The heat is on! Summer is in full swing and Stew Leonard’s Garden Jeannie shared her tips and tricks for keeping your lawn, garden, and flowers looking bright and beautiful.
LAWN CARE
July is the perfect time to fertilize the lawn with Scott’s Step 3! The fertilizer will help to strengthen and protect your lawn from the perils of summer, including heat, drought, and summer insects.
If you suspect that there may be insects in your lawn, now is the time to apply a fertilizer that also contains an insecticide, like Scotts® GrubEx.
Make sure to sharpen the mower blades and set them to three inches for optimal grass health.
Remember to water your garden and lawn when there’s not enough rainfall. It’s best to turn on the hose for a deep soak every morning; make sure you’re giving your plants, especially newly planted trees and shrubs, about 1 – 1 ½ inches of water every week!
TOMATOES
Keep your eye on your tomatoes during the month of July! Be sure to water from the ground up and don’t water the leaves, which may lead to fungus and aphids developing.
To protect tomatoes from late blight, apply a fungicide containing chlorothalonil or copper at this time and repeat weekly.
If your tomatoes have gotten waterlogged due to rain or overwatering, you may notice aphids or white flies on your tomatoes; these can be controlled by applying Bonide Rose RX 3-in-1 Spray, which is an insecticide, miticide and fungicide all in one. The best part is that it is organic - you can use this product on anything! It doesn’t have to be just roses.
Continue to remove any suckers on the tomato plants.
ROSES
Now is the time to deadhead grandiflora and hybrid tea roses.
Check your roses for any signs of diseases such as black spot, which is a fungal disease that may occur because of excessive rain and hot, humid conditions.
When watering roses, water at the ground level and avoid watering the leaves, which can become a host for germinating fungal spores.
If you notice any type of disease or infestation, apply Bonide Rose RX 3-in-1, which will control insect, fungus and mites.
HYDRANGEAS
The biggest question our Garden Shoppe experts get this time of year is, “Why aren’t my hydrangeas blooming?” There could be many reasons, including unfavorable weather conditions in early spring where we received warm spells followed by freezing temperatures. Depending on the type of hydrangea (i.e., if it blooms on old growth), this will destroy any flowering for the current season. Another reason can be because of improper pruning in the fall: if the stems were cut back too low, the blooms may have been removed. It is best to prune hydrangeas after they have bloomed and then leave them alone until the next year. I prune by cutting the flowers and enjoying them in a vase!
PERENNIALS
Most perennials will also need some care by now. Salvias, coreopsis, perennial geraniums and dianthus will need deadheading. It is important to deadhead to prevent the plant setting seed and stopping any re-blooming from occurring. Each year there are more hybrids of perennials that are re-bloomers and therefore it is more important to deadhead.
There are many perennials just beginning to set bloom such as daylilies heliopsis, gaillardia, heuchera phlox, and rudbeckia.
Not sure how to deadhead? Check out our video with step by step instructions!
