Yellow Cloudless Sulphur butterfly, Phoebis sennae, on Ixora coccinea.
Average temperatures High 92 Low 73
Florida Rainfall 7.15 inches
What to plant:
Vegetables: Boniato, calabaza, cherry tomato, okra, Southern pea, Seminole pumpkin, sweet cassava, roselle, sweet potato and yard-long bean; start transplants of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes from seed in mid-July.
Flowers: Angelonia, ageratum, begonia, blue daze, bush daisy, butterfly plant, bulbine, cat's whiskers, coleus, crossandra, false heather, fire spike, gaillardia, ginger, goldenrod, impatiens, Joseph’s coat, lantana, marigold, melampodium, Mexican petunia, Mexican sunflower, moon flower, ornamental sweet potato, pentas, periwinkle, porter weed, portulaca, purslane, salvia, sunflower, torenia and classic zinnia.
Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, chive, dill, ginger, lemon balm, Mexican tarragon, mint, oregano, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme.
Bulb-type plants: Achimenes, African iris, bulbine, caladium, canna, crinum, crocosmia, day lily, eucharis lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, peacock ginger, society garlic, spiderwort, rain lily and walking iris.
Lawn Care
July is a good time to fill in bare or now weedy spots in turf left by drought or pests with plugs or seed.
Always get a soil test from UF/IFAS before fertilizing.
Summer fertilizer applications are prohibited in many areas. Wait till October to fertilize.
Application of an iron-only product can be substituted to help lawns green up.
Determine the proper height for your lawn type; grasses are mowed at different heights.
Mow once or twice a week to keep lawns at their proper height after normal growth.
New lawns can be established from seed, sod or plugs
Mow in a different direction at each cutting to prevent ruts
Avoid mowing when the lawn is hot and dry to prevent damage from mower wheels.
If temperatures are over 85 degrees, do not use herbicides. Dig up and remove weeds.
No need to irrigate is yard receives 2” of water a week.
Water lawns 2x a week if there is inadequate rainfall.
Trim overgrown shrubs and turf grass hiding sprinklers to ensure proper watering.
Walk yards once a week to check for turf pests.
Lawn moths can arrive anytime now; control sod webworms when chewing damage is noted.
Chinch bugs have been active in St. Augustine lawns; control at first sign of turf decline.
Check for mealybugs, billbugs and nematodes in zoysia lawns and treat as needed.
If less than 5 hours of full sun or under trees, do not plant turf.
Vegetable and Fruit Care
Very few popular vegetables like the heat and rains; many home gardeners rest their gardens.
Do control weeds in and near the gardens that flourish with the rains.
Consider soil solarization during summer as a way to bake pests out of gardens.
Start tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds for mid-August transplants.
Make sure all gardens have daylong full sun exposure and a nearby water source.
Add organic matter to sandy soils and old garden site to have them ready for planting.
Local compost, manures or commercial garden soils are good sources of organic matter.
Use only composted manures or till manures into the garden 90 days before planting.
Test the soil acidity of planting sites and adjust the pH as needed.
Remove declining crops to help eliminate pests before the next plantings.
Seldom is it worth continuing lingering tomato, peppers and eggplants into fall.
Feed summer vegetable plantings monthly or use a slow release fertilizer as instructed.
Many herbs struggle during hot wet summers; groom, feed lightly and keep a bit dry.
Locate or order seeds for late summer planting; place them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Give fruit trees and shrubs a mid-summer fertilizer application.
Select fruits you like to grow and add them to the landscape; make sure they stay moist.
Apply insecticide and minor nutrient spray to citrus trees at each flush of new growth.
Keep figs moist, feed lightly and maintain a mulch to avoid summer fruit drop.
Prune blueberries when the harvest is over; also check and adjust the soil acidity.
Remove declining stems from black blackberries to allow new growths to restart the bushes.
Give fruit trees light trimmings as needed to direct growth.
In Your Landscape
Weeds grow as well as desired plants; pull, hoe or chemically control as needed.
Summer rains can stimulate lots of new growth; perform timely pruning as needed.
Use of hand pruners to selectively remove stems or stem portions is the best way to trim plants.
Lower limbs can be removed from trees that interfere with traffic or work.
Groom roses to remove faded blooms, tall stems and declining portions.
New trees, shrubs and ground covers can be planted; do keep the root balls moist.
Pruning time for azaleas and camellias is over; continue to prune gardenias and bougainvillea.
No need to prune crapemyrtles except for suckers at base or crisscrossing branches.
Remove 4- to 6-inches of new growth from poinsettias to encourage compact growth.
Prune hydrangeas to remove old flower clusters and reshape plants when the blossoms fade.
Hang orchids from trees and feed every other week for best growth and flowering.
Use easy to maintain container gardens as accents for entrances, porches and patios.
Feed outdoor container plantings every two weeks or use slow release fertilizer as labeled.
Daily rains may not completely moisten container gardens; check frequently for water needs.
Maintain mulch layers at 2 to 3 inches with trees and shrubs.
Delay transplanting established in ground trees and shrubs until late fall or winter.
Mushrooms are common during the rainy season; remove them if children or pets are present. Divide and replant perennials including shasta daises, gerbera, bromeliads and many bulbs.
Trim seed heads from spring flowering annuals and perennials; save seeds for replanting.
Root 4- to 6-inch tip cuttings from shrubs and perennials.
Feed water gardens monthly and remove declining foliage and blooms.
Feed new and established palms every other month or use a slow release fertilizer as labeled.
Many palms are declining due to diseases; sterilize pruners between palms to prevent the spread.
Leave as many green fronds on your palms as possible to keep them vigorous and healthy.
Prune hedges when the new growth reaches 6- to 12-inches or allow them to grow naturally.
Mosquitoes are a concern when working in the landscape; use Mosquito Bits and Dunks B/T in bird baths and bromeliads.
Empty water from pots, old tires and similar containers to help reduce mosquitos.
House and foliage plants
Consider low light container gardens for long lasting indoor foliage displays.
Use foliage plants in shady areas of patios, at entrances and along walkways.
Groom and divide indoor plants to keep them attractive.
Trim overgrown house plants; use trimmings for cuttings.
Transplant root bound foliage plants into larger containers.
Make sure new containers and established plants have adequate drainage.
Feed home and outdoor foliage plants with a slow release fertilizer as instructed.
Check for summer pests of mealybugs and scale insects; control with natural sprays.
No need to put rocks, gravel, at bottom of containers.
Ask a friend to care for your plants during vacation or move them outside to a shady spot.