JOHNSTON COUNTY HOME HORTICULTURE
The dog days of summer have begun
! Take it
easy, it's hot
outside.
GENERAL
IDEAS
- Collect soil samples
for testing,
so that you'll
know
how
much fertilizer
and lime to add this fall. Test your lawn, flower beds and
vegetable
garden. Testing should be done once every 3 years. We have
FREE kits.
- Water deeply but infrequently to encourage a deep and
extensive
root
system. Frequent, light sprinklings encourage a shallow root
system that cannot support plants during the extreme heat of our
summers.
- To maximize your watering, create a dam of soil, 3-4", around
the
plant.
This keeps the water around the plant (instead of running off) while
it's
soaking into the soil.
- Control fungal diseases - which flourish in hot and humid weather
- by
keeping irrigation water from standing on foliage. The best
time
to water is early morning so that the sun can dry water drops from
foliage. Watering in early evening keeps foliage damp all night,
encouraging
the spread of fungal spores.
LAWN CARE
- Prepare your lawn for fall seeding. The best time to plant
fescue
seed is the second half of September, so (unfortunately) 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.
- 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.
- When do you water your lawn? When the grass
blades
are just
starting to curl and your footprints remain on the lawn when you walk
on
it. Watering too often encourages a shallow root system with
plants
who do not handle drought well. Water in the early morning.
Set your timer for 4 am if you can.
- Grasses vary in their needs. Call for a Lawn Maintenance
Calendar
for your grass and learn how best to care for it - with fertilizing and
mowing height geared specifically to your lawn type.
TREES, SHRUBS & ORNAMENTALS
- Divide Iris & Daylilies
- Do
this to get
additional iris
plants and to open up overcrowded beds. Make clean cuts through
the
rhizomes with a sharp knife and cut foliage back to 3 to 6 inches.
Remove
and discard diseased foliage. Let the cut dry naturally for a day or
two.
Work superphosphate deeply into the soil before replanting. Place an
iris
fan in the direction of the desired growth and cover the rhizomes with
1/4-inch of soil.
- Plan for Fall Bulbs - One of the glories of fall are
the
autumn-blooming
crocus and colchicum
. Since the bulbs
are not always available locally, consider
ordering them now from mail-order sources so they will be
available
at planting time in September. Varieties are available in shades of
lavender,
pink and white.
- Mulch trees and shrubs to keep roots cool, conserve
moisture, and
control competing weeds and grasses. A 2-3" layer of composted
material
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.
- 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. Or
consider
planting a shrub whose mature size will not require pruning for that
area.
- Avoid nitrogen fertilizers during late summer. New
growth
that starts
at this time of year is vulnerable to frost damage 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 as these nutrients will help your
plants withstand the winter. BUT: use fertilizers that will add just
the
nutrients you need. (Call us with any questions about fertilizer,
we can help!)
- Make your wisteria
work! If
you are being overtaken by
wisteria,
root
prune it. This will curb its growth and induce it to make
more
blooms. 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
- Watch for Scale On Fruit Trees - Examine fruit trees
periodically
for scale infestations and mark with flagging tape. Applying summer or
horticultural oil (NOT dormant oil) can help keep them from getting out
of hand. If you let them go until winter, that tiny infestation will be
a monumental invasion!
(North
Carolina State University)
- Caring for Strawberries - Now that strawberries have
finished bearing,
prolong their life by cutting off the plant tops without injuring the
crown.
Then thin out plants to have 12 inches between them. Fertilize with 1/2
pound of 5-10-10 per 25 sq.ft. Weed and apply a mulch to conserve
moisture
and reduce weed growth. Plan on starting a new strawberry bed every
three
years.
- Allow Peppers to Turn Red - Peppers allowed to turn red
will
be
sweeter and higher in beta carotene. Even jalapenos
which are
traditionally
harvested green, mature to tasty red peppers.
- Protect Blueberries
- To keep
birds from
harvesting your
blueberries,
be sure to cover plants with netting, plus install strands or windsocks
of reflective mylar tape and add a plastic snake or two.
- 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.
LANDSCAPE IDEAS
- Look for interesting plants in the nurseries, and add them
this
fall.
Consider ...
- 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.
- Keep Extra Containers for Instant Color - Plant some
extra
flowering
containers periodically for backup color. When one starts looking
spent,
you can just move another into its place and replant the old one or
take
it back behind the garage to the plant hospital for recuperation.
Thanks to the Durham County Extension Office and 'Successful Gardener'
for their generous contributions to this list.
HELPING PEOPLE PUT KNOWLEDGE TO WORK.
Got Questions? We've got answers!
Contact us.