Coastal Region – Brad Fowler
- It may be hot, but it is still important to be conservative when watering. Overwatering can easily occur on lawns and other landscape plants, even in the August heat. Just keep an eye on your plants and give them a drink when they need it.
- Plan for your fall planting. Start by doing a simple site analysis of your landscape to determine where you may need to fill in some gaps. Consider using trees and shrubs that can withstand the hot and dry conditions we are faced with each summer.
- When trying to establish warm season grasses like Centipede and Bermuda by seed, August may prove to be a little late since the grass might not have enough time to get established before cooler weather arrives.
- Late summer fertilizer applications for the lawn may be useful depending on the grass type, but make sure to get this done before the end of August. Always fertilize based on a soil test.
- As fall approaches, it becomes crucial to scout for any developing issues in the lawn. Fall armyworms and brown patch/large patch are two common issues that need to be addressed quickly to prevent major damage.
- Prepare for the fall vegetable garden by planting beets, turnips, cabbage, and many other vegetables by mid to late August.
- After spending some time cleaning up any vegetables or annual flowers that have run their course, it won’t hurt to take a break and wait out the last of the summer heat.
Peas planted for the fall garden.
Brad Fowler, ©2023, Clemson Extension
It can be easy to overwater drought tolerant plants like this Azalea.
Brad Fowler, ©2023, Clemson Extension
Midlands Region – Jennifer Weaver
- When you are designing your landscape, make sure to extend the bloom time of your garden by adding plants that bloom during each season of the year.
- Trees that provide additional summer accents are chaste tree and sweetbay magnolia.
- Add more summer to mid-autumn bloomers like old-fashioned garden mums, sages, asters, sedums, firecracker plant, and Japanese anemones.
- Did you know you can plant fall-blooming crocus now to bloom just a few weeks later?
- Practice IPM on lawns as well as other parts of your landscape. Make use of all available prevention and control methods to keep pests from reaching damaging levels, and use pesticides only when necessary.
- An infrequent, slow soaking when watering is best to ensure deep rooting. Also, make sure there is sufficient mulch to help retain soil moisture but do not pile mulch around the base of shrubs or trunks of trees.
- Prune broadleaf evergreens that need shaping for the last time this season. Remember to keep the bottom branches wider than the top to allow all plant parts to receive sunlight and prevent legginess. NOTE: Pruning later in the fall stimulates new growth, which may not have time to harden off before frost.
- Continue to deadhead annuals and perennials to encourage blooming and prevent the plant from “self-sowing”. If you welcome the volunteer seedlings, do not deadhead and enjoy the new plants! Also, deadhead roses to ensure strong reblooming. By deadheading instead of allowing them to form seed hips, you’re signaling the plant to produce more flowers.
- Check for diseases or scale on crape myrtle. This is also the season when leaves of zinnia, bee balm, phlox, and roses begin to look as if they have been dusted with white powder, called powdery mildew.
- Prune dead or declining canes from brambles – blackberries and raspberries after the final harvest.
- Figs are ripening but be patient. It can take up to 2 months from the time the fruit forms to reach optimal ripeness.
- According to the Arbor Day Foundation, August is tree check month. Identify early and prepare to take action before trees are infested.
- Keep an eye out for Asian longhorned beetle on maples, elm, buckeyes, birches, and willows.
- Emerald ash borer kills millions of ash trees each year. Currently, it can be found in 35 states plus the District of Columbia.
- Aphids leave a sticky syrup called honeydew behind after feeding, which can lead to ugly, black sooty mold.
- Prune off bagworms from conifers such as arborvitae, cedar, juniper, and pine.
- Get ready for planting! Fall is the best time for planting trees and shrubs in the landscape. They have time to establish a good root system over the winter and be better prepared for the heat and drought stresses of the upcoming year. Analyze your site and plan for improvements to enhance your landscape.
Asian longhorned beetle adult next to a penny in a person’s hand. Key diagnostic characteristics are the black body with white spots, black and white striped antennae, and blue feet.
Photo by J. Boggs, Ohio State University, Bugwood.org.
Bagworms (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) are often mistakenly identified as cones.
James B. Hanson, USDA Forest Service, www.insectimages.org
Circling roots caused by mulch volcanoes.
Paul Thompson, ©2023, Clemson Extension
A 2- to 3- inch layer of mulch is ideal.
Paul Thompson, ©2023, Clemson Extension
More than a 4-inch mulch depth can cause problems with oxygen and moisture levels. Avoid mulch “volcanoes.”
Paul Thompson, ©2023, Clemson Extension
Upstate Region- Millie Davenport
- Prepare warm-season lawns for dormancy by:
- Avoiding nitrogen fertilizer applications after August 15th
- Mowing the lawn ½-inch higher
- Keeping any fallen tree leaves off the lawn until it is fully dormant
- On a cloudy day, with rain in the forecast, plan to divide any overgrown summer blooming perennials, such as rudbeckia, daylilies, bearded irises, and purple coneflower.
- Start transplanting cool-season vegetable crops, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, mustard, and kale. You can also direct sow beets, carrots, spinach, turnips, and radishes (but transplants will work if you find them available). NOTE: To extend the harvest season, consider sequentially planting mustard, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
- Sweetpotatoes will be ready to harvest this month. Depending on the cultivar, they are ready to harvest 90 to 120 days from planting. Harvest sweet potatoes when 30 percent are larger than 3½ inches in diameter. For more information on using and storing sweetpotatoes, see HGIC 3528, Sweetpotato Basics.
- Winter squash will also be ready to harvest this month. Harvest mature winter squash when they have very hard skins that cannot be punctured with your thumbnail. For post-harvest information, see HGIC 4258, Using and Storing Winter Squash.
- Plan to plant any fallow land with cover crops this fall. Cover crops will help prevent erosion, suppress weeds, maintain soil moisture, increase organic matter, and recycle soil nutrients.
Avoiding nitrogen fertilizer applications on warm season lawns after August 15th.
Jackie Jordan, ©2021, Clemson Extension
Daylilies can be easily divided to produce more plants.
Barbara H. Smith, ©2019 HGIC, Clemson University
Fresh picked radishes from the garden.
Barbara H. Smith, ©2023 HGIC, Clemson University
Sweetpotatoes will be ready to harvest this month.
Barbara Smith, ©2016 HGIC, Clemson Extension
Crimson clover attracts pollinator insects like the honey bee.
Millie Davenport, ©2020, Clemson Extension
