Yahoo Movies Keep track of these important tasks that must be completed by the end of August
As we step across the boundary from one month into the next it usually means there’s a slight shift of tasks we’ll need to consider for our lawns, landscapes and gardens.
However, when that upcoming month is August, the stakes become a great deal more important. I’ve assembled a list of things that must be done by the end of August, along with problems you’re likely to encounter in this last full month of summer. I’ll cover them quickly. You might want to do a quick scan.
Plant fall vegetables: For the first week of August the list includes green beans, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, Irish potatoes, sweet corn (early-maturing varieties). Mid-August plant broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale from nursery transplants. Late August plant leafy and root vegetables.
Fall color from marigolds, zinnias, celosias mid-August. Choose 4-inch potted transplants that are in bud but not yet in bloom. They will establish and flower better than plants that are more mature. Exception: the smaller-flowering types of zinnias and marigolds. If you choose plants that are growing vigorously and plant them immediately they should take off just fine. Add in other good color plants such as firebush, copper plants, coleus, wax begonias, purple fountaingrass, angelonias, pentas and crotons and you can have real sparkle from now until frost.
Wildflower seeds for spring bloom late in month. Buy acid-scarified bluebonnet seeds as well as other species. Sow them onto lightly tilled soil in areas where the flowers won’t have to compete with turfgrasses. Water every few days so that the germinating seedlings won’t dry out.
Nursery stock as types you’ve been wanting become available. Nurseries will be rebuilding their inventories for fall plantings. Crape myrtles while in bloom so you can be sure of color. Check mature size of the variety you’re considering to match it with space you have available. Water newly planted nursery stock deeply by hand (with a garden hose and bubbler or breaker) every two days until October.
Fertilize bermuda turf if it’s been 8-10 weeks or longer since last you did. Apply an all-nitrogen food with as much as half of that nitrogen in slow-release form.
Do not fertilize St. Augustine in August. Nitrogen often leads to an outbreak of gray leaf spot fungal disease. Impacted St. Augustine takes on a yellowed wash in large, irregular areas. On closer inspection you’ll see diamond-shaped, BB-sized grayish-brown lesions on the blades and runners. Those are confirmation of the fungus. Discontinue all feedings until mid-September, and apply Daconil or Azoxystrobin to stop the current outbreak. Just to confirm: this is not Take All Root Rot (TARR). That is a cool-season, spring disease that abated by late May and early June.
Watch St. Augustine turf closely for evidence of chinch bugs. They will always show up in the hottest, sunniest parts of the yard. The grass will appear dry, but it will not respond to irrigation. Part the grass at the interface of dead and dying turf and look for BB-sized black insects with irregular white diamonds on their backs. If you see them apply an insecticide labeled for control of chinch bugs immediately. Chinch bugs can kill large areas of turf in a hurry.
Bermuda seed as early in month as possible. Planting area must be prepared carefully by rototilling to a depth of 2-3 inches. Rake to remove clods and debris and to leave a smooth planting bed. Sow seed at rate of 2-4 pounds per 1,000 square feet mixed with equal amounts of corn meal from the grocery to help ensure uniform distribution. Water twice daily for 5-6 minutes to keep soil uniformly moist for first two weeks.
New sod (bermuda, St. Augustine or zoysia) as early in month as possible to give grass as long as possible to establish before first frost. Rototill the same as you would for seeding. Rake to ensure smooth planting bed. Be sure sod is freshly dug, and plant and water as quickly as possible. Water twice daily for first two weeks.
Apply control for nutsedge (“nutgrass”). Image was the first product developed for that purpose. It requires two applications made 30 days apart. The second one needs to be made no later than Sept. 15, meaning the first application must be made by Aug. 15. Sedgehammer is a more recent product that requires only one treatment.
Apply pre-emergent granules between Aug. 25 and Sept. 6 to prevent germination of annual bluegrass (Poa annua), rescuegrass and ryegrass (cool-season weed grasses that plague lawns from late winter through April). This is your only way of dealing with them. You do not get a second chance.
You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 pm and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 am. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and follow him on Facebook.
