):
to where if you see green. If you see green,
then the tree's going to recover. Scrape until if it's brown,
keep scraping back and it will probably come back, you know,
probably just right above the main trunk. So you may
have to cut it back some. But I would find
that green first before, and that'll tell you where you
need to cut. Okay, your guavtree, I would do the
(35:23):
same thing too. It may come back, Okay, might not,
but it should come back, and then everything else your scheffler.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
Will be just fine.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Just go ahead and cut the shuffler right down to
where you can keep it as a tree.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Cut it back as much as you can.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Go ahead and scrape and find the green area, and
it should come back.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
So it's not going to be too bad.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Just take a deep breath, Buffalo, we will recover good
morning treesaid Lizzie, I don't really have a lot of plants,
but I would like to grow some cherry tomatoes in
a container and wonder which ones are best. I'm in
a courtyard villa and I have no grass. My bushes
came through the freeze.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
I just enjoyed listening to the program and I learned
a lot. Last time I asked a question, it was
can I grow a tree in a pot?
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Was told yes, as long as every so.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
Often I pull it up and trim the roots so
it doesn't become pot bound. Are peach trees feasible to
grow in a pot? And what kind of cherry tomatoes
are the best? Thank you Teres for your advice. Instens, Well,
I appreciate you texting, and so yes, you can grow
your peach tree in a pot in a container. Just
think of Spain and in the courtyards they have all
(36:37):
those fruit trees growing in containers. So you want to
make sure you've got a good sized container so that
you have enough room for a good sized root ball.
So I would say anything from fifteen to twenty five
gallon Okay, pot that you can put into your patio
area or outside in your patio area and it should
(36:59):
do just fine. You want to make sure that you're
cutting it correctly at the right time of the year
and you're fertilizing. Okay, so that would be fine. But
it's got to get enough sunlight in your courtyard.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
That's gonna be the one thing that I'm concerned about
is how much sunlight you get.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
Now.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Your cherry tomatoes sweet millions are wonderful. You can do
black night are the darker ones. There's so many different
varieties of cherry tomatoes, including the Everglades cherry tomato, which
has fruit all year round. So there's so many different
varieties sweet one hundred, You've got the sweet million, and
(37:36):
then you've got million, all kinds of really great cherry tomatoes.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
So I'm gonna have to look to see what I got.
And because I'm not a big cherry tomato fan, because
they just I haven't really found too many that are
actually sweet. So but I was going by the name
it said.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Sweet million, sweet million, try those. And then there's also
the sweet one hundred, so you can grow those. So
let us know how you do with your your container
pot and your tomatoes. Thank you for texting one triple
eight four five five, two nine sixty seven, or you
can text two three six eight zero. So what can
you be doing right now in your yard? Well, I
(38:13):
just kind of want you to focus. If you're growing
deciduous fruit trees like your apples, your peaches, your pears,
your nectarines, your plums, you need to prune those now
so that they can go ahead and get their new
growth going and produce flowers for the springtime. You want
to make sure you're cutting your peach tree so that
it's in a vase shape. Keep the peach trees and
(38:36):
nectarines at a height that you can see across. That's
going to enable you to harvest the peaches and the
nectarines reasonably and you'll get more.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
So the vase shape just.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
Think of a champagne glass, the old fashioned cocktail glass,
and you want to have where the interior kind of cups,
and that's going to be the best wave for air circulation.
You Also, it's an open center. It's called face shape.
If you need to have a publication on it, just
send me an email and I'll send you a publication
(39:10):
on it. It's okay to prune your deciduous trees and
fruits right now. Go ahead and do it. This Saturday morning.
You're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm Teresa Watkins
and this is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Network
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!