Summer Solstice: June 20th, 2024.
When the temperatures begin to soar and the idea of working outside can be unbearable at times, we can not forget about our beautiful landscapes and the investments we’ve made. Work smart and work safely in the heat. Mornings and evenings can be downright beautiful weather to work in! And for the hardcore gardeners, headlamps were invented for us!!!
Planting:
Planting in the summer has its challenges in Central Texas but it’s 100% doable if you have the time to keep an eye on new plantings! If you're planning a vacation or an extended stay up north we’d recommend planting when you return.
#1 Tip: Plants wilted in the morning NEED water immediately. Plants wilting in the afternoon means it’s hot. If you are worried- check the soil moisture levels at 4-6 inches depth. If the solid is bone dry, dust, at this depth, a slow, deep soaking is needed.
Often, if it's hot, some of our plants will wilt to conserve water! You’ll see them perk up after the sun begins to set and the temperature falls! This one tip can keep your new plants happy all summer long.
Fertilizing:
Continue fertilizing with a slow-release, organic fertilizer like Microlife 6-2-4 while doing foliar sprays of Ocean Harvest or Super Seaweed to help get everyone ready for the extreme temperatures of summer. Some flowering plants will benefit more from using granular and Microlife Maximum Blooms as a foliar spray to help keep up with the high amounts of phosphorus they are taking up. Giving your plants, and soil, Microlife Humates is a great way to deliver concentrated compost full of humic acid into your soil while also helping with water retention and water penetration for these triple digits in our future!
Watering:
2024- we’ve been blessed thus far into the growing season with regular rains and some of us haven’t fired up the irrigation system yet! (we haven’t had to!) Drought maps continue to shrink and the June forecast looks promising. Fingers crossed.
Potted plants should be getting water (almost?) daily depending on their gallon size while plants in the landscape should be receiving deep but infrequent watering when we have not been getting rain. Follow this link for a quick watering guide. For those who missed our event and the seminars involved here is a link to the presentation I had for watering wisely in Central Texas The first pages go over when to mow your lawn and the differences between our most common grasses.
This bloom is "spent". Removing old blooms will cause this Salvia to produce two more flower spikes in its place!
Pruning:
You can deadhead (remove old/spent flowers) flowers or prune back some branches of woodier plants at this time. Perennials will respond well to light shearing and Canna Lilies can be cut to the ground to reinvigorate the plant. Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ specifically should be pruned by 50% to help prevent late-season cracking.
Deadheading will encourage plants like roses and perennial flowers to rebloom!
Pruning can reduce water demand and encourage fresh, nice-looking growth. Do not prune more than 25% of the plant as a general rule of thumb!
Do not prune oak trees at this time as the beetle that carries oak wilt is active and could be attracted to the cuts we make. If you must prune your oak tree at this time be sure to clean your saw with a 1 part bleach: 10 parts water solution before and after working on each tree! Immediately after cutting a branch, paint the wound with wound sealer, spray paint, or a varnish.
In the water Garden/Pond:
Keep a close eye on water temps if you keep fish. Ideally, your water should not exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit if you have Koi or Goldfish. At 85 degrees, the oxygen levels in the water can become dangerously low! Ice, ice blocks, and frozen water bottles can be used to bring down temps in an emergency but ultimately shading the water is the best solution - with Water Lilies or structures.
Trim water lily pads and old flowers weekly or bi-weekly and add fertilizer tabs once a month for phenomenal-looking plants!
Feed fish ONLY what they can eat in five minutes and remove all uneaten food after the time is up! This habit helps reduce/prevent pollution.
Add Bacteria as directed by the manufacturer. Most are once a month. This will help reduce dangerous toxins like ammonia and nitrites in the water.
Use extreme caution if using Algicides in warmer water. Follow the directions! Overdosing algicides will tie up oxygen.
Double dose dechlorinators like our Pond Prime when changing water or adding water. Municipal water sources may be adding additional treatments to the public water making it safe for humans BUT not our ornamental fish!
Lawns:
As always, we don’t recommend the use of chemical fertilizers and “Weed-n-Feed”, especially in the summer! You want a burnt lawn? This is how we get a burnt lawn!
Light applications of MicroLife granular food may be needed in some situations but for the most part, we try to ONLY recommend MicroLife’s Humates Plus this time of year!
Be sure to set your mower to the highest or second highest setting! Longer shoots = deeper roots! Deeper roots = less demand for water. Mow and mow often! Always try to NEVER take more than ¼ for the grass blade! When we take more than ¼, the plant has to readjust its priority to regrowing the blade instead of the roots! We strive for a balanced root to shoot growth rate!
If you have a service take care of your lawn, make sure they are onboard with these simple rules. We see too many services scalping lawns in the summer!!!
We integrate our Pest Management and You can too!
Recommendations by HCWG Horticulturist Calvin King
Customers often ask about the best way to get rid of pests. My answer isn't a quick-fix product or chemical spray, but rather an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy. By knowing and applying IPM strategies one has the best defense against any pest which also keeps diseases away. IPM can be broken up into five different areas:
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Cultural - plant native and well-adapted, pest-resistant plant varieties, and keep them healthy
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Diagnostic - properly identify the problem
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Mechanical – hand remove insects, use water blasts, traps, and/or barriers
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Biological - recognize, encourage, and/or introduce beneficial predators in your landscape
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Chemical – if you must use a pesticide use the least toxic product first; always read and follow label directions
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