When Summer is in full swing and as we all bask in the sunlight, do not forget to maintain your garden. Here some pointers to care for your garden in the month of July.
As temperatures get higher, the amount of water that your garden will need is probably going to increase, depending on the weather conditions in your area. The main rule of summer watering is to water thoroughly and deeply each time and to allow the soil to dry out between waterings. The optimum way to tell if your plants are receiving enough water is to take a trowel or shovel and dig down a few inches. The soil should be moist at least 3 or 4 inches deep to insure that the water is reaching the root zone of the plants.
As the weather gets drier, your container plants may need daily watering, especially if the pots are exposed to the drying sunlight. Push your finger into the soil in your container plantings at least once a day (more often on hot, dry days) to feel for moisture and be certain that plants are getting enough moisture. Apply water until it runs out the drainage holes. Try to do your watering during the morning hours so that the leaves can dry off a bit before the hot sun hits them. Evening watering is sometimes acceptable if the temperatures are warm enough to insure that foliage dries before the temperature drops at night. (Wet foliage makes plants more susceptible to fungus and disease.)
Continue to remove dead flowers, and maintain your annuals to encourage continued blooming. If your annuals have died off, pull them out and add them to the compost pile. Replant that spot with hardy annuals or perennials, such as Pansies, Calendulas, or Armeria. Get a second bloom from faded annuals by cutting them back by one half their height, then fertilize them with a liquid 5-10-10 fertilizer. Continue to watch for insect or disease damage and take the necessary steps to control the problem.
Warmer and drier weather means it will be necessary to water and mist your house plants more often. Feed your house plants with half the recommended strength of a good soluble house plant fertilizer while they are actively growing.
Odds and ends. Be alert to slug and snail damage. These creatures will be hiding during the heat of the day, but will come out of hiding in the cool morning and evening hours or after a rain. Seek and destroy all slugs and their eggs! Keep the weeds pulled, before they have a chance to flower and go to seed again. Otherwise, you will be fighting newly germinated weed seed for the next several years. Change the water in your bird bath regularly, and keep it filled. Standing water may become a breeding ground for mosquito larvae. Continue to watch for insect or disease damage throughout the garden, and take the necessary steps to control the problem.
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