July Lawn and Garden Tips

July Lawn & Garden Tips

By:  Scott Welborn, Consumer Horticulture Agent

Grasses

           Fescue goes naturally semi-dormant during extremes of hot and/or dry weather; it can survive 3 weeks without water.  Water only when grass shows signs of wilt (footprints will show when grass is walked on).  If it is extremely hot and dry, your fescue lawn will need some irrigation.  The most effective watering methods is to water to the point of runoff, turn off sprinkler to let water soak in, then   water again, repeating until the root zone (6" deep) is moist.  Unless the water reaches the roots where it is taken up by the plant, you waste both time and water.  Water in early morning or late at night; late afternoon or early evening is the worst time to water as the grass stays wet for a longer time and encourages diseases.

            Warm season grasses such as Bermuda needs to be fertilized during the warm months of the year.  Apply 1 pound of nitrogen each month during the summertime from May to August.  One pound of Nitrogen would equal 10 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer.  Be sure to water it in during dry times.

            DON’T bag grass clippings.  Leave them on the lawn and save 25% on your fertilizer needs for the year.  Clippings take up unnecessary landfill space and can be best disposed of in a home compost bin. (Compost clippings only if you have NOT applied broadleaf weed killer!)

Crape Myrtles

            The beauty of crape myrtles is shown in their color this month.  Prune spent flower blossoms and you’ll prolong the flowering period.  If the leaves appear dark and sooty or almost uniformly charcoal gray, you have sooty mold, the result of an aphid infestation in May/June.  Spray now with horticultural oil or soaps according to label directions.  Next year watch for and treat aphids in May.  Some have problems with powdery mildew.  Use horticultural oils to control mildew.

Evergreens

            Cuttings- July-September are the months to take semi-hardwood cuttings of evergreen shrubs. Remove the leaves from the lower half of cutting and dip in rooting powder. Place in a well drained media in a container that can be placed in a clear plastic bag or set in a cold frame.  Place them out of direct sunlight and keep moist for about 8 weeks or until rooted. (azalea, boxwood, holly, camellia and other evergreen shrubs)

            Bagworms -Handpick the bags. Pesticides are not effective once bags have been produced.

Trees

            Remove suckers and water sprouts from trees.  Do NOT excessively prune trees.  It is too hot!  Some summer pruning can be done to maintain shape and to remove dead and diseases areas.

Watering

            Water plants carefully early in the morning to avoid evaporation.  Trickle or drip irrigation works well for valuable trees and shrubs.  Shade trees may need more water especially if they are in declining health.  Most of the water should be placed at the outer reaches of the root system (the “drip line”) where the small root hairs which take up the soil moisture are located.  When you water a tree, water deeply—apply sufficient water so the soil is quite moist to a depth of at least 8”.

Deadhead

            If you cut off (deadhead) blossoms when they die, then you will prolong the flowering period of the plant.

In The Garden…..

            What to Plant this Month? It’s a little late to be planting but consider second crops of cucumbers and bush beans at this time.  Also begin to plan your fall garden so you can begin planting the middle to late August. 

Yellow Jackets

            These bees can ruin outings until frost. With insect prey (their usual diet)                 becoming scarce, yellow jackets scavenge for other sources of nutrition, especially sweets, e.g. fruits, ice cream, soft drinks.  A dilute solution of ammonia and water (6 oz. of ammonia per gallon of water) sprayed in and around trash cans and sponged onto outdoor tables and food preparation surfaces may help to repel yellow jackets from these areas.  Use household  ammonia, not bleach.  Aerosol sprays that control wasps and hornets work well to control yellow jackets. Carefully locate the nest and use these sprays at dusk or after dark directly in the hole.  Do NOT pour gasoline into a nest.  This can contaminate our ground water. 

March Lawn & Garden Tips

Lawn

Fescue

This is the month that cool season grasses really start to grow. If you haven't already, go ahead and apply your fertilizer. A soil test is the preferred method of determining how much to apply but if you haven't or will not do a soil test, apply 10 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 1000 square feet of lawn space. This will get your lawn off to a good start.

Warm season grasses such as Bermuda and Zoysia need to be fertilized during the warm months of the year. Now is the time to conduct weed control for broadleaf weeds in your warm season grasses.

DON’T bag grass clippings. Leave them on the lawn and save 25% on your fertilizer needs for the year. Clippings take up unnecessary landfill space and can be best disposed of in a home compost bin. (Compost clippings only if you have NOT applied broadleaf weed killer!)

Shrubs

Your shrubbery should be pruned this time of the year. Pruning prior to bud break is the safest pruning method for most shrubs. If you have shrubs that bloom on one year old wood such as Azaleas and Hydrangeas, prune them after they bloom. Now is also a good time to clean up any fallen leaves and debris in your shrub beds to prevent diseases from last year from reappearing.

Fruit Trees

Fruit trees should be pruned prior to bud break. If you are just getting around to it, then you are late! It is still ok to prune but you must to it asap! As your trees bloom, begin spraying with an all purpose orchard spray every two weeks as the flower petals fall from the tree. The first 6 weeks of spraying is critical for a decent fruit crop.

Trees

Remove any dead, diseased or crossing branches from your trees prior to bud break.

In The Garden…..

It's time for that spring garden again! In reality it is best in our area to plant your spring crops as early as March 1st. If you have yet to get around to planting, there is still time to plant early cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, beets, onions and basically any crop that can take a frost and that will be harvested within 60 days or so.

It is also time to begin turning in your cover crops to prepare for your summer planting. In our area we plant around May 1, and you will need the month and a half until then for the cover crops to decompose properly in the soil prior to planting. Now is also a good time to conduct a soil test, as you still have time to get it back prior to summer planting.

Crabgrass

Crabgrass and summer broadleaf weed preventers should be applied while the forsythia is in bloom, but before the dogwoods bloom. This is usually around March 15-April 1. A second pre-emergence treatment should be applied eight weeks after the first to maintain season long control of crabgrass. Pre-emergent herbicides can only be used on established lawns, if you seeded your Tall Fescue lawn this past fall or overseeded this spring you cannot use any pre-emergent herbicides for crabgrass or you will kill/damage your Tall Fescue. If you already have crabgrass above ground these products are useless. A post-emergent herbicide may be applied for control of emerged crabgrass early in the summer.