Aster October Skies

After back filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the Aster October Skies a good deep watering. This is not to be rushed. Most of the water you put on the plant at first will run away from the plant until the soil is soaked. A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. For example a one gallon pot would be watered until you count to 5 a three gallon pot would be 15 and so on. Check the plant daily for the first week or so and then every other day there after. Water using the counting method for the first few weeks.

Feeding your plants is probably the single most forgotten part of growing healthy long lasting plants. We recommend feeding your Aster October Skies in the very early spring and again in mid summer after all new growth has hardened off and it begins to set flower buds. Bio-tone starter fertilizer is the best product to use at the time of planting. Our ideal fertilizer schedule for you to use is as follows. Apply an early spring fertilizer with a product such as Espoma Flower-tone at the recommended rate this will give the plant a boost of nitrogen potash that will be needed for healthy foliage and stem growth. Follow this up with another early summer application of Espoma Flower-Tone, this will again provide the necessary nutrients to promote a flush of beautiful flowers. Espoma products are easy to use, just sprinkle around the base of the plant and water it in. Be careful with products such as miracle-grow as these products can burn newly planted plants when not used at the recommended rates. Slow-release fertilizer can help prevent rapid soft growth that is vulnerable to diseases and insects.

We highly recommend that you mulch your Aster October Skies with either a ground hardwood mulch or a ground cypress mulch depending on your local availability. Any type of mulch will do but cypress or hardwood mulch will be of a higher quality and provide better nutrition overall as they breakdown. Mulching helps to keep weeds away which will compete with your new investment for water and nutrients. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch is sufficient but remember to take care not to cover any part of the stem of the plant with mulch. Its better to leave a one inch gap of space between the mulch and the stem or base of the plant.

Remove the old flowers of Aster October Skies as they become brown and unattractive. This procedure, called deadheading, encourages the Aster October Skies plant to produce new flowers, keeping your plant looking attractive throughout the season. Deadheading also prevents Aster October Skies from spreading through your yard, as it can be an effective self-seeder when the dead flowers are allowed to dry completely and go to seed this would cause problems for your garden as the seedlings would not be Aster October Skies. Remove the brown stems and leaves to give your plant a healthier and more attractive appearance. Cut back Aster October Skies to within 6 inches of the ground after it has finished flowering. In colder climates, cut it back as one of the last chores in your garden before the snow flies. In warmer climates, cut it back in the spring before it begins to bud. Cutting back will promote new growth, giving you a healthier plant with stronger stems.
Aster October Skies reliably blooms on the seasons new growth, so prune to the ground during late winter or very early spring before growth starts. Fall pruning, especially in colder climates, can result in a quick flush of new growth that prevents dormancy and makes winter freezes potentially deadly.