July 1st and it's Hot Hot Hot!
With this kind of heat, long soakings are needed and don't forget the trees and shrubs. Stick a garden hose under the mulch, turn on the water so that it is low volume and let it set for a few hours. Keep water fresh for the critters! Looks like another hot and dry week for us!
Gardening tasks for July, Zone 4-6:
Ornamentals:
-Remove infected leaves from roses. Pick up fallen leaves. Continue fungicidal sprays as needed.
-While spraying roses, mix extra and spray hardy Phlox to prevent powdery mildew.
-Keep deadheading spent annual flowers for continued bloom.
-Keep weeds from making seeds now. This will mean less weeding for next year.
-Newly planted trees and shrubs should continue to be watered thoroughly, once a week.
-Provide water in the garden for birds, especially during dry weather.
-Fertilize container plants every 2 weeks with a water soluble solution.
-Spray hollies for leaf miner control.
-Apply final treatment for borers on hardwood trees.
-Prune climbing roses and rambler roses after bloom.
-Plant zinnia seeds by July 15th for late bloom in annual border.
-Apply no fertilizers to trees and shrubs after July 4th. Fertilizing many cause lush growth that is apt to winter kill.
-Hot, dry weather is ideal for spider mite development. Damage may be present before webs are noticed. Alternate between Neem oil and insecticidal soaps every 7-10 days to control.
-Fall webworms begin building near the ends of branches of infested trees. Prune off webs. Spray with B.T. If defoliation becomes severe.
-Divide and reset oriental poppies after flowering as the foliage dies.
-Semi-hardwood cuttings of spring flowering shrubs can be made.
-Summer pruning of shade trees can now be done.
-Powdery mildew is unsightly on lilacs, but rarely harmful. Shrubs grown in full sun are less prone to this disease.
-Divide bearded iris now.
-Don't pinch mums after mid-July or you may delay flowering.
Lawns:
-Water frequently enough to prevent wilting. Early morning irrigation allows turf to dry before nightfall and will reduce the chance of disease.
-Monitor lawns for newly hatched white grubs. If damage is occurring apply appropriate controls following product label directions.
Vegetables:
-Blossom-end rot of tomato and peppers occurs when soil moisture is uneven. Water when soils begin to dry; maintain a 2-3 inch layer of mulch.
-To minimize insect damage to squash and cucumber plants, try covering them with lightweight floating row covers. Remove covers once plants start to flower.
-Dig potatoes when the tops die. Plant fall potatoes by the 15th.
-For the fall garden, sow seeds of collards, kale, sweet corn and summer squash as earlier crops are harvested.
-Set out broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower transplants for the fall garden.
-Sweet corn is ripe when the silks turn brown.
-Harvest onions and garlic when the tops turn brown.
-Sow seeds of carrots, beets, turnips and winter radish now.
Fruits:
-Cover grape clusters loosely with paper sacks to provide some protection from marauding birds.
-Prune out and destroy old fruiting canes of raspberries after harvesting is complete.
-Blackberries are peaking now.
-Apply second spray to trunks of peach trees for peach borers.
-Early peach varieties are ripening now.
-Thornless blackberries should be ripening now too.
Happy Gardening!
Reader Comments
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I used "worms" because I can't spell Caterpillar.
Good tips on the plants, we have had a serious dry spell and most of my garden went to waste before we moved at the end of last month. Too bad, but the cost of water in the little burg where we lived was cost prohibitive.
Lower water rates here for far better water, no veggies or fruit plants yet. We do have a small peach tree which looks healthy, needs water.
Zinnias would be great if I could keep the seeds moist. Poor garden drys up in hours after watering. Am transitioning to small xeric shrubs and such.
Hope everyone is finding ways to stay cool and don't forget long soakings for those trees and shrubs!
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