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 General
Gardening Tips
- Plants and trees that provide color in the month of August include
Crape Myrtles, Pee Gee Hydrangeas, Viburnums, Hypericum and Butterfly
Bush. Visit your local nursery and see these beautiful plants in bloom.
- Plant ornamental grasses such as Miscanthus, Pennisetum and Hardy
Pampas Grass for motion and contrast.
- Fall Mums are in - plant now for a colorful autumn.
- Check all plants, especially newly planted ones, for water on a
regular basis. Water deeply and thoroughly as needed.
- Gator bags provide a great way to keep trees watered during hot
and dry months. These bags, which can hold up to 20 gallons of water,
are secured to the trunk of the tree, where they release the water
slowly to the root ball over the course of 15-20 hours.
- Spruce up your summer landscape with beautiful color in containers
and hanging baskets. Be sure to use potting mix when planting and
a water-grabbing polymer such as Soil Moist to reduce the frequency
of watering.
- It's a great time to add a water feature to your landscape that
you will enjoy not only this summer, but all year round. Creative
pools, fountains and waterfalls are on display at your local garden
centers, library books and on the web.
PERENNIALS, ANNUALS and BULBS:
- Daffodils and tulips should be fertilized in early to mid-August.
Apply 2 pounds of 5-10-10 or 6-12-12 per 100 square feet.
Water Gardens
- Clear pond water can be achieved with proper plant balance. If the
pond is in full sun, 50-70% of its surface must be covered with foliage
such as Floating Heart, Water Hyacinth, Water Poppy, Water Lily, or
Lotus.
- Underwater grasses are essential to maintaining water clarity as
they utilize the oxygen in the water, which helps prevent algae from
accumulating in the pond. Following are some easy guidelines to know
when trying to figure out how many grasses are needed:
- 1 clump of grass per 1 sq. ft. of surface area for ponds less than
25 sq. ft.
- 1 clump of grass per 2 sq. ft. of surface area for ponds greater
than 25 sq. ft.
- Time to fertilize all Water Lilies and Lotus once a month to keep
the plant blooming continuously throughout the season.
- Lotus are great plants for container water gardens on a deck or
patio. Whiskey barrels make a perfect container for these types of
water gardens.
- Tropical Water Lilies make a spectacular show of color for any water
garden. Whereas hardy Water Lilies bloom only during the day, tropical
varieties, which are considered annuals in this area, include day
and night bloomers. This makes it possible to enjoy the bloom in the
late afternoon and evening. Day blooming tropical Water Lilies bloom
heavier than hardy lilies. The flowers stay open longer each day and
they bloom much later into the season. Night blooming tropical water
lilies open their flowers at approximately 5 pm and do not close until
the following morning around 9 am. This is perfect timing for those
evening barbecues and parties.
- Time to switch from spring fish food to summer fish food since water
temperatures have risen above 70 degrees. At higher temperatures,
fish metabolize at a faster rate, thus creating a need for a diet
higher in protein, which the summer food contains
Pest Controls
- Various pest problems can occur in August. Use Diatomaceous Earth
to control crawling insects such as cockroaches, ants, slugs, silverfish,
earwigs, fleas, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and carpet beetles.
Use indoors and outdoors.
- Check with your local county agricultural extension office to guide
you on environmentally friendly answers to controlling pest and diseases.
If you do use chemicals, follow the directions EXACTLY.
- Use Round-Up or Finale to kill weeds and grasses in brick patios
and walks.
- Spray roses with Ortho Rose Spray or Dragon Rose Spray to keep black
spot and other problems under control.
- Fruit trees should be on a regular spray program, again, check with
your county extension office.
- Control slugs and snails on hosta and other plants with diatomaceous.
Extension offices have free informational bulletins on the following
pest problems, with specific control recommendations.
- Bagworms
- Borers
- Gypsy Moths
- Lacebugs
- Scale
- Spider Mites
- Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
- Caterpillars
- Japanese Beetles
- And more
Fruit and Vegetable Gardens
- Fertilize fruits and vegetables as needed with a good quality, slow-release
vegetable food such as Osmocote.
- Stake tomato plants.
- If necessary, spray tomato plants and other vegetables to control
diseases.
Lawns
- If your lawn is in bad shape due to drought stress, insects, weeds
or other reasons and you are considering a total renovation, August
is the time to get started. Your local county extension office will
have information for you. You can also find this type of information
using a search engine, like Google.Com to find lawn care for your
area.
- August is the best time to control grubs in the lawn.
- If you want to prevent broadleaf weeds such as Chickweed and Henbit
next spring, but you would still like to seed the lawn this fall,
apply a weed preventor in early August. By applying this product now,
you will be able to seed in late September or early October (seeding
can be done 45-60 days after you apply the weed preventor).
- If needed, apply a fungicide to the lawn to control turf diseases
such as brown patch, dollar spot and others.
- Apply Perk-Up to the lawn to keep it nice and green throughout the
summer months. This product contains 10% iron, which gives added color
without excessive growth.
- Fertilize zoysia lawns for the final time this season with a 26-4-12
balanced fertilizer.
- If needed, apply a weed control to the lawn to kill actively growing
weeds. Use Dragon Lawn Weed Killer or Ortho Weed B Gone.
Tips on applying weed killer:
- Do not apply weed controls on newly seeded areas.
- Do not apply weed controls on windy days.
- Do not apply weed controls near or on the edge of waterways.
- Do not allow children or pets to play on lawns freshly applied with
weed controls. It is best to wait one week.
- Do not apply weed controls when temperatures are above 85 degrees
F.
- Always follow the label directions.
House Plants
- Continue to feed houseplants with a good quality indoor plant food
such as Osmocote (a slow-release granular).
- If needed, re-pot root bound houseplants to a larger pot. Use a
potting mix when repotting houseplants.
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