July      

The spring winds along the coast are over, and the warm days of summer have arrived. Expect morning fog and afternoon breezes at the coast with high temperatures often in the 70s. Inland it's just plain hot with high temperatures in the 80s and 90s or higher. Efficient watering is all important this month!

  Water

Shallow watering is the number one cause of thin and weedy lawns. A lawn needs a half inch of water every three days during the summer in coastal areas. Inland lawns need a full inch every three days. This is enough water to keep the root zone moist, a depth of 6 to 8 inches. The best way to check soil moisture is with a soil probe. Be sure to water again when your footprints in the grass look gray and do not quickly spring back. This is the first sign of wilting.

Check your sprinklers and your drip system. Clean them out if they are clogged. Brown areas in your lawn are usually the result of poorly adjusted or poorly placed sprinklers.

  Weeds

Keep weeds under control by proper mowing and watering and by spot spraying if necessary. Crabgrass is a summer annual weed that should be controlled with a weed preventer applied in February. If crabgrass does emerge, it can be controlled by spot spraying in early summer. Use a Crabgrass and Nutsedge Killer (MSMA).

  Fertilize

Summer fertilizers are slow release formulations. You may also apply Ammonium Sulfate at half the usual rate. Use a rotary spreader for quick and even coverage. Fertilize lawns on the 4th of July with a nitrogen fertilizer like ammonium sulfate or urea at half strength, full strength for bermuda. A thick lawn will crowd out weeds, and a lawn that is actively growing will resist the spread of fungus diseases.

On the 4th of July, fertilize hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas and gardenias with an acid fertilizer. Follow up a week later with liquid iron. Citrus need iron too -- plus a high nitrogen fertilizer like ammonium sulfate. Fertilize roses after each new flush of bloom.

  Mulch

Renew mulch if it has become thin. It should be at least two inches thick to be most effective during the summer. Mulch prevents the growth of weeds and the loss of water through evaporation. Use grass clippings as a mulch; when they have dried, you can improve their appearance with a thin layer of organic compost applied on top.

  Harvest

You should be picking tomatoes by now. But it's still not too late to plant tomatoes and other summer veggies. Plant them now, and they will last until frost. For uninterrupted production, keep tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and zucchini harvested.

Plums, apricots, peaches and nectarines will be ready to harvest this month. Don't let them go to waste or rot on the ground. If you need a small tree for the landscape, you should consider planting a fruit tree. The care and pruning you give these trees in the winter will provide you with a handsome, medium sized tree all year long.

Apricots and plums often produce a heavy crop one year and a very light one the next. The tree in the photo was loaded with apricots, but they weren't thinned in May, so the fruit are not very large. It really does pay to take the time to thin the fruit to no less than 3 inches apart. You'll get large and delicious fruit if you do.

  Pests

Summer pests include mites, thrips, lacebugs, budworms, whiteflies and powdery mildew. Hose foliage off in the morning, using soapy water in a hose end sprayer occasionally. Be sure to spray the undersides of the plants leaves to disrupt mites and insects.

If you didn't apply a crabgrass preventer last winter, you should use a crabgrass spray before the weed matures. Next year, remember to apply a weed preventer in February or March.

  On Show in July!

      What's in bloom in July? All of the hot weather annuals are in full bloom -- marigolds, petunias, zinnias and many others. These annuals will bloom all summer if you remove the spent flowers, a process called deadheading.

Perennials in bloom? Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia) and Crocosmia bloom in bright scarlet orange for striking summer color. Amaryllis belladona, called Naked Lady, blooms in a soft pink. The foliage does not emerge until the flowers fade.

Many shrubs are in flower during this first full month of summer. Here are a few. Do you know more?

Abelia x grandiflora   Glossy Abelia
Carissa macrocarpa   Natal Plum (likes hot weather)
Hydrangea macrophylla   Bigleaf Hydrangea (photo at top of page)
Melaleuca nesophila   Pink Melaleuca
Myrtus communis   True Myrtle (watch for thrips)
Heteromeles arbutifolia   Toyon or California Holly (thrips and lacebugs)

These blooming shrubs are all in the Mallow or Hibiscus family (Malvaceae). Watch for aphids and scale insects on these plants.

Abutilon hybridum   Chinese Lanterns
Alyogyne huegelii   Blue Hibiscus
Anisodontea hypomandarum   Dwarf Pink Hibiscus or Cape Mallow
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis   Hibiscus or Rose of China
Hibiscus syriacus   Rose of Sharon
Lavatera assurgentiflora   California Tree Mallow

Trees in bloom this month include Crape Myrtle in all of its various bright colors and the restrained Japanese Privet. See August page for more trees that bloom in the July and August.

   
Lagerstroemia indica     Ligustrum japonica  
Crape Myrtle                  Japanese Privet     

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© 1997 by Jim Clatfelter.

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