August Gardening Tips
- Control leggy growth on annuals by cutting them back at least one-third or more to encourage late summer re-blooming
- Inspect plants for pests and treat using “low impact” products if warranted. Apply treatments early mornings during the cool part of the day
- Give citrus trees an occasional hosing down from top to bottom to wash off dust and pests
- Pick up fallen fruit to discourage bees ,yellow jackets, wasps and over wintering of diseases
- Cut back Baby’s Tears, Blue Star Creeper, Coprosma, Creeping Thyme and other spreaders to encourage new compact growth and prevent them from overstepping their boundaries
- Do not dry herbs in the sun. Wash and set them on a screen indoors where there is good air circulation
- For large Pumpkins and Melons, leave only one to three fruits per vine
- Wash foliage off early in the morning with a strong stream of water to blast off aphids, leafhoppers, and caterpillars
- If skunks, raccoons, possums, moles and other critters are digging up the lawn, they are probably looking for grubs
- Check your automated irrigation system to make sure everything is operating properly and water isn’t being wasted through runoff and over-spray. Set your watering budget at 80% of the July schedule or according to local watering retrictions
- Begin to consider ordering Spring flowering bulbs