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August
Garden Calendar
By
John Chapman
Weather:
Our summer heat usually moderates in August. Dry, hot
conditions will continue to draw the life out of vegetation
unless we water wisely (longer periods two to three
times weekly are usually better than daily, shorter
periods).
Flowers:
Nurseries still have summer flowers to plant, however
you will have to take them up and plant the winter flowers
during late October so consider that. If you still want
some summer color by all means plant some flowers now,
water them each morning for about 20 minutes and enjoy
the last two months of hot weather with color and then
change to the fall flowers in October.
If
your periwinkles – also called vincas – wilt
and do not recover when watered or if the plant is yellowing
and stunted, chances are you've got stubborn disease.
Vincas are a host plant for this disease. Remove the
plants as quickly as these symptoms are seen. Be sure
to discard the plants.
Ornamentals: The heat of the summer is the best
time to plant palms. August is a good time to set out
bougainvillea, yellow bells, oleanders, acacias, cassias,
eucalyptus, mesquites and palo verdes. During their
first few weeks, they will need daily watering. When
they are established, the water can be cut back. If
you will spread a layer of much on top of the soil around
your flowers and shrubs the soil will stay cooler and
moist longer.
Humid
conditions during August and organic material may develop
toadstools and slime fungus which looks like someone
poured vanilla pudding on the ground. Stretch out the
irrigation cycle by a day and scratch up the area with
a rake.
Summer
heat and our tendency to over water eucalyptus trees
can bring on a condition, in which the leaves yellow
while the veins remain green – cut back on the
water. Eucalyptus are deep-rooted plants and are therefore
drought-tolerant. If you are thinking of planting a
Eucalyptus in your yard – don’t. They get
60-80 feet tall and are too huge for home yards, blow
over and break limbs in summer storms, and get chlorotic
from lawn watering.
Soil
preparation is the greatest key to successful gardening.
Per 100 square feet of moist soil add two – three
pounds of 16-20-0 also known as ammonium phosphate;
five pounds of sulfur; five pounds of Ironite; and three
– four inches of mulch, or well rotted manure.
Stir it all up and irrigate. Plant when the soil has
dried to slightly moist.
Vegetables:
You may feel it is still to hot to garden but if
you want some delicious sweet corn during the fall now
is the time to plant it. Other vegetables to be planted
in August for fall enjoyment are cantaloupe, watermelon,
snap beans, and summer squash.
Citrus:
Do not prune citrus this time of year. Paint any exposed
bark with Go Natural Tree paint which is a natural brown
color or you may use the white latex if you prefer.
Fruit splitting will be quite evident this month, but
there is not much to be done. The rind has hardened
and prevents the fruit from growing and filling out.
Keep the split fruits picked up, and it won't appear
to be such a problem; rotting fruits invite insects.
Leaves on the west and south side of the trees well
show sunburning. As the weather begins to cool, especially
later in the month, the citrus fruits will resume their
growth. Citrus, along with the rest of our plants, take
it easy during the peak heat months, but resume activity
with cooler temperatures. You will also see some blossom
end rot, or alternaria rot, on Orlando tangelos and
navels. A dark spot forms at the blossom end, and fruit
will also prematurely color up. August is the time to
give your mature citrus trees, those that have been
in the ground at least two years, their third fertilizer
feeding of 21-0-0, also called ammonium sulfate which
will help size up the fruit; also be sure and use plenty
of Ironite. Tangelos especially benefit from this late
summer feeding. Be sure to water the tree out to the
drip line, sprinkle the fertilizer on the moist soil
in a band under the outer two-thirds of the canopy and
then continue the irrigation for several hours so the
fertilizer is carried down to the roots. Read and follow
application instructions on the bag.
Lawns:
Plant summer lawns before mid-August. Watering in the
early morning will help reduce water loss from evaporation.
Established lawns need about one inch of water at each
irrigation. One method of checking your sprinkler out-put
is to set several tuna or pet food cans in the yard
when watering. When the can has one inch of water, you've
done a good job. Good soil moisture is essential for
a good lawn.
The higher humidity will cause the Bermuda to grow exceptionally
fast so mow it about every three days to keep it looking
neat. Common Bermuda lawns should be kept mowed about
one inch high for the rest of the summer and hybrid
Bermuda lawns mowed about three fourths to half inch
high. Feed your lawn with Ironite which will give it
that dark green color without the extra growth of nitrogen
fertilizer and will also supply the Iron needed this
time of year. 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.
If
Bermuda grass crawls into unwanted areas, spray it in
the late afternoon with Roundup, Doomsday, Kleenup,
and Killzall which contains the herbicide glyphosate
according to the directions on the package. Before you
spray the grass, water and fertilize the grass to ensure
that it is actively growing. The grass will translocate
the herbicide throughout the entire root system, thus
killing the plant rather than just knocking it back.
After a few days water again. In about 10 days, reapply
the herbicide to any of the turf that regrows. Continue
this cycle (may take three or more times) of fostering
growth and applying herbicide until the grass is completely
killed. Take extreme care to keep the spray off the
foliage of your flowers or shrubs. If you accidentally
get some on plants you don’t won’t killed,
wash those leaves off or prune them off. Spray when
there is little or no wind. These particular chemicals
only kill the grass but won’t harm the soil. MANAGE
is the herbicide that will kill nut grass but won’t
harm the Bermuda. It will probably take 2-3 applications
about 2 weeks apart. It is expensive, but most nurseries
have it.
____________________________________________________________________
If
you have a specific question for John please leave them
on his voice mail 480-898-5636 or email him at john@johnchapman.com
. Please leave your question, name, city, and phone
number. For more of John Chapman’s gardening tips
listen to news radio 620am KTAR Saturday morning 7:40-8AM.
On Television watch John’s garden segments on Jan
D’Atri’s Heart and Home on Sunday 12:30pm
and replays Monday evenings 8 pm AZTV broadcast 27,
Cable America 4, or Cox 13
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