Coastal – Laura Lee Rose
- Check rain gauges and run sprinklers as needed to keep grass healthy and green. One inch of irrigation can be added weekly if there isn’t sufficient rainfall.
- Look for any damage from insect pests or diseases in the lawn and treat any problems early. Also, a second application of fertilizer may be applied now.
- Even though spring flowering shrubs like mophead hydrangeas, azaleas, and camellias should have been pruned before July, removing dead, damaged, or diseased branches is always okay. Summer flowering shrubs can be pruned after flowering, and woody plants can be fertilized for the last time. Cuttings can be rooted from pruned shrubs to make more plants. Try air layering for larger transplants.
- Deadheading of spent annuals will keep them blooming. Zinnias and gladioli corms can be planted now for cut flowers in the fall.
- You can still plant tomatoes, squash, and summer peas in the garden. Tomatoes can be rooted from suckers or start seeds in flats about 6 weeks before putting out sets.
- Harvest herbs for cooking and arrangements. Most of them can be cut back and dried or used fresh.
- Many houseplants would like to take a vacation outdoors and breathe some fresh air. A shady porch or backyard table is a good place to give them a “haircut” and take cuttings for pass-along plants to share with other gardeners.
Dead head Zinnias for more flowers.
Laura Lee Rose, ©2022, Clemson Extension
Caladiums are a great asset to the summer shade garden.
Laura Lee Rose, ©2022, Clemson Extension
Midlands- Chase Smoak
- Established lawns, shrubs, and trees should receive around 1 inch of water per week. This includes rainfall. If supplemental irrigation is needed, remember that heavier, clay-based soils should be watered deeply once per week. In contrast, soils with higher sand content should be watered every three days to deliver a total of 1-inch of water.
- If you’re planning to have a fall garden, you may need to replace nutrients. Do not fertilize gardens under drought stress. Instead, wait until a good rain has passed to replenish any nutrients based on a soil analysis.
- Regularly scout your yard and look for insect pest damage and beneficial insects. Remember, if you see a build-up of beneficial insects (natural enemies), it may indicate that a pest population is present and being managed naturally.
- Check for chinch bugs in St. Augustine lawns and get ahead of potentially serious damage.
- Add mulch to flower beds, around trees, and in vegetable gardens. Make sure to keep mulch about one hand width from the base of a plant. This will help negate weed seed germination while also slowing the rate of water evaporation loss from the soil.
Shredded hardwood bark mulch makes an attractive mulch for landscape beds and provides a nice contrast between the beds and the lawn.
Joey Williamson, ©2016 HGIC, Clemson Extension
Upstate – Robert Polomski
- Sow another round of basil, cucumbers, squash, and southern peas. Consider varieties that offer disease resistance, earlier yields, or better flavor.
- Start seeds of Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower for the fall garden. Sow seed indoors or in a partly shaded area outdoors.
- Plant transplants of eggplant, pepper, and tomato for a fall crop. Attention to watering will be needed to get these to grow.
- Continue to deadhead spent flowers and cut back leggy annuals such as salvias and zinnias. This encourages bushiness and produces more flowers.
- Sod can be installed during hot weather as long as you provide sufficient water to keep the soil moist. Before laying the sod, moisten the soil to prevent the roots from coming into contact with excessively hot and dry soil. Water immediately afterward to wet the soil below to a depth of 3 or 4 inches.
- Water recently planted shrubs and trees, which are especially vulnerable to heat and drought. Water thoroughly to encourage deep rooting. Check the rootball and soil before watering instead of relying on the calendar. Avoid overwatering, which can suffocate the plant roots, causing the leaves to wilt. It can also expose the shrub/tree to attack from root rot, a deadly fungal disease that prevails in waterlogged conditions and attacks susceptible plants.
- Don’t fertilize trees and shrubs unless you’re willing to irrigate regularly afterward. Water is necessary to make the fertilizer available to the plant roots and also to keep the new growth healthy and alive. If your healthy-looking shrubs already fit into their allotted space, there’s no reason to encourage any further growth with fertilizer. If your plants are experiencing drought stress, water is what they need most.
Extend your pepper harvest by transplanting hardened-off seedlings this month.
Bob Polomski, ©2022, Clemson Extension
Cherokee Purple is a century-old beefsteak heirloom tomato originally cultivated by Cherokee Indians.
Bob Polomski, ©2022, Clemson Extension
