Water deeply. When you water shrubs, flowers, or lawns, give them a thorough soaking. Frequent light sprinklings can do more harm than good. Deep waterings encourage the growth of a deep root system. Make a dam of soil, 3-4"-high, about 18-24" out from the main stem of shrubs; let water flood inside the dam and soak downward to roots. If you use overhead irrigation on shrubs, don't water during late afternoon; moisture on leaves overnight encourages fungal diseases.

LAWN CARE

Prepare your lawn for fall seeding. The best time to plant fescue seed in the Triangle is the first half of September, so that means that the best time to prepare is in the heat of August. Call your Cooperative Extension Center for more information on establishing and maintaining a fescue lawn.

Collect soil samples for testing, so that you'll know how much fertilizer and lime to add this fall.

Eliminate weeds and grasses if you plan to completely reseed your fescue lawn. Non-selective herbicides are most effective. An alternative is a process called "solarization" that bakes weeds under a covering of clear plastic.

TREES & SHRUBS

Mulch trees and shrubs to keep roots cool, conserve moisture, and control competing weeds and grasses. A 2-3" layer of pine straw, pine bark, shredded hardwood bark, or leaf mold will help keep plants strong and healthy in hot, dry weather. Avoid over-mulching; more than 4 inches can be harmful to plants.

Avoid pruning shrubs and trees during late summer. Pruning stimulates new growth which will not have sufficient time to harden off before cold weather. But if a foundation shrub has grown to block a window, or creates a security risk, some pruning is needed. Remove as little live wood as possible now, then plan to do more drastic pruning in February. Better yet, replace the bush this fall with one whose mature size will not reach the window.

Avoid nitrogen fertilizers during late summer. New growth that starts at this time of year is vulnerable to frost later in the fall. If your soil test shows that you need to add phosphate or potash to your soil, you should go ahead and add them now; these nutrients will help your plants withstand the winter. BUT: use fertilizers that will add just the nutrients you need.

ORNAMENTALS

Divide and transplant iris and daylilies. They'll have the whole fall to become well established before cold weather. Cut the old foliage down to 4-6" tall, and trim the roots to 6-8" long. Plant irises with their rhizomes sitting on the surface of the soil. 20 Make your wisteria work! Curbing rampant growth may induce wisteria to bloom more freely. Prune roots and runners underground by inserting a sharp spade to its full depth in a semi-circle about 6 feet from the main stem of established plants.

Cut back tired annuals. Both plants and gardeners get wilted and ragged in our summer heat. Cut back leggy impatiens and other summer flowers, then fertilize them. They'll regrow within a few weeks, and look great up till frost.

VEGETABLES & FRUITS

Get ready for fall vegetables! Summer vegetable crops are almost tapped out, but we have several months of fine gardening weather ahead. Fill in empty spaces in the garden with fall crops of lettuce and other cool-weather vegetables. Even beans planted in late summer can produce a crop before frost.

Watch your squash plants for sudden wilting. A second generation of squash vine borers is hatching. You may be able to save the plant by removing the caterpillar, then covering the injured area of the vine with moist soil to encourage rooting. Some cultural methods that may help control squash vine borers next year include fall tilling, crop rotation, staggered plantings, and good garden sanitation. Call for a publication on this destructive native pest.

WILDLIFE & INSECTS

Control white grubs in turf while they're still small and close to the surface. These grubs are the larvae of beetles, hatched from eggs laid earlier this summer. At this time of year they're relatively easy to control with soil insecticides or Milky Spore. Call your Cooperative Extension Center for more information on controlling grubs.

LANDSCAPE IDEA

Late bloomers add color and life to the steamy August garden: new well-behaved cultivars of Goldenrod; all sorts of Asters; velvety purple Salvia leucantha and filmy lavender Perovskia; red showy sedum. Dwarf cultivars of Crape Myrtle can even be used in perennial borders. Cosmos will reseed and produce a second crop of blooms in late summer. Ornamental grasses add fine texture and motion, and will look good into winter. Look for interesting plants in the nurseries, and add them this fall.

PUBLICATIONS FOR AUGUST
Lawn Maintenance Calendar for Tall Fescue (AG-367) and Carolina Lawns (AG-69)
Mulches (HIL 608)
Weed Control in Vegetable Gardens (HIL 8101)
Soil Testing:
o Submitting Samples for Soil Testing (UHN 5)
o Understanding the Soil Test Report (UHN 6)
Solarization: Managing Diseases in Home Vegetable Gardens (AG-436)
Controlling White Grubs in Turf (AG-366)
Fall Vegetable Gardening (HIL 8001)