This Month’s Garden Tasks

August 2010
August is a “mulching and watering” month in the garden.

Garden Prep
Have you been bombarded with garden catalogs like me? They are coming in fast which means it’s time to sit in the shade and dream about next year’s garden. It’s time to order seeds because you’ll want to have them in hand to start planting next month after we get through the hottest weather.

Mulching is an important job in August. A proper mulching will keep evaporation of water down to a minimum and will keep plants’ roots cool, too.

Planting
Bulbs are going to start showing up in nurseries later this month. Good, drought-tolerant bulbs are winners in the garden. Look for freesias and sparaxis, my personal favorites.

Gardening literature says it’s time to sow seeds for the cool weather crops. You can get some started, but traditionally, we’re going into our hottest months through September, so I usually hold off with getting my cool season crops started until mid-September.

If you want to get another tomato crop in, you can plant tomatoes this month. They like the heat, so if you have a south facing wall, that’s the best scenario. Look for the “Early” varieties or varieties with a shorter seed to harvest timeframe.

Although it’s too late to start them from seed, cosmos are a great plant for the fall, so keep an eye out for six-pack starters at the nurseries.

When you are looking for cosmos, look for green onion sets, too. These are great in the garden, fill in corners, and within about 6-8 weeks are ready for eating. Fresh green onions from the garden….hmmmm.

If you want to plant fuchsias, this is a great time to shop. They are in bloom and you can see what the different blooms look like.

This is a great month to plant bougainvillea. Find a nice wall or fence in full sun for your planting area. Planting must be done with care because the root ball is VERY finicky. It’s important not to disturb the root ball when planting. A good trick is to cut the bottom off the pot, place the plant in the hole and slide the pot up and over.

Watering
The temperature is going to go up this month. We know that is a given so it is important to make sure we are on top of our watering. Plants are tougher than we give them credit for, so we don’t need to over-water, but we do need to keep them strong by deep watering. Some plants need more water than others, and pots and container gardens needs extra monitoring when it gets hot. Most of my garden only needs water about every week and a half, but my veggies in the raised beds and my big containers need deep water about every three days. The tomatoes in the ground only need deep watering once a week. A Santa Ana condition will dry out a garden in a day, so know that you will have to be extra attentive if we have a hot dry spell.

Make sure to deep-water your trees, especially the newly planted and young ones.

I’m sure someone will slap my hand for this, but it’s okay to wash down your natives and drought tolerants occasionally. I’m talking about a quick spritz to wash off the plants and let them hydrate a little through their leaves.

Roses love the heat, but only if they are properly watered. Soak them with 1-2 inches of water three times a week. It doesn’t hurt to overhead spray them if the weather is really hot because they can hydrate through their leaves which will help them stay perky. The rule of thumb is to do this earlier in the day so the leaves can all dry off before nightfall.

Fertilizer
Always make sure to water first before fertilizing, especially during hot weather, or you will burn the plants.

Continue feeding veggies and summer annuals every two to three weeks for the next month. They are actively growing and need the food.

Fertilize your citrus again this month. If you get that done right away, you can probably squeeze in another round first thing next month, too; otherwise, this will be the last time you will fertilize citrus for awhile because we don’t want to promote a flush of fresh growth before the cold winter months. My plan of action of minerals designed for citrus next month. A good nursery can help you with finding the appropriate products.

Roses need their fertilizer, but during the hot months, the rose experts say to cut the amount in half so they get steady food without heavy nitrogen so the plants can be slightly dormant in their growth.

Pest & Disease Control
Look over your house plants to check for spider mites, scale and thrips during these warmer months. I put my plants in the shower and wash them thoroughly to clean off the leaves, and let water flush out the salts in the pot. If you do have an infestation of pests, wash your plants with Safer Insecticidal Soap.

Keep an eye out for tomato hornworms and caterpillars on your roses. These can both eat voraciously. The hornworms can take down a tomato plant in a day or two when they are on a roll. Caterpillars on the roses won’t kill them, but your bushes will look awful. Keep BT (Bacillus Thuringenus) or Spinosad handy for spraying at the first sign. You can be proactive and spray ahead, but I tend to wait so I don’t kill other beneficials in the garden unless I absolutely have to.

With the heat, some plants, particularly the tropicals, will be more susceptible to whitefly. Hibiscus suffers badly and if you let it get out of hand, you will lose the battle! Wash off plants, don’t forget underneath, to stay ahead of the problem. The plants will love a shower, too.

Pruning
This is the month to de-thatch warm season lawns. The rule of thumb is to thatch if the lawn build-up is over ½ inch. If it is less than that leave it alone for another year because it helps conserve the moisture of the lawn’s roots. If the thatch is too thick, the water can’t penetrate down to the roots.

Cool season lawns need to be allowed to grow higher during the hot weather, so raise up the blades on your mower.

Geraniums and pelargoniums – time to pinch back your geraniums and pelargoniums to shape and clean out. Pinch above where new growth has started, closer to the base of the plants.

Hydrangeas – hydrangeas bloom on old wood, so when you prune these back, leave three buds on each stem.

If your citrus trees are sending up suckers from the base, pull them off, don’t cut them or they will grow back.

Wisteria is almost done growing for the season. It is important to stay on top of pruning or all those little wispy ends will get knotted up and form a mat. Clean them out, picking the best ones to train. When you trim back wisteria, leave two buds on each stem you trim back. These old-wood branches will produce your beautiful wisteria flowers you will covet next spring!

Roses could use a good trimming right now. Cut them back about one-third to clean them out and shape them up. Pruning will encourage another bloom in the fall, so hit them with fertilizer if you haven’t done so already.

Miscellaneous
Don’t forget to sit on the porch and enjoy some quiet time in your garden. My sunflowers are in bloom right now and it is so great to look out and see all the “happy” faces in the garden. My dahlias are show stoppers, and the tomatoes are ripening in droves. People wander by and give the garden nice compliments. It’s nice to give a little tour and a tomato or two!

HAPPY GARDENING!!!
Credit where credit is due: This monthly garden chores compilation comes from a lot of resources, past and present, including: Sunset Magazine, Union-Tribune, San Diego Floral Association, San Diego Horticulture Society, San Diego Home & Garden, Anderson’s La Costa Nursery, miscellaneous tidbits found on the web, in the library, from fellow gardeners, and personal experience in the garden.