Time To Check On July Gardening Tips
Keith Hansen is Smith County Horticulturist with Texas Cooperative Extension. Its educational programs are open to all individuals without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July celebration. While gardening may not be on the top of your list of things to do this summer, there are items in the garden and landscape that may catch your attention.
Many vegetables are being harvested, pests are multiplying quickly and making their presence felt, and lawns are growing like crazy.
I attended the Horticulture Field Day at Texas A&M in Overton last week and the fields were alive with color with dozens of varieties of petunias, vinca and other annual bedding plants.
It is always amazing to see how well plants hold up in full, unadulterated blazing sun at the North Farm field in Overton. There is no special soil preparation or massive incorporation of compost in the long rows of sandy soil in those field variety trials.
Many vegetables are being harvested, pests are multiplying quickly and making their presence felt, and lawns are growing like crazy.
I attended the Horticulture Field Day at Texas A&M in Overton last week and the fields were alive with color with dozens of varieties of petunias, vinca and other annual bedding plants.
It is always amazing to see how well plants hold up in full, unadulterated blazing sun at the North Farm field in Overton. There is no special soil preparation or massive incorporation of compost in the long rows of sandy soil in those field variety trials.
(Photo/Keith Hansen, Texas Cooperative Extension)
FIELD DAY TRIAL BEAUTY: The Purslane Rio Scarlet at the recent Horticulture Field Day at Texas A&M Overton drew plenty of attention.
One of the secrets to the beautiful displays of trial plants in Overton is drip irrigation. The drip lines under plastic provide all the water those plants need, the plastic reduces evaporation, and keeps the weeds at bay.
Of course, the newest, and hopefully greatest, plant varieties were under evaluation. Seed companies are always working to improve their varieties, not only to make them more beautiful, but also hardier and sturdier under typical landscape conditions.
The petunia varieties were beautiful! Breeders have done an amazing job improving this common annual, where now it can be used like a colorful ground cover for color all summer long. "Tidal Wave Silver'' and "Tidal Wave Cherry'' were outstanding, as were several in the Opera Supreme series.
Everybody attending the Field Day had the opportunity to vote for two of their favorites using red flags. Purslane "Rio Scarlet'' had a multitude of brilliant red flowers that competed with all the flags stuck in its plot.
An interesting blue flowered Cuphea called "Flamenco Cha Cha'' drew a lot of attention, as did Perilla "Magilla Purple'' and several coleus varieties. Several dozen impatiens and vinca varieties were ablaze with color.
The East Texas Bedding Plant Pack and Garden Trials were started in 1994 by Dr. Brent Pemberton, a research horticulturist with the local Texas A&M Agricultural Experiment Station.
The Smith County Master Gardener Association plays an integral role in performing the trials by providing thousands of hours assisting in seeding and transplanting the thousands of plants involved in this research that benefits the multimillion dollar nursery industry in East Texas. For more information on Dr. Pemberton's East Bedding Plant Pack and Garden Trials at Texas A&M in Overton, visit his Web site at flowers.tamu.edu.
If there's a spot in the landscape you'd like to brighten with color, it is not too late to add heat tolerant annuals. Marigolds, cosmos, vinca (periwinkle), gomphrena, cleome (spider flower), zinnias and portulaca will all do well in the summer heat. Keep established annuals blooming by removing faded flowers and giving an occasional application of fertilizer.
Begin preparing for the fall vegetable garden in July. That's right! It may seem odd to start a fall garden in the summertime, but you need to get plants started in time for harvests before first freeze. Once the ground dries out a little, get the soil ready for transplants and seed in later in July and August. Enrich the soil by incorporating lots of organic matter to improve water and nutrient holding capacity.
Lawns at this time of year are rapidly growing and need frequent mowing. The best lawns are those that are mowed regularly. If you mow often enough, you can return the clippings back to the lawn. The rule of thumb is to not remove more than one-third of the length of the blades per mowing. This may mean mowing every 5 or 6 days instead of once a week (or less). Removing more than 1/3 is stressful on the lawn, and will tend to leave visible clippings on top of the grass which is not only unsightly, but can foster disease development.
ODD JOBS
Prune hydrangeas right after bloom if you need to cut them back. Flower buds are formed in late summer and early fall, and late fall and winter pruning removes next spring blooms.
Blackberries can be pruned once harvest is over. Remove the dying fruiting canes and tip back the vigorous, new growth to stimulate side branches for more fruit next year.
Plants in containers and hanging baskets need to be frequently watered in the summer to keep them from drying out. All this water leaches out plant nutrients from the potting soil. Use a water-soluble fertilizer regularly or a slow release product to keep your plants growing and healthy.
As it begins to dry out this summer, conserve soil moisture with mulch. A loose, well-aerated layer of weed-free mulch, such as chopped straw, coastal hay, pine needles, leaves or bark will make gardening life much easier. A 3 or 4 inch layer of mulch will not only conserve soil moisture, but also help keep the soil cooler and free of ugly and competitive weeds.
Plants with shallow roots are especially susceptible to drying out in the summer.
Azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas and dogwoods are some of the more common plants that benefit from frequent watering and a protective layer of mulch.
Take care of your health by wearing a wide brim hat and sun screen to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Drink plenty of water, and take frequent breaks when working outside. Use a mosquito repellant when working later in the day.
Keith Hansen is Smith County Horticulturist with Texas Cooperative Extension. His Web page is http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu Texas Cooperative Extension educational programs are open to all individuals without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.
Of course, the newest, and hopefully greatest, plant varieties were under evaluation. Seed companies are always working to improve their varieties, not only to make them more beautiful, but also hardier and sturdier under typical landscape conditions.
The petunia varieties were beautiful! Breeders have done an amazing job improving this common annual, where now it can be used like a colorful ground cover for color all summer long. "Tidal Wave Silver'' and "Tidal Wave Cherry'' were outstanding, as were several in the Opera Supreme series.
Everybody attending the Field Day had the opportunity to vote for two of their favorites using red flags. Purslane "Rio Scarlet'' had a multitude of brilliant red flowers that competed with all the flags stuck in its plot.
An interesting blue flowered Cuphea called "Flamenco Cha Cha'' drew a lot of attention, as did Perilla "Magilla Purple'' and several coleus varieties. Several dozen impatiens and vinca varieties were ablaze with color.
The East Texas Bedding Plant Pack and Garden Trials were started in 1994 by Dr. Brent Pemberton, a research horticulturist with the local Texas A&M Agricultural Experiment Station.
The Smith County Master Gardener Association plays an integral role in performing the trials by providing thousands of hours assisting in seeding and transplanting the thousands of plants involved in this research that benefits the multimillion dollar nursery industry in East Texas. For more information on Dr. Pemberton's East Bedding Plant Pack and Garden Trials at Texas A&M in Overton, visit his Web site at flowers.tamu.edu.
If there's a spot in the landscape you'd like to brighten with color, it is not too late to add heat tolerant annuals. Marigolds, cosmos, vinca (periwinkle), gomphrena, cleome (spider flower), zinnias and portulaca will all do well in the summer heat. Keep established annuals blooming by removing faded flowers and giving an occasional application of fertilizer.
Begin preparing for the fall vegetable garden in July. That's right! It may seem odd to start a fall garden in the summertime, but you need to get plants started in time for harvests before first freeze. Once the ground dries out a little, get the soil ready for transplants and seed in later in July and August. Enrich the soil by incorporating lots of organic matter to improve water and nutrient holding capacity.
Lawns at this time of year are rapidly growing and need frequent mowing. The best lawns are those that are mowed regularly. If you mow often enough, you can return the clippings back to the lawn. The rule of thumb is to not remove more than one-third of the length of the blades per mowing. This may mean mowing every 5 or 6 days instead of once a week (or less). Removing more than 1/3 is stressful on the lawn, and will tend to leave visible clippings on top of the grass which is not only unsightly, but can foster disease development.
ODD JOBS
Prune hydrangeas right after bloom if you need to cut them back. Flower buds are formed in late summer and early fall, and late fall and winter pruning removes next spring blooms.
Blackberries can be pruned once harvest is over. Remove the dying fruiting canes and tip back the vigorous, new growth to stimulate side branches for more fruit next year.
Plants in containers and hanging baskets need to be frequently watered in the summer to keep them from drying out. All this water leaches out plant nutrients from the potting soil. Use a water-soluble fertilizer regularly or a slow release product to keep your plants growing and healthy.
As it begins to dry out this summer, conserve soil moisture with mulch. A loose, well-aerated layer of weed-free mulch, such as chopped straw, coastal hay, pine needles, leaves or bark will make gardening life much easier. A 3 or 4 inch layer of mulch will not only conserve soil moisture, but also help keep the soil cooler and free of ugly and competitive weeds.
Plants with shallow roots are especially susceptible to drying out in the summer.
Azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas and dogwoods are some of the more common plants that benefit from frequent watering and a protective layer of mulch.
Take care of your health by wearing a wide brim hat and sun screen to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Drink plenty of water, and take frequent breaks when working outside. Use a mosquito repellant when working later in the day.
Keith Hansen is Smith County Horticulturist with Texas Cooperative Extension. His Web page is http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu Texas Cooperative Extension educational programs are open to all individuals without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.
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