August To Do List

Plant: ornamental & wildlife

Not a great time to plant. If you must, shade newcomers and water daily if soil is dry.

Plant: food crops

Prune

OKAY to prune red oaks and live oaks until February. Spray immediately with clear varnish.
No need to apply pruning paint to other trees
Dead head flowering plants
Late August to early September: lightly prune perennials and roses to encourage fall blooming
Cut stalks of plants like coneflower to the rosette

Fertilize

Foliar feed flowers and vegetables with liquid seaweed
Container annuals
Citrus with high nitrogen fertilizer like Citrus-tone. Fertilize every few weeks through growing season.

Insects

Watch for aphids and spider mites. It’s easy to spray them off with a hard blast of water. Be sure to get the undersides of the leaves.
Aphids and other insects can plague crape myrtles and other trees in summer (“raining trees” are due to the honeydew secretions). Blast with water hose on regular basis.
Aphids and other insects can create sooty mold on plants, a fungus that develops from their secretions (honeydew). Wash off the culprits and the leaves. Remove damaged leaves to the trash (not the compost pile).

Lawn

Keep that lawn mower setting on high. Keep the roots cool by leaving the grass long. Don’t remove more than 1/3 of the top at a time. Leave clippings on the lawn to naturally fertilize.
It’s very important to keep the grass high in August. If September brings cooler weather and rain, weed seeds will start to germinate.

Prep

Start planning the fall garden. Clean up debris in the vegetable garden. Apply compost and mix in organic slow-release granular fertilizer to get ready for fall plantings
Explore native wildlflower seeds to plant this fall
Think about next spring and the perennializing bulbs to add this fall

Other tasks

Solarize areas where you want to kill grass or weed pests for future planting
Collect seeds from summer blooming plants. Clean off the chaff and let dry indoors. Store in jars, envelopes, or paper bags (not plastic) to plant next spring.
Deeply water new plants. Even if rain comes, check the soil to 3” deep to make sure their roots have water. A brief shower doesn’t mean it penetrated to the roots.
Keep a garden journal to note bloom times and insect habits.

Tips

Prune herbs often to encourage new growth
Water fruit and nut trees deeply to avoid fruit drop-off
Accept August! Plants are hunkered down, like we are. They’ll perk back up soon.

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