The Garden Column: Gardening Tips For August
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
By Juergen Jaenicke, MG
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)
1. Don’t prune or fertilize trees or shrubs now; otherwise unnecessary late growth will be promoted. The new groth will not be hardy this winter.
2. Iron deficiancy may be aproblem on azaleas an other Eraceous plants. This shows up as yellowish leaves with green veins. Apply iron chelates to counteract this deficiency.
3. Continue to water lawns thouroughly once a week during this dry period.
4. Remember not to spray herbicides on the lawn during present hot temperatures. This will keep ornamentals from being damaged.
5. Constantly be alert for the presence of chinch bugs. Sod webworms are also continuing to damage lawns.
6. Fusarium and Verticillium wilt may be present on tomato plants. (Not mine!) Use resistant varieties next year.
7. Spray grapes for black rot with copper ammonium carbonate, copper soap (copper octanoate), copper sufate, mclobutanil or a multi-purpose spray containing captan labeled for black rot.
8. Cut rasberry and blackberry canes that have just fruited.
9. Aphids that are sucking juices from maple and weeping willow leaves are dropping heneydew. The leaves have a mottled appearance. Spray when observed (with acephate, cyfluthrin, insecticidal soap, or horticultural oil). Do not apply insecticidal soap to japanese maple. Do not apply acephate to sugar or red maple. Bagworm larvae are actively feeding now, but spraying for control is only effective in June. On small plants, hand pick, put into a bag and destroy them now.
(Courtesy Cornell Cooperative Extension)
1. Don’t prune or fertilize trees or shrubs now; otherwise unnecessary late growth will be promoted. The new groth will not be hardy this winter.
2. Iron deficiancy may be aproblem on azaleas an other Eraceous plants. This shows up as yellowish leaves with green veins. Apply iron chelates to counteract this deficiency.
3. Continue to water lawns thouroughly once a week during this dry period.
4. Remember not to spray herbicides on the lawn during present hot temperatures. This will keep ornamentals from being damaged.
5. Constantly be alert for the presence of chinch bugs. Sod webworms are also continuing to damage lawns.
6. Fusarium and Verticillium wilt may be present on tomato plants. (Not mine!) Use resistant varieties next year.
7. Spray grapes for black rot with copper ammonium carbonate, copper soap (copper octanoate), copper sufate, mclobutanil or a multi-purpose spray containing captan labeled for black rot.
8. Cut rasberry and blackberry canes that have just fruited.
9. Aphids that are sucking juices from maple and weeping willow leaves are dropping heneydew. The leaves have a mottled appearance. Spray when observed (with acephate, cyfluthrin, insecticidal soap, or horticultural oil). Do not apply insecticidal soap to japanese maple. Do not apply acephate to sugar or red maple. Bagworm larvae are actively feeding now, but spraying for control is only effective in June. On small plants, hand pick, put into a bag and destroy them now.