The June Gardener

Lawns: If you had grub damage to your lawn last summer, the best time to control them is mid-June to mid-July, before grub damage occurs. Some control can be obtained when applied through mid-August. It will take insecticides three weeks to kill the grubs. Use insecticides only if you find more than eight grubs per square foot and you had a large population of grubs last year. Water your lawn prior to and after application of the insecticide. Home Depot and Lowes offer several kinds of grub control products, the most popular being Scotts GrubEx.

June is a good time to fertilize zoysiagrass.  Apply one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.

Due to summer’s heat and humidity, brown patch is a common fungal disease that is active now in tall fescue grass lawns. Fungicides are not generally recommended for this disease because the infected grass will recover in the fall when the weather turns cooler and less humid. You just need to be patient.

Woody Ornamental Plants: If you planted trees or shrubs this spring, be sure to keep them well-watered through any hot and dry weather. Thoroughly soak the root ball every few days. A 2-3 inch layer of mulch is helpful. Do not allow the mulch to touch the trunk. Remove the spent blossoms of lilac and rhododendrons, but leave viburnum blossoms alone because they will provide berries for wildlife.

Annuals and Perennials: Attract beneficial insects to your garden by planting a wide variety of flowering annuals and perennials that will bloom over the entire growing season. Good choices are plants in the following families: daisy (marigolds, daises, asters, mums), carrot (dill, fennel, anise, yarrow, parsley) and mint (all mints and thymes). Pinch out the flower buds of asters, mums, goldenrod and other fall bloomers to keep plants bushy and to prevent early flowering. Leave spring bulb foliage alone until it dies back naturally. Don’t fold over or braid foliage. The bulb, at this time, absorbs the nutrients it requires for growth the following year.

If you planted flower boxes, pots or hanging baskets with annuals and ornamental grasses, be sure to water them regularly and fertilize monthly since these plants don’t get nutrients or water from the ground. If you used porous clay pots or wire containers lined with cocoa mat, these dry out very quickly and are easily forgotten when the weather starts to get very hot. You will need to check them regularly for dryness.

Well, I’m off to enjoy the rest of the summer in my garden. I will see you in September. Have a safe and enjoyable July and August.