Top Garden Projects for July

It’s Miller time, if you drink, if not, then just sit back and enjoy the garden. Take time to enjoy the fruits of your earlier gardening efforts. July is usually not as hot as August and September, you will want to put less effort into the garden and rightfully just sit back and enjoy the beauty that you have created. Morning coffee, cook outs at dusk, playing with the kids and pets should now, be your garden priorities. However there are things that you can do if you really want to……

The Vegetable Garden

Start your fall garden now. This is the time to start your seeds. Start with a really good potting soil, place the spoil in small pots or egg cartons. Make sure that you have good drainage. Place two or three seeds in each container and place the containers in lots of sun light so these seeds can germinate.

Fertilize the existing vegetable garden with a good fertilizer that contains cotton seed meal, alfalfa meal and trace minerals like GreenSense Vegetable & Flower Food. Foliar spray early in the morning and add an extra tablespoon of Kelp or seaweed to your solution to help the plants through the heat stress.

Stake tomatoes and cover them with bird netting. This allows you to enjoy the fruit and makes it difficult for the birds to get to them. Do not remove leaves to expose fruit to sunlight. Removing leaves does not hasten ripening and may result in sun scald.

Spider mites thrive in hot weather. If leaves of plants have a stained appearance, inspect the undersides of the leaves and look for webbing. Hose mites off the foliage. Spray an extra dosage of Kelp at a rate of three ounces to a gallon of water helps to prevent spider mites.

Annual Flowers and Perennials

Now is a great time to walk around the neighborhood to admire the different gardens in your area. As you notice your favorite flowers take photographs or ask your fellow gardeners what is that beautiful plant. If most of the gardeners are like me they will have picked plants that look beautiful without knowing the name of the plant. That is ok. Ask about the plant how long has it been there, does it need fill or partial sun, what about drainage and bed preparation. What nursery did they buy them at. Can I take a sample of the leaf or better yet flower.

Planting at this time of year should be done during the coolest part of the day.

My favorite annuals for this time of the year are Mexican Heather, Blue Daze, Moss Rose and Portulaca.

Tropical Hibiscus, Zinia Lineares and a second planting of Caladium’s. These bulbs will pop up really quick, their colorful leaves will last way into September and October.

Perennial favorites are all the Sedums: Texas Star Hibiscus, Turks Cap, Ice Plant, Skull Cap Black Foot Daisy and Correopsis. Even though the Mexican Mint Marigold is not in bloom yet buy one now so that you can enjoy its beautiful fall flower and fragrance.

To extend the blooming season, keep pinching faded flowers off of annuals and perennials. If allowed to go to seed, the plant will direct its energy toward seed production instead of forming new blooms.

If you are trying to attract birds and you want the seed for food, disregard the above.

Remember that when a plant is in production it is also highly stressed and needs more nutrients, feed with a solid fertilizer, such as cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal and rock phosphate. Blend a combination of your own or buy a ready to use product. GreenSense Vegetable and Flower Food just happens to pop into my mind.

Water as needed. Symptoms of drought stress include wilting flowers and droopy, off-color foliage.

Mulch around plants to keep weeds down and to reduce water evaporation.

Water deeply on an irregular basis and if possible water early in the morning. Do not over water.

Shrubs and Trees

If you have not yet pruned spring-flowering shrubs do it now.

Fertilize once a month until you start to see buds forming on the plant. At that point the excess nitrogen may burn the buds. Maintain a three inch thick mulch cover to reduce water evaporation and weed growth.

Trees can be pruned lightly to remove dead, diseased, crossing, rubbing and broken branches.

Be careful if you prune heavily you may expose shaded leaves and bark to too much sun causing sunscald.

My favorite summer trees are Vitex or Chase Tree, Rose of Sharon or Althea, Crape Myrtle and in the shade Japanese Maple "Blood Good" (12 to 18 feet) or Crimson Queen (three to four feet).

My favorite shrubs are Texas Sage, Miniature Crape Myrtle, Agarita and Hardy Hill Rose Mary.

Lawn Care

I am still fertilizing my yard once a month at a lower rate of 10 pounds per 1000 square feet.

After each application I have been using Super Bio, this bottle of microbes has helped the fertilizer break down quicker and has made my lawn the envy of some of my neighbors. An added bonus is that I have seen fewer Fire Ant Mounds. Last year, without all the rains, I was applying Soil Drench by GreenSense on no less then 30 mounds. This year I have treated a total of six mounds. Our creek has flooded several times and this normally brings more ant mounds top surface but I have not seen that yet.

I just aerated my lawn and applied Humate at a rate of 10 pounds per 1000 square feet.

Watering

The key to good watering is to water thoroughly and deeply, so there is no need to water as often. I water once a week normally but this year I have not had to since we have been getting so much rain. I think I have had to go out to the garage to turn the system on three times so far.

A&M and Howard Garrett both agree that the lawn will only need one inch of water per week to keep it looking nice. The key is to water deeply, then it is not necessary to water as often. You can measure the amount of water you put onto the lawn, by simply placing coffee cans or similar containers under the sprinklers, when you water.

Use an efficient sprinkler system or watering device. Avoid wasting water, direct the sprinkler water onto the lawn; flower beds or vegetable garden not the driveway; sidewalk or the side of the house. I must always remind you not to over-look under the eaves of the house and under tall evergreens. So be certain to take time to check the need for watering in these two locations. Do not forget to water around the entire foundation.

Sandra, my darling wife, and I have recently acquired a pair of walkie-talkies. Even though we have not used our sprinkler system a lot we have plenty of kids in the neighbor hood and have found it necessary to check our sprinkler system once a month. I inspect the different heads of our sprinkler system, she stays in the garage and advances the stations as needed. We are able to go through the 11 stations, make the repairs and get thoroughly wet in less then 20 minutes. Each time we do this I have found at least two heads that were to low or had been blown off of the adapter due to pressure.

Hanging baskets and container plantings may need special watering consideration should the temperatures get much above seventy degrees. In fact, they may need daily or twice daily watering if it should get hot, into the eighties or nineties. Container grown plants may need watering once or twice a day during the hottest months of summer. Maintain their beauty by fertilizing on a weekly basis. We have polymers in our potted plants and hanging baskets. Polymers act as a reservoir of water that is available to plants on demand reducing the amount and frequency of watering and fertilizing. The plant roots grow directly into the water swollen polymer where it can absorb up to 90 percent of the available water.

Because you do not water as often this reduces leaching of fertilizer from the soils, but polymers actually absorb water soluble fertilizers and holds them.

Polymers are environmentally safe and do not contaminate ground water, soil or plants. Polymers break down into its component parts of ammonia, carbon dioxide and water with no residual toxicity in four to five years. SolidWater or other polymers should not be inhaled or digested and should be kept out of reach of children. The jello like appearance is enticing to kids so use caution and keep out of reach.

Weed, Weed, Weed

Pull those darn WEEDS. As the weather gets warmer and additional attention is given to watering, weeds are apt to germinate faster and can become a real nuisance if they are not kept under control. Mulch the vegetable garden, flower beds and get down on your hands and needs to pull weeds in the lawn. If you pull the weeds before they go to flower you can eliminate thousands of weeds that may appear next month or next year. 10 and 20% Vinegar work real well as a contact kill. You can add molasses and citrus oil to quicken the process but on hot afternoons I find that these extra ingredients are not necessary.

What’s that Sucking on My Plants?

Have you ever taken the time to look at the mouth parts of some of the insects that you found on some of your plants. Were they chewing or sucking? Insects that suck the juices out of plants have specially developed parts for piercing and sucking. Plants that are infested with these pest turn yellow, wilted, deformed or stunted, and may eventually die. Certain variety of sucking insects inject toxins into the plant while feeding, and some transmit disease organisms. Control of sucking insects should start before they do.

The use of Ultra Fine Sun Spray Oil™ in the winter, periodic visual inspections of the plants will let you know when to release Lady Bugs or just spray them off with a high pressure blast of a hose. For infestations try using Garlic sprays first and then if necessary use the more toxic Pyrethrum and last resort Rotenone.

These are a few of the most asked about insects causing damage to our customers plants. Many customers wisely brought in samples of the infested plant and better yet, some had the pest insects still on the plant.

Aphids

Many customers have brought in plants with curled, distorted and yellowing leaves that are coated with a shiny, sticky substance. Upon inspection we have found soft bodied insects that range in color from black to green to yellow.

Aphids.

Sometimes we have also seen the Aphids living with ants. Ants feed on the honeydew, a sweet, sticky substance excreted by these insects. The ants are normally not the problem.

When you see aphids on a plant, they are usually spotted in a large group and sometimes able to cover a whole leaf.

To control: Even though Lady Bugs are a predator of the aphid they sometimes can be outnumbered.

Recently I released some Lady Bugs on a Pinta that was covered with Aphids. At first I watched in amazement as these mighty bugs walked over to the aphids and started to feast. After a while I got bored and went onto other things. Upon my return I noticed that the Aphids had moved closer together. As they coward in a large mass I noticed that the Lady Bug seemed to be asleep, it ate so much that it needed to rest before continuing the onslaught. Again I got bored and walked away. Early the next morning before I went to work I noticed that the leaf was covered with a sticky substance and the Lady Bug was trying to move. The substance was so thick and sticky that I thought that the Lady Bug would drown. After a few more minutes the Lady Bud freed itself and instead of eating more it flew away. The Aphids won this war.

I like using the Green Lacewing they seem to be more voracious and stronger then the Lady Bug. However, the Green Lace Wing has to be ordered and the Lady Bug will help out until the Lacewings arrive.

If things get really bad then I might spray Garlic Oil again or use Pyrethrum.

Leafhoppers

Occasionally we see small, green, wedge-shaped insects that attack many vegetables and flowers. Leafhoppers. These insects suck out plant juices causing yellowing, leaf-curling and stunting their growth.

To control: I don’t mess around with these guys and go directly to my can of Pyrethrum.

Mealy Bugs

Large insects that grow up to 1/4 inch long becoming clearly visible to the naked eye. Oval in size these white insects are covered with a waxy, whitish substance and will cluster in the form of a cotton ball on stems and leaves. The mealy bug is a sap sucking insect that will deform leaves and make them shrivel up, leaving a shiny and sticky residue. They feed by puncturing the surface of the leaf excreting a sweet and sticky substance that attracts ants.

To control: These insects are large enough to crush with your fingers or apply Pyrethrum.

Scale

We have had more customers than I can remember come into our store with samples of Eleagnus. On the leaf of this plant there are small bumps that give the impression of Scale, tiny sap sucking insects. Scale hide under a dome-shaped hard shell that acts as a shield as they suck the sap out of plants by puncturing the surface of the leaf as they eat. They are clearly visible to the naked eye and can kill plants if present in large numbers.

To control: I like using Ultra Fine Dormant Oil to suffocate these insects. Ultra Fine will control these pests if applied two or three times at intervals of 10 to 14 days.

Stink Bugs

I will be talking about the bad Stink Bug. These bugs feed on the fruit of a wide variety of plants including beets, beans, pears, squash, tomatoes and corn, causing the fruit to become shriveled and deformed. The most common species attacking home gardens are the green stink bug and harlequin bug.

To control: Hand-picking helps a lot.

Squash Bugs

Mature squash bugs are about an inch long and are gray-black in color. While still immature, they are strikingly colored with white and black. Squash bugs suck juice from the leaves and stems of squash, pumpkins, melons and related plants, and will spread disease.

To control: Observation by turning over leaves and looking for big metallic eggs and squish these. Hand-picking may be effective for adults. To control infestation, use Pyrethrum or rotenone. Use Beneficial Nematodes in the garden for control of larvae.

Thrips

These minute insects resembling brown or straw colored wood slivers, found at the base of petals in a flower bud feed on pollen and tender plant tissue. Flower buds turn brown and die before they open. Flowers that have opened are often streaked and distorted. Thrips rasp the tissue and suck up the exuding sap. The leaves take on a silvery appearance after the thrips feed, and plants become stunted and deformed. Thrips are usually a pest of seedling plants but may attack plants in any stage, especially those with blooms like roses, camellias, magnolias and gardenias.

To control: Use Neem Oil.

Spider Mites

Spider mites are not insects, but are closely related to ticks and chiggers. They suck out juices from leaves and stems, causing plants to become deformed or have a bronze or yellow appearance. Heavy infestations can cause leaf and flower bud drop and death of the plant. Look for webs on the underside of leaves.

To control: First try spraying Kelp or seaweed at a rate of three ounces to a gallon of water or use Lady Bugs or Green Lace Wings. Spray using Pyrethrum to control the mites.

White Flies

I remember waaaaay back when I used to trim Waxleaf Ligustrums my nose and mouth would always fill up with these white insects that would swarm over me as I disturbed the plants. The nymphs are oval, flat insects with short, sucking beaks. These nymphs are usually found on lower leaf surfaces. White flies are very common to greenhouse vegetables and flowers, but in warmer climates, they attack many ornamentals as well.

To control: Garlic spray, Ultra Fine Oil, and as a last resort Pyrethrum.

If possible, protect bees by spraying only in late afternoon or evening. Do not spray plants when flowers are present.

Garlic

I never really cared about garlic, but since I have been dealing with organic products for the last few years I have unwillingly been educated.

When I was growing up in Peru, my family would eat a lot of meals at my grandmothers house and most of the meals were prepared with a lot of "ajo". The first time I ate a formal dinner at my grandmothers was when I was about seven years old, I noticed a weird taste and did not much care for it, so I worked around the fish that had this strange taste. Several hours later as we were about to leave, I had to hug all of my aunts and uncles and say "Adios". I realized that they all smelled alike. There was a mixture of aromas, one I knew was "mothball smell", the other was about the same smell as the food I had earlier.

Later that night as my mother was putting me to bed I told her that I thought that at least one of my uncles had farted.

She told me that that was not a nice thing to say and as she bent down to kiss me good night I realized that she had almost the same smell as my older relatives. "Ewwwww! You stink Mommy!" I said as I pinched my nose.

My mother looked at me and said that I was being rude tonight. As she stormed out of my room I gratefully noticed that the smell went away.

Several days later we went back to my Abuelas, and as soon as I got near her I turned around and said to my mother that the smell was back. My mother sniffed and said that that was "ajo" an herb used for cooking.

I don’t like it, I said and again pinched my nose as I walked away.

In the early 80’s, I went to Fiji. I was stuck on a miserable "all inclusive" island for one week. All inclusive meant that I could drink all the "kaba" that I wanted. Kaba was their free alcoholic beverage and consisted of an alcohol produced from the root of a tree, that tasted like dirt. There was however plenty of food to eat. To bad the islands of Fiji were run by people from India who loved to use curry and garlic By the end of the week I swore that I would never eat curry or garlic again. On my way back to Dallas I was sitting in coach section, of course, and the people around me were very unhappy, one fellow passenger told me that it was rude of me to get on an airplane smelling like I did. I was embarrassed the whole way back. Nine hours on the flight from hell! When I got home my mother met me at the airport and one of her first words to me were to ask if I had an upset stomach. Two weeks later and I still smelled of garlic.

In 1985, Sandra and I went to Europe for our honeymoon and visited several countries including Italy and Russia. In Italy we went to eat at some very nice restaurants with my mothers brother, Eduardo Sola. Since we did not know what to order we let him do the deed. Every meal he ordered something with "aglio"

I finally says to him, "Eduardo, yer killing me, ya gotta stop with the garlic, capesh?" No, he didn’t now he was ordering deserts made from garlic, garlic tea, and even our water had garlic in it. Thank God we had to leave Italy and continue with our trip. Soon enough we made it into Russia. There were no McDonalds, Pizza Hut or any other American fast food restaurants, besides all of our meals were included in the tour package. So I would not have to spend any money on meals. God! Help me! Where was that dreadful "chesnok" when you really needed it.

Have you ever been so hungry that you soaked cardboard in water just to stop the rumbling noises. Have you ever tasted mud after someone hit you in the head with a mud pie. The Russian food was so bland and salty that you preferred to go hungry instead of eating that stuff. One week of that food and you definitely lost weight.

Anyway, I really am not writing this article about edible garlic. I have had experiences with garlic that are unbelievable. If you do not try this you are going to think that I am kidding. With all the grasshoppers, aphids and mosquitoes out this year I decided to try Garlic Sprays as an insect repellent. I was amazed at the results. So here goes, pay attention so that when you do it you do it right.

Garlic is a member of the lily family, a cousin of the onion and an herb that has been around for centuries.

As we know it has been used in foods and for medicinal purposes. Garlic has been used to discourage insects for hundreds of years, but lately we find this non-poisonous multipurpose Garden Spray readily available at garden centers.

The juices of this terrible smelling plant makes a powerful deterrent for keeping insects out of plants and trees. The strong smell repels slugs, snails, aphids, thrips, and mosquitoes When I first sprayed it I thought that I was going to hurl, you know, get sick. But, the strong odor lasts only a short while and after a couple of minutes I could not notice the smell any more. However I noticed that I did not see any insects or get attacked by mosquitoes until after the next hard rain. It is systemic that is absorbed into the plant, but will not change the taste or smell of the plant or its fruit making it a great choice for gardens.

The strange thing is that I noticed that the Lady Bugs that I had released earlier came back to the sprayed plants within days, but I did not see the aphids or grasshoppers.

Having a large field behind our house we noticed some rabbits had hopped into our yard, after applying the garlic the rabbits did not return. I have been told by some customers from East Texas that they sprayed their gardens with garlic to keep the deer away.

One customer told me that he sprayed his tomato plants to keep spider mites off and also noticed that he did not have fungal problems. He started to test the garlic as a fungicide and sprayed one row of tomatoes skipping the other one. Sure enough within two weeks the row that did not get sprayed started to have Early Blight. When he started to spray again he was able to control the problem.

The good thing about garlic is that it will not deteriorate in storage, it has a shelf life of up to three years when kept in a cool area where it is not in direct sunlight.

So if you buy a large container you might save some money and keep your cost down. Application depends on the crop, but usually two to five sprays per season is sufficient to control most pests. Spraying should begin at very early stages to enhance the build up of effectiveness. With all the rain we have had more frequent applications may be necessary. Spray the whole garden regularly as frequently as you wish.

Apply each time the plant doubles in size.

Surfactants appear to elevate Garlic efficiency. Add fish emulsion or Foliar Juice, there seems to be an increase in tomato yield when a combination of the products are used.

If you purchase a Commercial Brand of Garlic such as "Garlic Barrier" Follow the instructions on the label.

Howard Garrett’s recipe for Garlic/Pepper Tea is to liquefy two bulbs of garlic and two hot peppers in a blender 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. Strain the solids and add enough water to the garlic/pepper juice to make one gallon of concentrate. Use 1/4 cup of concentrate per gallon of spray. To make garlic tea, simply omit the pepper and add another bulb of garlic. Add two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses for more control.

Spraying should be done at dusk for best results.