Lawncare Tips

Lawn & Garden Care: June - July

• Mow every 5-7 days, leaving clippings on lawn. Raise mower setting. The roots need shade just as you do in the summer!
• Water early in the morning so the grass is dry during the hot nights (reduces chance of Brown Patch getting started. Avoid weed killers when temperatures are above 85 degrees ( particularly "Weed'nFeed" - remember, a tree is a broad leaf weed to a herbicide).
• Watch out for chinch bugs in sunny areas, particularly near street and driveways. (Call for how to confirm presence).
• Fertilize annuals with 1 cup balanced fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed (don't feed lawn - it should have been done in April/May) or, better, add organic compost, manure or fish emulsion to your plants. Some plants can still be set out but protect them from the hot sun at first.
• Start tomato seeds indoors for transplanting in late August since your presently flourishing plants will wilt by the end of July ( or read up on "layering" to restart your non-determinate tomato plants).
• Prune dead blossoms from annuals and perennials to prolong blooming. Pruning will keep them from turning their energies to developing seeds. DO NOT PRUNE OAK TREES! This is prime season for oak wilt which is mostly spread by a small beetle attracted to fresh wounds on the trees.
• Think about irrigation and water conservation: think about the benefits of a drip irrigation systems for your plants. It saves water and reduces the incidence of fungus infestations.

Lawn & Garden Care: September

• The cooler evenings followed by humid days are perfect for the development of BROWN PATCH, particularly in St. Augustine grass, which most of us have. Lawns with a history of this disease (actually a fungus) should be treated by spraying Daconil or Terraclor - an application followed by another in three weeks. Remember, early in the morning is the best time to water the lawn so the thatch can dry out by evening, thus reducing the probability of brown patch. Don't know what brown patch is? The name says it all - patches (usually round) of brown grass. As the patch spreads the middle may green up again. Pull on the grass leaves, if they are brown and pull away from the stem, you've got it. If they don't pull away and the roots are black, you may have cinch bugs.
• September is the time to plant fall flowers and your second crop of tomatoes. We have two growing seasons here - not one long one.
• Watch out for blackspot and mildew on roses.
• If you get the fall infestation of webworms they are best controlled by early treatment with Baccillus thuringiensis (Bt) - a pathogen which attacks the web worms but isn't a pesticide that will kill other living things, such as your birds.