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July Gardening Tips of The Month
Turf
Plant
Bermuda lawns during the active growing season, May through August.Fertilize
Bermuda grass lawns each month beginning late April or early
May with 1/2 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.Apply
six ounces of Iron per 1,000 square feet per month.Apply
one inch of water per week to Bermuda lawns.Once
every two or three years dethatch Bermuda lawns if necessary. Only dethatch
during the active growing season, May through August. This enables the turf
to quickly recover.
VegetablesPlant
SeedsBeans ( Pinto & Snap), Corn, Armenian Cucumbers, Melons (Cantaloupe, Muskmelon), Pumpkins, Winter Squash, Sunflowers.
Plant
TransplantsPeppers, Tomatoes
Place
shade cloth over tomatoes.
Roses
Cut
back on fertilizing established roses to encourage plants to slow down for the
hot summer.Water
deeply as temperatures climb.Hose
off plants in the early morning to increase humidity and control spider mites.
Fruit
and Nut Trees
Pick
early-maturing deciduous fruit varieties, which are particularly prone to bird
damage, before full maturity. Ripened at room temperature to lessen the bird
peck loss.
Cover
fruit trees to protect from birds.
Apply
nitrogen and zinc to pecan trees to produce normal size leaf growth and to
enhance kernel development. Pecans also need more water than most other shade
trees.
Landscape
Plants
Increase
water application as the weather warms.
June is the driest month. Pay attention to irrigation needs of
plants.
Apply
mulch to the ground around heat sensitive plants, keep the roots cooler and
prevent evaporation.
Apply
chelated iron to bottle brush, pyracantha, silk oak, and other plants with iron
deficiency symptoms.
Prune
palms when flower spathes show or delay pruning until after the palm has
finished flowering to prevent infestation of Palm
Flower caterpillars.
If palms are pruned in the spring, leave the top five rows of peels so the
caterpillars have a place to hide.
Cut
off spent blooms to stimulate rebloom.
Native
and imported heat tolerant plants can be planted right through the summer
months. They will need to be watered on a regular basis until fall.Transplant
palms in the heat of the summer for best results.Protect
newly transplanted trees from heavy winds and dust storms by staking
carefully.
Don't List . . .
Do
not expose citrus and other sun sensitive plants to sunburn by pruning during
the summer.