Summer 2010

Summer is our rainy season with temperatures into the 90's on a daily basis.  Be sure you have a rain sensor device that prevents the sprinklers from coming on when there has been sufficient rainfall.  Ornamental plants and trees need approximately 1 in. of water or rain per week.  Lawns need 1/2 to 1 in. of water when showing signs of wilting (like blue gray coloring or folded blades).  As of this writing, lawn and landscape watering in both Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa is restricted to one day per week.  To determine how long to run your sprinklers to apply this much water, set out some aluminum cans around the perimeter of the sprinkler zone and see how long it takes to fill them to the desired depth.  Be sure to check for uniform coverage at the same time.

For the lawn.... Fertilize the lawn using a quality fertilizer like Milorganite or Fertilome Classic.  During the summer month’s lawn pests are always a threat.  Here are some tips for identifying lawn pests.  Sod webworms feed at night and chew grass blades in localized areas.  Look for their excrement (bright green pellets) deep in the grass or you may see small white moths stirring around when you walk through the yard.  Cinch bugs suck the juices from the St. Augustine grass causing brown areas in the lawn that appear drought damaged.  White grub worms can infect any turf type but are most damaging to St. Augustine grass.  With minor infestations the grass appears slightly yellow, as if there is a nutrient deficiency.  Grub worms eat the roots of the grass so it can literally be pulled up by the handful.  For Bahia grass the predominant pest is mole crickets.  To control lawn pests, we recommend using a different granular insecticide every 4 weeks throughout the warm season months. During periods of heavy rain more frequent applications may be necessary. Keep a close eye on the lawn for fungal disease.  The most common is called "take all root rot" with initial symptoms that include yellowing blades. Gray leaf spot appears as brown lesions on the blades of grass.  These diseases can be controlled with multiple applications of lawn fungicide granules.  Some other lawn care tips during the summer are: 1) mow your lawn often and always to the proper height.  Remove no more than 1/3 of the blade height at a time.  Mowing too low leaves a shallow root system that makes the lawn susceptible to stress from heat and insects. It will likely thin out and develop more weeds, 2) irrigate in the early morning so the grass has time to dry out during the day and, 3) be sure the mower blade is sharp - a dull blade can tear the grass leaves which makes them weak and easier for insects to invade.   Pick up a copy of our Lawn Maintenance Schedule or request one to be e-mailed to you.  It's a great tool for the do-it-yourself homeowner for use in keeping their lawn healthy and weed free.

For the garden....The best time of year to plant or transplant palms is during moist humid weather.  Plant the top of the root ball level with the surrounding soil.  Don't allow the soil to dry out during the first several weeks.  Taller palms should be staked.  Correct palm and cycad nutritional deficiencies with either palm tree spikes or granular food.  These products contain magnesium, iron, sulfur, and other essential nutrients. Fertilize trees, shrubs, palms, perennials, and annuals this time of year.  For most trees and shrubs, use a balanced fertilizer with the analysis 6-6-6 or 10-10-10.   Certain shrubs like azaleas, gardenias, and indian hawthorns prefer fertilizer specifically formulated for them. Slow release fertilizers like Osmocote work best for perennials and annuals as they provide continual feeding for 8 weeks.  Weeds in the garden can be controlled with a pre-emergent herbicide containing Treflan every 6-8 weeks.  If you can stand the heat, summer is an ideal time for planting and transplanting. We recommend that you use Fertilome Root Stimulator any time you plant or transplant.  Do not plant too deeply and remember to provide sufficient water until the plant has adapted to its new surroundings. Prune landscape plants. Shorten branches by cutting them back to a good bud or lateral branch.  All cuts should be made back to just above some growing point.   To thin, remove entire branches back to the trunk.  As the growing season progresses, you may want to trim or pinch off new growth if you're looking to control plant size and encourage fullness.    Late July/early August is the time to prepare the soil in your vegetable garden for the gardening year.  "Solarize" by using the sun's heat to sterilize the garden soil.  Clean out plants, weeds, and debris from the bed.  Moisten the soil and cover the bed with 2-6 mm. clear plastic.  Leave the plastic in place for a minimum of 4-6 weeks.  Soil temperatures will increase to the point where most nematodes, weed seeds, and soil borne fungi will be killed. This gives you an excellent place to start next season's vegetables.   ***********************************************************************************************
Check periodically for the presence of pests on your plants, especially new growth. Below is a general guide that identifies the pest and the appropriate insecticide. 
Aphids, Lacebugs / Malathion Oil or Acephate
Scale / Malathion Oil
Mites / Kelthane
Bagworms, Leafminer, Borers / Borer, Bagworm, Leafminer Spray
Whitefly / Malathion Oil or Acephate
Thrips / Acephate or Carbaryl
Caterpillars / Thuricide
 Spray 2-3 times at 7 day intervals until the pest is eliminated. If you are unsure of the pest, we invite you to bring a leaf or branch from your plant to the nursery and we can identify the insect and suggest the correct product.
*********************************************************************************************************** What to plant in the summer...Summer is a good time to plant palms and warm season annuals and perennials.   Annuals that do well this time of year include coleus, begonias, daisies, marigolds, salvia,  and vinca. Perennials that are warm weather bloomers include day lily, gallardia, blue daze, milkweed, pentas, mexican heather, and lantana.   

With every season Green Thumb Nursery has a variety of annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and herbs.  Check out the nursery page for information on plants that are usually available here at the nursery.  Stop in to see us and add some new color and variety to your landscaping.

If you have questions about your lawn or garden email us at info@greenthumbnursery.comor use the Contact Us page of our website.

Enjoy your summer garden!