| JUNE
Plant: Plant: Select and plant crape myrtles
which are the exact color and mature plant height you want by
choosing from the hybrid, disease-resistant varieties listed at:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/trees/crape_myrtle_varieties.html.
Local nurserymen will also have this listing of crape myrtle characteristics.
A wide variety of hot-weather-loving plants for summer color can
be transplanted now such as salvia, purslane, copper plant, firespike,
lantana and firebush. Late June is a good time to start seeds
directly into the planting area for a fall crop of warm season
vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. It is also
a good time to start summer annuals such as cockscomb, cosmos,
marigolds, periwinkles, and zinnias from seed. Container-grown
tree and shrubs can be selected and planted, but be certain to
maintain adequate moisture in the root zone to avoid injury or
death during summer's heat and dry weather. June's warm soils
make this an ideal time to establish or renovate the home lawn.
Bermudagrass for all sun/no shade, St. Augustine for all sun/partial
shade and zoysia for all sun/partial shade all produce acceptable
turfs in this area. Floratam St. Augustine (http://www.plantanswers.com/grass.htm)
is the best St. Augustine for this area. Bermudagrass seed can
be planted in areas which are not shaded. Try some of the hybrid
bermuda seed such as Sahara or Cheyenne and remember to keep the
planting moist EVERY day until seed germination occurs in 10-14
days. Vegetables to plant now will include black-eyed peas, okra,
sweet corn, cucumbers, peppers, New Zealand spinach and squash.
Prune: Limited pruning is the best practice
at this time of the year. Diseased or storm-damaged branches of
trees should be pruned immediately, but avoid major or drastic
pruning of trees through mid-summer. Prune hedges on an as-needed
basis, but avoid severe pruning.
Fertilize: Fertilize again this month with a
complete fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio analysis. Use
one of the slow-release nitrogen forms (19-5-9,15-5-10, 20-5-10)
of fertilizer for best results. Water in well following the fertilizer
application. Many landscape and garden plants will exhibit symptoms
of "iron deficiency"- with yellow leaves and darker
green veins. This condition will only grow worse and the affected
plant will decline and die if not corrected with generous quantities
of iron sulfate mixed with organic material. Alkaline soils of
this area of the state require frequent summer applications of
iron-containing products such as Iron Plus or Green Sand to correct
or prevent iron deficiency of plants. Mulches can be used to increase
the availability of iron for plant uptake in the soil by making
a synthetic iron chelate. If iron is applied directly to the soil,
calcium in the soil causes the iron particles to be unavailable
for plant uptake. Gardeners can make a synthetic chelate with
mulch by mixing one cup of iron sulfate (copperas) to each bushel
of mulch applied. Iron particles will adhere to the surface of
the mulching material and will be released for plant use as decomposition
occurs around plants. Iron sulfate treated mulches are also effective
when incorporated into the soil. Iron sulfate (copperas) or chelated
iron as a foliar spray can provide a rapid-but-temporary green-up.
A light application of fertilizer to beds of summer annuals will
give them a boast. Heavy producing vegetable crops will also benefit
from supplemental fertilizer . Use two pounds (or two cups) of
the slow-release fertilizer (mentioned above) evenly distributed
in a 100 square feet area every three weeks.
On the Lookout: Aphids on tender, young foliage;
lacebugs on pyracantha, lantana and sycamore; bagworms on junipers;
stinkbugs on fruit and vegetable plants; webworms on pecan trees.
Chinch bugs can appear in St. Augustine lawns (except for Floratam
St. Augustine which is chinch bug resistant) anytime from now
through late summer.* For photos of various insect pests and a
listing of control measures, see: http://hortipm.tamu.edu/
Odd Jobs: Raise your lawn mower blade height
setting to 3 inches(or as high as your mower will mow) this month
for St. Augustine grass. Continue to mow Bermudagrass at 1 to
1 ½ inches throughout the summer. Use mulch generously
around (but not piled on the trunks) trees, shrubs and landscape
and garden plants, as well as in the vegetable garden. When watering,
apply sufficient moisture to soak the soil to a depth of 6 to
8 inches. Watering early in the day is preferred to early evening
or mid-day.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homelandscape/water/water.html
June Calendar by Dr. Tom Harris
Color
Firebush is a favorite hummingbird plant and lantanas are a great
butterfly bush. Lantanas are deer resistant. Plant vincas in full
sun. Shade plants include coleus, caladiums, firespike and begonias.
Leave the bougainvilleas in full sun and fertilize them regularly
with hibiscus food or soluble fertilizer. Moss rose and purslane
are showy all month long in full sun. Remove spent flowers from
perennials for more blooms. Don't let the weeds get ahead of you.
Weed regularly. Keep up the fertilizer on the roses. Control spider
mites with Neem Oil sprays*one tablespoon per gallon of water*applied
under the leaves. Liquid Seaweed applied every 5-7 days helps
control spidermite populations. House plants can be moved outside
now. Sink them into the ground to help keep them from drying out
so fast. As the above-ground foliage turns brown, consider digging
and dividing spring-flowering perennial bulbs. They need this
about every 3-4 years.
Fruits and Nuts
Peaches, apples, plums and blackberries with developing fruit
must receive regular moisture or the fruit will not develop appropriately
and may be dropped. Figs are especially sensitive to dry soil.
After you complete the harvest of your peaches and plums, drench
the trunk with Lorsban to control borers. Prune out old blackberry
canes (the ones that bore fruit this year) to make way for the
new canes.
Shade Trees and Shrubs
Your established trees and bushes should do well without supplemental
watering. Newly planted trees, however, need deep watering by
hand when the soil dries to one inch. Remember to mulch 4 inches
deep around new trees BUT NOT ON TRUNKS so that they don't have
to compete with grass. There are a large number of salvias available.
Most species are deer resistant in some neighborhoods and drought
tolerant. Keep them compact by shearing. Crape myrtles reach full
bloom in June. Deadhead spent flowers for more bloom. Control
aphids with acephate (Orthene) and powdery mildew with Funginex
or almost any fungicide. Use a weekly spray program to protect
your roses from insects and black spot. Alternate fungicide with
insecticide weekly. Be sure to follow label directions. Be sure
to harvest peaches when their background color changes from green
to yellow. Keep fruit trees well watered if they're still producing.
Cut suckers from the roots of trees*don't use herbicides such
as Roundup; it will damage the mother tree as well.
Turf Grass
Irrigate the lawn grass only if it hasn't rained in the last two
weeks, and then no more than 3/4 inch of water on the St. Augustine*less
for Zoysia, Bermuda, and Buffalo. Water only the most important
part of your lawn and let the rest go dormant until we get rain.
Keep the mower blade sharp. If you had grub or chinch bug problems
last year, treat the lawn at the end of the month. Follow the
directions on the bag.
Vegetables
Harvest your vegetables on a regular basis to keep quality high.
You can still plant southern peas, eggplant, and okra for mid-summer
vegetables. Use a Bt product such as Thuricide, Dipel or Biological
Worm Control to control hornworms, fruit-eating pinworms, and
other caterpillars. Pull non-producing plants*especially the tomatoes--before
diseases and spider mites move in. Put them in the compost pile.
Powdery mildew will probably take the viney plants this month.
Pull them out and wait for fall.
June Calendar by Dr. Tom Harris
Color
Firebush is a favorite hummingbird plant and Lantanas are a great
butterfly bush. Lantanas are deer resistant. Plant Vincas in full
sun. Shade plants include coleus, caladiums, firespike and begonias.
Leave the bougainvilleas in full sun and fertilize them regularly
with hibiscus food or soluble fertilizer. Moss rose and purslane
are showy all month long in full sun. Remove spent flowers from
perennials for more blooms. Don't let the weeds get ahead of you.
Weed regularly. Keep up the fertilizer on the roses. Control spider
mites with soap sprays-one tablespoon per gallon of water-applied
under the leaves.
House plants can be moved outside now. Sink them into the ground
to help keep them from drying out so fast. As the above-ground
foliage turns brown, consider digging and dividing spring-flowering
perennial bulbs. They need this about every 3-4 years to keep
on producing the flowers you thought you bought.
Fruits and Nuts
Peaches, apples, plums and blackberries with developing fruit
must receive regular moisture or the fruit will not develop appropriately
and may be dropped. Figs are especially sensitive to dry soil.
Prune out old blackberry canes (the ones that bore fruit this
year) to make way for the new canes.
Shade Trees and Shrubs
Your established trees and bushes should do well without supplemental
watering. Newly planted trees, however, need deep watering by
hand when the soil dries to one inch. Remember to mulch 4 inches
deep around new trees so that they don't have to compete with
grass. There are a large number of salvias available. Most species
are deer resistant in some neighborhoods and drought tolerant.
Keep them compact by shearing. Crape myrtles reach full bloom
in June. Deadhead spent flowers for more bloom. Control aphids
with acephate (Orthene) and powdery mildew with Funginex or almost
any fungicide. Use a weekly spray program to protect your roses
from insects and black spot. Alternate fungicide with insecticide
weekly. Be sure to follow label directions. Be sure to harvest
peaches when their back ground color changes from green to yellow.
Keep fruit trees well watered if they're still producing. Cut
suckers from the roots of trees-don't use Roundup; it could damage
the mother tree as well.
Turf Grass
Irrigate the lawn grass only if it hasn't rained in the last two
weeks, and then add an inch of water on the St. Augustine-less
for Zoysia, Bermuda, and Buffalo. Water only the most important
part of your lawn and let the rest go dormant until we get rain.
Keep the mower blade sharp. If you had grub or chinch bug problems
last year, treat the lawn at the end of the month. Follow the
directions on the bag.
Vegetables
Harvest your vegetables on a regular basis to keep quality high.
You can still plant southern peas, eggplant, and okra for mid-summer
vegetables. Use Bt to control hornworms, fruit-eating pinworms,
and other caterpillars. Use bags of oak leaves for mulch. Pull
non-producing plants-especially the tomatoes--before diseases
and spider mites move in. Put them in the compost pile. Powdery
mildew will probably take the vine plants this month. Pull them
out and wait for fall to replant.
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