August Gardening Tips

· If you have any houseplants sitting directly in the window, make sure the light is filtered or the plant is moved to a site out of direct sunlight. The windowpane intensifies the heat, and you don't want to scorch your plants. · Fertilize your houseplants frequently to ensure vigorous growth. · Snip off the old flower clusters from roses to encourage them to bloom all summer. · You can sow a fall crop of bush beans now. Plant seeds two inches deep to protect them from the hot Sun. You can sow other vegetable seeds for an autumn yield, too, by planting them just a little deeper than you did in the spring. The best time to plant is after a rain shower. · Don't water your melons at the base of the stems. Doing so can cause rot. Build up a little earth around the stems to keep water away. · Once melon vines have set three or four fruits, remove any new blossoms. The remaining fruits will benefit from this, and you will still have plenty. · If your trees have any yellow or undersize foliage, start feeding them regularly. Be sure not to overfeed them. · Harvest summer squash when it's young and tender (8 inches). · As the weather warms up, do not neglect your watering. Water deeply in the morning and avoid light sprinklings. Water at the roots, not on the foliage. · Start herbs such as parsley, dill, and basil in pots for indoor use over the winter. · Harvest tomatoes, zucchini, beans, and other fruiting crops frequently to encourage production and avoid attracting pests. · Sow vegetable seeds for your fall garden: carrots, beets, turnips, collards, Chinese cabbage, snap beans, radish, kohlrabi, endive, kale, rutabagas, and summer squashes. · Set out broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower transplants for your fall garden. · Lightly fertilize tomatoes and peppers. Don't overfertilize. · After broccoli head is harvested, the plant continues to grow side shoots. · Prevent weeds from seeding; this will mean fewer weeds next year. Pull weeds as they grow and use mulch in your flower beds to prevent them from sprouting. · When there is less than an inch of rain in a week, water extra. Water in early morning. · Mulching is an important job to keep up with in July. Organic mulches break down over time, so be sure to check the mulch around your plants. Keep a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch around your plants to retain moisture. Also keep a thick layer of mulch around the roots of trees and shrubs. · If white crust develops in containers, it's salt buildup; remove and water heavily to flush out salts. · Remove tomato suckers to keep the energy focused on the fruit on main branches. · If your tomatoes have "blossom end rot," this means they are calcium deficient, so try using Tomato Tone by Espoma (I carry it here and I also have sprays to raise the calcium levels) · Lightly fertilize long-season plants, such as onions, tomatoes, and peppers, to help encourage growth. · Pinch back mint, oregano, and savory to promote bushier growth. · Newly planted trees and shrubs need two to three thorough soakings per week. · Finish pruning spring-flowering shrubs by mid-month. · Annuals and perennials can be planted at any time to fill in blank spaces in the garden. · Remove any dead flowers from your annuals and perennials to encourage new growth. · Garlic and onions are ready when their tops start to bend over. Remove their tops after they've dried for a couple weeks and store in a cool place. · During these warmer months, raise the mowing height to 2.5 to 3 inches. Water your new lawn with 1 inch of water per week to ensure healthy growth. · Feed your roses at mid-month to encourage more flowering. · Dig up and divide crowded spring-blooming bulbs whenever they are dormant.

· Thin fruit trees by leaving 1 fruit approximately every 6 to 12 inches along the branches or 1 fruit per cluster. The higher the leaf-to-fruit ratio, the sweeter the fruit. A standard apple tree should have about 40 leaves for each fruit. Dwarf apples, which usually produce a ration of 1 fruit to about 25 leaves, will yield better-quality fruit when thinned. · Stop cutting asparagus when the yield decreases and the spears diminish in size. Top-dress the bed with compost or well-rotted manure. · Thin crowded plantings of lettuce, carrots, beets, and herbs. Give them a good watering when the job is finished to help the roots of remaining plants recover from any damage your pulling may have inflicted. · Religiously patrol your basil plantings and remove all the clusters of flower buds that form at the stem ends the minute you see them forming. This will encourage nice bushy plants and a continuing supply of leaves. · Mulch around trees to create a safe zone where your mower won't go. Nicking a tree trunk can seriously damage even a well-established tree. · Mow your lawn according to the needs of the grass, not the calendar -- for example, every Saturday. Grasses thicken and provide better cover when regularly clipped at the proper height. Adjust your lawn mower blades to cut the grass at 2 or 3 inches rather than at 1 1/2 inches. · Help suppress weeds in your lawn by mowing it to a height of 2 or 3 inches. · Prune rhododendrons after they flower. On young and old plants, snap off spent flower stalks by bending them over until they break away from their stems. Be careful not to damage growth buds at the base of each flower stalk. · Don't trim iris leaves into scallops or fan shapes after the flowers fade. Leaves carry on photosynthesis and develop nourishment for next year's growth. Cut off brown tips and remove the flowering stalk down to the rhizome. If you're dividing irises, cut the leaves back by about half just before you move them. · All vegetable crops, including warm-season plants, should be in the ground now. · Pull soil up against potato plants when they are 9 to 12 inches tall. · Sow more beans, carrots, and beets for a continuous harvest. · Start seedlings of broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage now so they can be transplanted in the fall. · Look out for Japanese beetles and knock them into a can of soapy water. · Tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers can use some nutrients now, so scratch some granular fertilizer into the soil around plants or in a shallow trench alongside a row. · Plant colorful summer annuals, such as cosmos, marigolds, salvia, or petunias, etc. · Elevate your container plantings so water can drain. · Remember to water your plants. It is better to water your garden thoroughly once a week to ensure that a deep root system is established. However, do NOT overwater. Water slowly, deeply (5 or 6 inches deep), and let the soil dry between watering. · Apply a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch around the roots of your plants. The mulch will help retain moisture during the dry summer months. · Top-dress asparagus and rhubarb with aged manure or fertilizer (10-10-10 formulation). · Native and imported heat-tolerant plants can be planted during summer months as long as they are watered regularly until fall. · Remove any dead flowers from your perennials to encourage new growth. · Give perennials a fertilizer boost (5-10-5 formula). · Protect ripening strawberries from birds. Remove blossoms from newly established strawberry plants. Remove runners to keep energy focused on the fruit. · Water your lawn and gardens in the morning or late during the day to avoid any evaporation. · Fertilize roses, using a liquid fertilizer at every watering or a dry rose fertilizer. · Prune older canes from climbing roses. · The fruiting of tomatoes and peppers is improved by applying Epsom salts, which contains sulfur and magnesium. Apply 1 tablespoon of granules around each transplant, or spray a solution of 1 tablespoon Epsom salts per gallon of water at transplanting, first flowering, and fruit set. · Apply a layer of mulch around your woody plants. · Be sure to weed your gardens regularly, as the weeds will compete with your plants for water and nutrients.

It’s hot out there for newly planted trees and shrubs. These plants may be struggling to survive the heat and drought because their root systems haven’t had a chance to get established in the native soil yet. That’s why it’s important to pamper spring-planted trees and shrubs during the first year after planting. Most trees fail after the first year of planting because they were stressed and never recovered from transplant shock. Here are some ways to take the shock out of tree planting. Keep them watered. Young trees need moist soil to survive the first summer. If you have sandy soil, the roots will dry out quickly and the leaves may shrivel and drop. If you have clay soil, the dry ground will rack, exposing roots and causing them to dry out. You should water your trees a few times a week and deeply. Add 5 to 10 gallons of water per tree each time. Use a gator. If you don’t want to be a slave to tree watering all summer, try this product. Tree gators are plastic-sleeved devices that wrap around trees. Fill them with water and they slowly release the water over time, keeping the soil around the rootball moist. Mulch them. Keep the soil around the tree or shrub mulched with an organic mulch. This will help keep the soil moist, plus prevent weeds from growing. Be generous with your mulch ring size. Spread it outside the drip line of the plant. The feeder roots will be more likely to penetrate the native soil if there is no competition from other plants and the soil stays moist. Add a 2- to 3-inch-thick layer of mulch around each tree and don’t pile it up next to the trunk or the tree may suffer from crown rot. Stake or no stake? Staking usually isn’t recommended for newly planted trees. The gentle swaying from the wind helps the new roots get established. However, if you have a windy location, you may want to stake the tree for just the first year so it doesn’t blow over.

It’s always a shame that, just when your window box has reached its peak of fullness and color, autumn sneaks in and nips at the foliage and flowers, signaling it’s time to clean them out. Or is it? This season, try extending the life of your window boxes, so you can appreciate their beauty year-round, each time you glance out your winter windows. To spruce up your boxes, start by removing what looks old and tired: The geranium leaves are beginning to yellow, the verbena is way past its prime, and the dianthus isn’t flowering anymore. But the ageratum seems to be perking up now that the heat of summer has passed, and the ivy and vinca are holding their own. You can fill in gaps with cool season flowers such as mums and pansies and probably get another three weeks of flowering out of those boxes. When freezing temperatures arrive, it’s time for flowering brassicas, such as kale and cabbage, with their colorful, curious foliage. Plant them directly into the boxes and they will last all winter long through the harshest of weather. As you plant, tuck daffodil and tulip bulbs under the flowering kale to guarantee an early spring show. You can mix in cut sprigs of crabapples, viburnums, winterberry, or any other shrub or tree with clusters of colorful berries and strong branches. Just stick the branches into the soil in the boxes, and your only problem will be the birds and wildlife competing for the berries! Tangled grapevines and bittersweet, with its orange seed coats and red berries, quickly go from noxious weeds growing in the wild to precious commodities in autumn and winter window boxes. Evergreen branches from spruce, balsam, and fir will retain their color throughout the winter months as long as the temperature is low. Stick their ends into the soil just before the soil freezes, arranging them en masse. For the holidays, string little white lights through the boughs and tie on weatherproof velvet bows. Discard the branches once the temperatures start to warm, but don’t worry, your window boxes won’t be bare for long. The tulip and daffodil bulbs you carefully tucked in for the winter will soon be coming to life, and the cycle will begin anew.

Although gardeners often dream of sun-splashed borders filled with stately perennials, many are discovering that their daisies, daylilies, and daffodils are working overtime, bringing the garden to light…at night! Welcome to the world of the garden after dark. With busy families finding fewer daylight hours to enjoy their gardens, it makes perfect sense to create a moonlight retreat in which family and friends can gather after hours. Spending balmy evenings out-of-doors is a wonderful luxury after the chill of winter, and during the scorching days of summer, the relative cool of the nighttime garden will come as a welcome respite. For the romantic at heart, few things are more enchanting than a midnight stroll through flowers kissed by moonlight. How do you begin to create such a paradise? The secret is to select white and pale-colored plants that shimmer in the night. You’ll find that many of your favorite flowers, which you thought only bloomed in blue or hot pink, have been hybridized for white color or a very pale interpretation of their darker counterparts. Annuals like petunias, impatiens, and snapdragons all have white cousins, along with perennials, such as echinacea (coneflower) and campanula. You may also be surprised to learn at what time of day many flowers open. While some, like daylilies, as the name suggests, actually close at nightfall, others, such as evening primrose and moonflower, with its lemony scent, come alive right along with the peepers and crickets. Just like any other garden, the moonlit garden should be filled with plants of different heights and habits, shapes and textures. Plants with variegated or white-edged foliage like euonymus, ivy, and hosta, add contrast to the garden and will sparkle in the dim light just like the flowers. Shrubs like spirea provide a backdrop for lower-growing plants like cosmos and artemisia, while a well-placed trellis or fence can lend support to lacy curtains of clematis and passionflower. A bench beneath an arbor brimming with white wisteria and climbing roses or a garden swing flanked by fragrant lilac or mock orange is an intoxicating spot to while away an evening. You’ll find that the strong fragrance will not only attract hopeless romantics, but also the “butterflies of the night,” moths, which will flit and flutter throughout the moonlit garden feeding on sweet nectar. Special touches complete the scene: A serpentine path lined with phlox, baby’s breath, and lilies, will invite a leisurely stroll, and a rustic lantern will allow you to enjoy your garden even on those nights when the moon is hidden by clouds. A warm summer’s night, a trickle of water from a nearby fountain, and some soothing music from a speaker hidden beneath a shrub—the stage is set for spending a relaxing evening with friends and family in the magical land of the midnight garden.

As your lawn endures the trials of Job this Summer—drought, pestilence, and disease—you must hold to the hope that there is a lush, green turf on the other side of this summer. Has your spring turf been reduced to an arid, brown toasty color? If not, you might want to submit your water bills for federal disaster relief. Dry, scorching heat is the perfect scenario for crabgrass to flourish and bluegrass to perish. What’s needed, of course, is a good, deep penetrating rain. The large Japanese beetle population will mean a heavier than normal population of grubs. Knowledge is of course your best defense. Here are a couple of suggestions for reviving your lawn. Feeding Your lawn’s nitrogen needs are at their highest in late summer. Avoid fertilizing when temps are about 85 degrees or higher. Supplement this late summer feed (high in nitrogen) with a fall fertilizer that will concentrate on developing the root system. This will build a turf more resistant to drought and pest damage. This might be your most beneficial feeding. You can supply a fall food right into November in most areas. Pest control In late summer and early fall, the grub cycle begins as the larvae pupate into the common white lawn grub. At this stage of their development, these grubs are the most vulnerable. Treat infested areas with either a liquid dose or a granular treatment of either Dylox, Diazinon, or Oftanol. Watering A good rule of thumb is to water in the early morning hours. Try to provide at least one to one and a half inches of water through rainfall or irrigation. A deep watering once a week is more beneficial than a series of shallow watering. Seeding To repair damage caused by drought, pests, and disease, plan on a fall seeding program. Match the grass seed varieties to the conditions. For example, if you have a rocky, sandy soil that doesn’t hold moisture well, use a drought-resistant lawn mixture featuring turf-type tall fescues (TTTFs). Unlike ryegrass that spreads by shallow rhizomes, TTTFs have long individual tap roots. They are tough, durable and make a long-wearing attractive turf. Heavy clay soils might do better with a bluegrass and ryegrass mixture. Fall is an optimum time for seeding. The warm weather speeds germination while the autumn night temps start to drop. Remember to keep the seed moist until established. That might require two to three mists during our Indian summers. The attention you pay to your lawn now will pay big dividends in the fall, the following spring, and for years to come.

Not all insects are harmful to your garden; in fact, many are beneficial and are an important part of the ecosystem. Chemicals used to eliminate insects do not discriminate between the good bugs and the bad ones, so you can limit the damage done to beneficial insects and, at the same time, keep harmful chemicals out of the environment by practicing organic pest control. Here are a few simple and effective ways to eliminate bugs and other pests naturally. Handpicking Insects can be handpicked from plants, and pests like potato bugs can easily be shaken from plants into a box. Use a butterfly net to capture white cabbageworm butterflies before they lay their eggs on your crucifers. Traps Slugs love to slurp beer from cans strategically placed in the garden, but don’t open the tops all the way lest the openings become two-way streets. Sticky traps hung in apple trees attract and trap apple maggot flies. Brush-on insect trap coating can be applied to small boards on stakes and used throughout the garden. Painting the boards a bright color will make them even more effective. Pheromone traps draw insects like Japanese beetles to their own hormonal scents and safely capture them in boxes away from prized roses and peonies. Covers Using lightweight floating covers on crops such as blueberries keeps those pesky birds, rabbits, and deer from eating you out of house and home. Of course, don’t install them until after pollination so that bees can do their job first. Biological pest control Releasing beneficial bugs into your garden to feed on bad bugs is a fine way of eliminating pests. Ladybugs love aphids, and certain wasps lay eggs on the eggs of other insects, such as cutworms and corn borers; when the wasp eggs hatch, they feed on the pest eggs. The bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is found in spray form and is used to control cabbageworms and their cousins. Botanical pest control Natural insecticides made from plants like the pyrethrum daisy (Tanacetum coccineum) are used very effectively and are a major force in the bad bug patrol. Pyrethrum, rotenone, and sabadilla are a few of these botanicals, which disperse quickly and do not leave residues.