What To Do In Your Backyard in August

Central Florida

Average temperatures  High 92    Low 74

Rainfall 7.69 inches

(https://weather.com)

August plantings

 Vegetables:

Cantaloupe, collard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, lima bean, okra, pepper, pumpkin, snap bean, southern pea, squash, tomato and watermelon

Flowers:

Amaranthus, angelonia, begonia, black-eyed Susan vine, blue daze, butterfly weed, bush daisy, cat's whiskers, celosia, chrysanthemums, coleus, coneflowers, coreopsis, crossandra, dusty miller, firespike, gaura, golden globe, gomphrena. heliconia, hibiscus, impatiens, kalanchoe, Justicia, lantana, marigold, melampodium, moon flower, pentas, periwinkle, plumbago, porter weed, portulaca, purslane, roses, salvia, Stokes aster, sunflower, torenia, tropical sage, and zinnia.

Herbs:

Anise, basil, bay laurel, cardamom, chives, Cuban oregano, cumin, dill, ginger, lemon balm, lemon grass, Mexican tarragon, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, thyme, and turmeric.

Bulbs type plants:

African iris, agapanthus, amaryllis, blood lilies, bulbine, canna, crinum, crocosmia, day lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, kaffir lily, Louisiana iris, society garlic, star flowers, rain lily, tuberose, and walking iris.

Vegetable & Fruit Care

·       Warm winters encouraged growth & fruiting of mangoes and lychee, prune after harvest.

·       Check pineapples: fruits are ready when fragrant and  turn yellow to orange.

·       Feed bananas and figs monthly but lightly; keep moist and mulched.

·       Give grape, apple and peach plantings a summer feeding. Follow label instructions.

·       Many gardens have filled with summer weeds; remove and lightly till the soil for planting.

·       Enrich sandy soils and old garden sites with organic soils, organic matter and manure.

·       Test soil acidity and adjust the pH if needed before planting in ground and in containers.

·       Remove plastic from solarization after treatments and plant immediately.

·       Transplants started in July should be ready for the garden during mid to late August.

·       Plant quick growing warm season vegetables mid-August through early September.

·       Seeds of melons and pumpkins must be planted during early August.

·       Grow vegetables in large containers with a good potting soil if you have limited space.

·       Give tomatoes an extra-large container and keep them moist to prevent blossom-end rot.

·       Groom and feed herbs monthly; shelter container-grown herbs from the daily rains.

·       Mints in containers that stop growing may only need dividing and more fertilizer.

·       Clean containers between crops and add  fresh potting soil.

·       Plant flowers that attract pollinators among vegetables to obtain better fruit set.

·       Where possible, plant nematode-resistant vegetable varieties.

·       Open wide, 8-inch or deeper holes in nematode infested beds and fill with fresh pest-free soil or organic compost.

·       Begin staking or trellising taller growing crops when young.

·       Mulch new plantings to conserve water and promote better plant growth.

·       Feed sweet potatoes monthly and check for ready-to-harvest potatoes after 100 days.

·       Feed citrus with ¼ pound of citrus fertilizer per inch of trunk circumference.

·       Apply a minor nutrient spray and insecticide to citrus at each flush of new growth.

Lawn Care

·       Mow lawns higher to encourage deeper roots during droughts.

·       Sharpen dull mower blades.

·       Lawns may appear yellow green by mid-summer; apply an iron treatment where permitted.

·       Sod webworms have been feeding in lawns; apply a natural control if needed.

·       Set up an inexpensive rain gauge or clean pet food can to keep track of rainfall on your yard.

·       If you’re lucky to have consistent rainfall, turn off irrigation systems during rainy periods; lawns can go several days without water.

·       Allowing your lawn to wilt a little between waterings helps deepen the root system.

·       Raise or replace pop-up sprinkler heads that don’t reach far enough above the sod.

·       Fill bare areas with sod, plugs or seed to take advantage of the good growing weather.

·       Wait until Fall to sod shady areas to prevent decline due to excessive moisture.

·       New lawns are susceptible to fungal problems; apply a fungicide to help reduce decline.

·       Have problem turf samples diagnosed at your local University of Florida Extension Office.

·       Mushrooms are common in lawns after rains; no need to remove them. Smelly mushrooms are often called stinkhorns; they should be considered poisonous.

·       Handpull weeds that are filling bare spots and overgrowing good grass.

·       Consider another ground cover for hard-to-maintain and problem turf areas

Landscape Care

·       Landscape plantings that are growing too high during summer can be pruned by 1/3  to keep in bounds.

·       Avoid trimming sheared plants back to the same height; allow a little new growth to remain.

·       Thin out any shrubs close to house to provide good air circulation.

·       Don’t let vines climb trees and shrubs; train them to arbors and trellises.

·       Pruning time is over for azaleas, camellias and gardenias that are forming flowers buds.

·       Give palms a break; with sterile tools, only remove the dead fronds and old flower heads.

·       Complete pruning of poinsettias, bougainvillea, queen’s wreath, and wisteria by month’s end.

·       Weeds grow out of control during summer; remove to prevent seeding and more weeds.

·       Renew mulch to keep it at 3” – 4” high to control weeds: keep mulch back to expose flare at base of shrubs.

·       Summer rains can cause container plants to decline; check for proper drainage.

·       Replace annuals and perennials with heat-tolerant selections.

·       Do not count on summer rains to water new plantings, most need daily hand watering of one to two gallons for the first month.

·       Slow-release fertilizers will cost less and feed landscape for several months.

·       Many shrubs & flowers need a summer feeding; fertilize where permitted.

·       Palms need fertilized with 8-2-12 +4Mg and application of all micronutrients.

·       Feed crape myrtles where permitted  and remove seed heads to continue summer blooms.

·       Yellowing and leaf drop of crape myrtles is often due to a fungus but usually ignored.

·       Edge walkways and drives to keep the landscape attractive.

·       Stake newly-planted small trees and shrubs that might be affected by wind.

·       Caladiums may start to decline by month’s end which is normal.

·       Trim both declining flowers and foliage from perennial beds.

·       Divide bromeliads, Shasta daises, day lilies and other landscape perennials.

·       Dig gladiolus bulbs to store in dry peat moss or allow them to remain in the ground.

·       Transplant palms and sagos.

·       Start poinsettia cuttings in early August.

·       Pinch the tips of chrysanthemums in early August to grow well-branched compact plants.

·       Feed water lilies and bog plantings in home water gardens monthly.

Foliage & Houseplant care

·       Time to prepare foliage plants for fall; reshape and trim to encourage new growth.

·       Transplant root bound and poorly drained foliage plants.

·       Check for mealy bugs, scales and mites; control with natural soap or oil insecticides.

·       Take cuttings of your favorite plants.

·       Feed all foliage plants with a slow-release fertilizer where permitted.

·       Indoor plants accumulate dust like furniture; rise with water or a mild soapy solution.

·       Move light-starved plants outdoors to a shady location.

·       Enjoy orchids and bromeliads indoors when in bloom, then move then outside to the shade.

·       Divide clump-forming foliage plants like Spathiphyllum and Sansevieria.