Southeast July Garden To-Do List

It ’s high summertime in the Southeast . As long as the rain show up , veggie , yearbook , and weeds spring up like wildfire in the scorching heat , and nurseryman call on crepuscular — venture out to work at dawn and dusk .

Prune heavy bleeder . Gazing into the canopy of trees this sentence of year gives a new view of clear transmission and surface area of crowd together . A nondrought summertime is actually a fine time to hire an tree surgeon to evaluate and prune your prominent trees . In fact , it ’s the preferred time to rationalise species known as “ bleeders ” that leak out sap when pruned in late wintertime , such as these :

Smaller ornamental Tree ( such as the last three on the list ) are approachable with your own pair of pruner or pruner . Do a little alright - tuning by remove diminished crossing branches and thinning out areas of crowded leafage . They could also use a temperate limbing up ( pruning back the trees ’ low branch ) to permit better access and views . Yes , you may remove a few new flower bud on saltation bloomers , but what I ’m talking about here is minor pruning ; you ’ll still enjoy plenty of flowers next year . Learn more about pruning heavy bleeders here .

For container plantings

Container plantings are like framed painting — eye - catching ravisher in a humble , defined space . The difference is that the inside of containers shift over time . To keep them reckon picture - arrant , give them more - frequent attention throughout the summertime in the shape of regular watering , fertilizing , and curry .

verify plant are getting the correct amount of water . Don’t assume plants are getting the optimum flow of water just because you ’re logical as clockwork . industrial plant needs change with growth and changes in temperature , as roots crowd , and as organic matter breaks down . Two things to take in out for are overwatering due to block drain holes or the lack of them and underwatering that appears when weewee flows only along the out border of your container . How do you check ? By getting your hands muddy . A half hr or so after you water , poke into down as far as you may , using your fingers to chequer the grime on the edge and close to the middle of the container . Do n’t concern about disturb a few roots . If you discover dry spots , water more slowly , and water twice — wait 10 instant between soakings . If instead you feel soggy soil , this is a planetary house that water is bear in your container . Check the drainage holes , and unclog if potential . keep crack the soil , and do n’t water again until the grease is no longer saturated .

Continue to fertilize . Unlike many in - ground plantings , container plants have no source of fertilizer unless you provide it , so be sure you are replenishing with liquified fertilizer every few workweek or a slow - release fertilizer every month ( bet on formulation ) . It only takes a few minutes to deadhead and remove evanesce foliage once a week — and the results will make you smile for month . learn more on mundane container care here .

For edibles

Harvest regularly . If you had intellectual nourishment - garden fever when planting this spring , do n’t allow the warmth keep you from enjoy skillful harvest . Grab a mug of umber and spend an other hour in the veggie patch . First , glean matured produce , even if you have excess . This keeps your plant grow . If you leave ripe fruit unpicked , hormonal signals assure the industrial plant its Book of Job is done , and fruit slows or stops .

Be on the lookout for pests . After harvest home , lookout for pests while they are less active . Many vegetable pests can be dealt with through mechanical ascendency , rather than reaching for chemical substance ( organic or otherwise ) that are as potential to harm the insects on your side — pollinators and predators of other insects — as they are pest . Dive deeper on constitutional controls to pests in the vegetable garden here . If squash vine borers have already dealt a deadly reverse to your squash , you still have sentence to inseminate another craw for later crop .

Fertilize . Besides the ever - present weeding and watering , do n’t bury that vegetable gardens do demand a continued informant of nutrient . The character of fertilizer and how ofttimes you feed will bet on your soil and other factors , so if you are unsure , a call to your local extension phone service is a great room to learn more and amount up with a plan .

Keep weeding!

Continue weeding the garden . If you ’re one of the many gardener who do n’t enjoy weed ( really , some gardeners do bask it ) , it may be tempting to throw in the towel midsummer . But remember that those sess are suck in up the water supply you ’re applying and lift food decently out from under your perennials . Do n’t allow weeds to get mature . It looks better , it prevents them from spreading seeds , and it release up imagination for hope plant life .

Do n’t forget about those galling tree seedlings!If you did n’t deal with scraggy tree diagram seedlings in spring — and I ’m not point any fingers ( except at myself)—they’ve probably reached a size where they are hard to pull . If you are n’t comfortable using a petty herbicide , a small sens wrench after a good soaking rainfall does the business on second - twelvemonth and elderly saplings . I employ the cut - and - squirt method on such saplings as well . Using protection and pruners , snip the tree diagram seedling down to 2 to 3 inch , and immediately squeeze out the gelded control surface with a two-fold - strength glyphosate resolution . I rarely use weed killer , but this is one guinea pig where small amount , without much risk of heading , can be used efficiently and effectively .

Hire a professional for hardscape or edging oeuvre . I do n’t care to offend your DIY sensibilities , but it ’s hot out there in July , and professional landscapers are fully acclimated . The planting season is long over , and specialty landscapers tend to have more openings in their schedules now . However , if you ’ve got more sentence than money this twelvemonth , then by all mean , rise early and do a small bit each day on anedging projectthat puts the cherry on top of your garden .

— Paula Gross is the former adjunct director of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Botanical Gardens .

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Make sure you’re not overwatering or underwatering your container plantings in the July heat.Photo: Paula Gross

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