Gardening Calendar: June/July

(Note: Some tasks from last month can carry over into this month due to the closeness in the season. If you have already performed any of these tasks, enjoy the feeling of having that task complete!)

LAWNS

• In early June, you can still put down Step 2 of our 4-Step Lawn Care Program Fertilome “Weed & Feed”, this is a broadleaf weed killer and fertilizer for those pesky weeds and summer lawn health. Spot spraying can also be done by using a product such as Fertilome Weed Out.  The easiest way is to keep a small 1-2 gallon pump sprayer that is dedicated to a selective lawn herbicide for spraying selective weeds on an as needed basis.
• If you are in mid-late June/July, we recommend applying Milorganite. Milorganite is a slow release nitrogren fertilizer that is non-burning. (It also makes a good deer repellent)
• Bermuda Grass will be in full force this month. This weed is a tough one and you can use HiYield Triclopyr Ester on Bermuda Grass to suppress it’s growth within the lawn. The goal is to regularly spray to keep the Bermuda grass surpressed and applying new grass seed to take it’s place in the late Fall.
• During dry spells, water the lawn deeply. Shallow & quick watering leads to shallow grass roots – a deep and thorough watering of the lawn will encourage deep healthy roots. Water in the morning for best results.
• Most laws are mowed to around a 2″ height. This is actually stressful on lawn grass and contributes to drying out. The preferred height should be 3-4″. Mowing too short will greatly affect the health and appearance of the lawn and does not aid in lessening your mowing interval as much as you think.

TREES & SHRUBS

• Deadhead any faded out blooms on your Roses (especially the re-bloomers such as Knockouts and other shrub roses). Feed in June and again in July with Fertilome Rose Food.
• If you haven’t already, feed your Crape Myrtles with Evergreen’s 11-40-6 Bloom Booster. Need more Crape Myrtle tips? Read more on summer Crape Myrtle care here.
• Azaleas, Rhododendron, & Camellia are heavy feeders that do best with light & more frequent fertilizer applications. We recommend monthly applications of Fertilome Azalea, Rhododedron, Camellia Food during the spring and summer growing season following their flowering.
• For Roses, Azaleas, Holly, and many forms of deciduous shrubs and trees, insects such as Aphids, Lacebug, Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, soft scales, and more begin to infest and graze on the foliage and fluids of these plants. Bonide Annual Tree & Shrub Insect Control. This product is a systemic insecticide that is applied to the soil and root area and taken up by the shrub for a whole year of insect control. No spraying or difficult to apply methods – all you need is a gallon jug! Simply follow the instructions for the shrub or tree size and blend with a gallon of water to apply to the root & dripline area of the tree/shrub.

GENERAL LANDSCAPE

• If you haven’t mulched in at least a year, check your mulch depth and quality. We recommend a 3-4″ mulch layer to help plants retain moisture in the summer heat and suppress weed growth, and to enhance your landscape.
• Weed control can be one of the easiest or often one of the most dreaded forms of gardening tasks for the general landscape. A weed infested landscape negatively affects the appearance of even the best looking landscapes or gardens. Our best advice? Never allow it get out of hand! The longer you let them grow – the strong and more prolific they can get. The easiest way is to keep a pre-mixed solution on hand of an herbicide such as Hi-Yield Kill-Z-All Weed killer. You can buy pre-mixed gallons or keep your own 1-2 gallon sprayer handy and mixed. Then all you need to do is walk through your landscape areas and spot spray small weeds every 1-2 weeks. By keeping up with this regularly, weeds tend to be small enough to not even have to pull after they die.
• Check and re-fill birdbaths frequently. You want to provide water to our featherd friends but long term standing watering is a great mosquito breeding ground! Use a jet stream on your water hose weekly to remove dirt/debris/algae.
• To keep mosquitoes at bay by removing any standing water such as birdbaths or old pots. Keep areas from staying damp or overgrown if possible (overgrown areas also encourage ticks which can carry a variety of diseases).

VEGETABLE GARDENS

• You can still plant summer veggies in late June/early July. Best choices are Peppers, Cucumbers, Beans, Carrots, Beets, Swiss Chard, Okra, & larger tomato plants
• When it comes to summer veggies – an ounce of prevention is really better than a pound of cure!
• Watch for any pest or disease problems in veggie plants. Give one of our experts a call if you notice anything that seems amiss on the plant or fruit production. We suggest preventatively spraying Cucumber/Squash/Zucchini vines once they starting “running” to prevent pets such as Squash Borer and Cucumber beetles.
• Watch for signs of tomato blight. You can preventatively spray or dust tomatoes with Copper to help prevent blight from forming.
• You can continue to plant Sweet Potatoes
• Stake  or trellis tomatoes
• Don’t forget to mound dirt over potato plants as they grow. When the stems are around 6″ above the soil – it’s time to add some more. You will do this 2-3 times total.
• Fertilize your garden plants with a fertilizer of your choice.
• Keep cucumbers well-watered. Cucumbers in dry soil make a more bitter fruit.
• Mulch your beds to help retain moisture and suppress weeds
• Water the soil around tomatoes/peppers and avoid overhead watering. Neither of these enjoy wet foliage.
• Water in the morning. Avoid watering the hot afternoon and the evening (evening watering can encourage fungal/mildew issues)
• You should be able to gather the first of some harvests though it may be later in July before you get the most.

PERENNIALS

• Provide extra tie or stake support for vining plants such as Honeysuckle or Clematis as they continue to grow new shoots and tendrils.
• Support tall garden phlox with a stake or ring.
• Remove any faded blooms or stalks. This helps prolong blooming and encourages more new blooms to appear while maintaining a neat appearance.
• Fertilize with our own granular Flower Booster 11-40-6 blend.
• If you haven’t already, you can shear back Candituft and Creeping Phlox.
• You can divided Bearded Iris and Oriental Poppies desired after they have finished flowering and foliage dies back.

FLOWER BEDS & CONTAINERS

• Don’t forget to fertilize flowering containers every other week with water soluble Fertilome All Purpose Plant Food 20-20-20. 
• Yes – you CAN continue planting any summer flowers – don’t forget that most summer flowers will still bloom through late October (when we usually get our first hard frost)
• Don’t let containers dry out. Most container flowers in a sunny area need to be watered daily to keep from drying out. Container flowers in the shade can be watered less frequently. If you don’t want to water frequently, consider more water wise flowers such as Salvia, Celosia, Sedum, Lavender, Moss Rose, & Portulaca.
• Flower beds should be watered 3-4 times a week depending on rainfall and heat.
• Some flowers benefit from “deadheading” which is simply removing the bloom heads or stalks of flowers that have faded. Many new hybrid varieties do not require this any more but traditional varieties such as old-fashioned Geraniums, petunias, & Marigolds still need it.
• Put slug control under Hostas. We have two different types available – one is safe for animals and the other is not.

WATER GARDENS

• New fish can be added from Spring through Fall.
• If you haven’t already – it’s time to add tropical floating water plants such as Water Hyacinths, Water Lettuce, etc. These tropical floaters spread and multiple quickly but can’t tolerate our cooler frosts and cooler water temps prior to May. Floating aquatic plants provide great blockage of sun light assisting in reduction of algae and do also play an important role their role of an ecological balance.
• Inspect your pumps, filters, and lights to checks for any repairs/maintenance. Make sure your filters do not need to be cleaned and that debris has not clogged any intake pumps.
• Many factors such as ecological balance, sunlight, fish load, & feeding habits have a big effect on the accumulation waste debris. A deep clean should typically only be required every 1-2 years when waste & debris are deeper than 1-2″. If you are unsure about whether your water garden needs to be cleaned or not, talk to Laura (our local water garden expert) for assistance.
• Use a beneficial bacteria, such as Microbe Lift PL, to kick start your ecological balance. Beneficial bacterial are important for removing ammonia and nitrites. Beneficial bacteria is a hugely important part of your water garden.
• Always keep some Dechlorinator “Pond Detox” on hand in the case of accidental overfilling with tap water. The tap water from hoses has chlorine and other metals present that are toxic to fish. Any time more than 20-25% of the pond’s water volume is added new, a dechlorinator product should be used. Many pond owners have experienced accidentally leaving on a water hose too long to only find out that they don’t have a dechlorinating product on hand in an emergency.

If you have specific questions related to a plant or maintenance task, just reach out to us!