Gardening Guide

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Monthly Gardening Tips (Conventional & Organic) – July

PLANT:

  • Annuals & Tropicals- Angelonia, pentas, zinnias, scaevola, vinca, moss rose, sweet potato vine, purslane, begonias, hibiscus, bougainvillea, mandevilla, esperanza, impatiens, coleus, caladiums, lantana & more.
  • Perennials-Pincushion, salvia, coreopsis, daylily, blackfoot daisy, hardy hibiscus, gaura, butterfly bush, coneflower, Turk’s cap, rudbeckia, Texas primrose, skullcap, coral bells, oxalis, ferns, hostas & more.
  • Trees, shrubs, vines, ornamental grasses & groundcovers (handwatering is a must in the summer).
  • Choose Crape Myrtles now while in bloom for color and mature size you want (shrub & tree-form available).
  • Bermuda seed or sod, St. Augustine & Zoysia sod –Water daily first few weeks while getting established.
  • Tomato and pepper transplants when available later this month.
  • Use our Covington’s Potting Soil containing peat moss, screened compost, screened pine mulch, rice hulls, a wetting agent, organic fertilizer (derived from bone & blood meal), and an organic bio stimulant Vitazyme. This potting soil will need less water than conventional all peat mixes, and with the organic fertilizer & bio stimulants you will be able to grow the largest flowers and the biggest tomatoes in town!

PRUNE:

  • Spent flowers, leaves & seedheads on perennials. Cut leggy annuals back to keep them compact.
  • Shrubs to reshape. Dead wood & lower limbs in trees to let more sun on lawn and landscape plantings. To prevent the spread of oak wilt, prune Red Oaks or Live Oaks in late summer or early fall, or use pruning paint on cuts if pruning in spring. Prune spent Vitex & Crape Myrtle blooms to encourage reblooming.
  • Mow lawn regularly at recommended height (1½” for Bermuda; 2-2½” for St. Augustine and Zoysia).
  • Fireblight damaged trees/shrubs to remove damaged limbs. Prune below damage into healthy tissue. Sanitize pruners in bleach solution after each cut. Spray trees & shrubs with Bonide Copper Fungicide after pruning.
  • Prune Blackberries after harvest (new canes to 3’; cut canes that bore fruit this year to the ground)

WATER:

  • Container plants & flower beds in sun need daily watering. Water shrubs & trees less frequently but deeply to produce hardier, better rooted plants.  Supplement sprinkler watering with hand watering to make sure plants receive adequate water.  Inspect sprinkler system regularly to ensure it is working properly. Use soaker hoses when possible or install drip irrigation for more efficient water usage. 
  • To improve water retention, add Soil Moist & Expanded Shale (holds 38% of its weight in water), or use Covington’s Soil Builder which contains compost, greensand, and expanded shale, and will break up clay, add nutrients, retain moisture & revitalize microbial activity.
  • Top dress landscape/flower beds with 2-3 inch layer of mulch to help retain moisture, reduce weeds, and maintain soil temperature. Treat lawn & landscaped areas with Hydretain for greater soil moisture retention.
  • Trees installed for less than two years must have special care to ensure a strong and healthy root system.  See our Plant Article Tree Care for the First Two Years for all the details.

CONVENTIONAL FERTILIZATION, AND WEED, DISEASE & PEST CONTROL SOLUTIONS

FERTILIZE:

  • Flowers, veggies and herbs with Covington’s Premium Flower & Garden Fertilizer or use Ferti-lome Gardeners Special 11-15-11 for your herbs and vegetables.
  • Newly planted trees and shrubs every 3-4 weeks for the first year with Ferti-lome Root Stimulator.
  • Trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers, and perennials with Covington’s Tree and Shrub Fertilizer.
  • Bermuda, St. Augustine and Zoysia with Covington’s Premium Lawn Fertilizer 21-7-14 or Covington’s High Performance all nitrogen 25-0-0 fertilizer.
  • Roses with Ferti-lome Rose Food or Ferti-lome Rose Food with Systemic Insecticide.
  • Iron-deficient plants with Dr. Iron or Ferti.lome Soil Acidifier Plus Iron.                    
  • Strengthen foliage & increase production on fruit/pecan trees w/Ferti-lome Fruit, Citrus & Pecan Fertilizer.

WEEDS & DISEASE CONTROL:

  • Spot treat broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, henbit & clover in St. Augustine or Bermuda grass with Ferti-lome Weed Out; Spot treat nutsedge now with Sedge Ender.
  • Apply Bonide Infuse Lawn Fungicide to St. Augustine for fungal infections including Take all Patch and Brown Patch. For added protection, spread ½ inch layer of Canadian Brown Sphagnum Peat Moss on infected area & water in.
  • Use Ferti-lome Systemic Fungicide for powdery mildew, disease & fungi on hawthorn, photinias, roses, etc.

INSECT & PEST CONTROL:

  • For bagworms, tent caterpillars, cankerworms & mosquitoes, use Bonide Eight Insecticide or Hi-Yield 55% Malathion.
  • Use Bonide Insect and Grub Control Granules for grub & chinch bug control.
  • Use Bonide Ant, Flea & Tick Killer to control fire ant mounds and infestations.
  • Use Hi-Yield Slug & Snail Killer to control slugs and snails on flowers and foliage. Use Sluggo Plus in areas near pets and children’s play areas.
  • Control aphids, spider mites, mealy bugs, thrips and other problem insects w/Bonide Systemic Insecticide.
  • For best control of scale & to kill borers in the trunks of trees, use Bonide or Ferti-lome Systemic Insect Drench which protects for months.
  • Continue spray program for fruit and nut trees. Use Ferti-lome Triple Action or Bonide Fruit Tree Spray.
  • For grasshoppers, use  Hi-Yield 55% Malathion or Bonide Eight Insect Control.

ORGANIC FERTILIZATION, AND WEED, DISEASE & PEST CONTROL SOLUTIONS

FERTILIZE:

  • Newly planted trees and shrubs with Garrett Juice Plus to help prevent transplant shock, increase beneficial microorganisms, and encourage root development.
  • Flowers and perennials with Happy Frog Acid Loving Fertilizer.
  • Vegetable gardens with Happy Frog Tomato & Vegetable fertilizer.
  • Use Nature and Creation on shrubs/trees, Bermuda, St. Augustine, ryegrass & fescue.
  • Use Corn Gluten Meal 9-0-0 to feed turf and prevent weeds. Also spread Dry Molasses to enhance weed control and encourage healthy soil.
  • Apply Garrett Juice Plus once a month to your landscape to increase beneficial micro-organisms in the soil and to reduce the need for water.
  • Add Texas Greensand for deep greening in lawns, trees and landscape plants.

WEEDS & DISEASE CONTROL:

  • Spot treat grassy and broadleaf weeds with 20% Vinegar. Add 2 oz. of Orange Oil per gallon of vinegar to enhance the kill on weeds and grasses.
  • Apply Horticultural Corn Meal on landscape plants, vegetables, and turf grass for disease control.

INSECT & PEST CONTROL:

  • Apply live insects such as ladybugs.
  • Repel mosquitoes with Cedar Warrior Granules. Use Mosquito Bits Granules with BTI to kill mosquito larvae in standing water. Mosquito Bits also control fungus gnats in flower gardens, containers & houseplants.
  • For fire ants or grub worms, introduce beneficial nematodes to your yard and garden.
  • Use Ferti-lome Come and Get It Spinosad Bait for protection from fire ants and use 3-4 ounces of Orange Oil per gallon of water as a drench on ant mounds.
  • Spray Orange Oil in areas infested with pillbugs, sow bugs, and spiders.
  • Control slugs & snails with Sluggo Plus w/Spinosad.
  • Use Diatomaceous Earth for crawling insects.
  • Spray Bonide All Seasons Oil for scale on fruit trees, hollies & crape myrtles.
  • Use Ferti-lome Triple Action Plus with Neem Oil for insect problems on fruit trees after petal fall.
  • Use eco-friendly Armadillo Repellant in a convenient hose end sprayer to get rid of armadillos.
  • To deter pesky flower-munching rabbits, use Rabbit Scram and/or Bonide Repels-All spray