Gardening Corner August

It's hot, it's raining, buggy, YECH!
Wear bug spray, sun screen, cover your head, make lemonade, find a shady spot and kick back and enjoy your yard.

If your feeling motivated, try gardening in the early morning or early evening. If your trimming plants, don't remove more than 1/2 of the shrubs greenery. An unforseen storm could cause additional wind damage. After trimming wait till the plant greens up again with new foliage and then trim another part.

Be hurricane prepared. Most trees should have been trimmed by now. Many trees suffered damage from last years storms and have become rather dense. Wind is supposed to be able to pass through a trees canopy. If it is too dense it
you may run the risk of having it topple; as it acts as a wall to the wind. Remember that tree debris pick up is suspended before a storm..so trim before pick up on Tues. morning. Remove all dead wood, and broken branches from a tree.

Lawns usually show a lot of stress this time of year. Remember if it rains to cut back on the sprinklers. If your lawn is yellowing it may need a fertilizer boost. Try using an ironizer instead of a nitrogen rich fertilizer. The latter will cause the grass to grow and need more frequent mowing. Unfortunatley at this time of year lawns do require weekly cuts. Without the frequent cutting, weeds have the opportunity to go to seed. One thing we don't need is more weeds.

Patchy lawns, with spots of brown or yellow can also be a sign of either fungus or insect activity..fungus usually appears as spots on the blades before it starts to take hold. Insects on the other hand may need more immediate attention. Most of us have St. Augustine lawns, they're chinch bug resistant. That does not mean that the grass won't succumb to chinch bugs or sod worms...ew. The insects love the increased humidity and can destroy a lawn rather quickly. There are many fungicides and insecticides to choose from, read the directions, apply and reapply 7-14 days later as directed.

Happy, and safe gardening.
JOY Schwartz

ANY QUESTIONS please call 994-1346

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