June Gardening Tips
This year’s heavy rain encourages mildew on many plants, such as crepe myrtle, zinnias, phlox, Gerbera daisies, etc. It also encourages black spot on roses, phlox, photinias, etc. so you need to maintain a regular fungicide treatment each month. I personally spot spray in my yard because it is small. If you have to spray on a widespread basis, you will lose a lot of beneficial insects.
- Continue to put out slug bait or mix a solution of four tbsp. of aluminum sulphate in a gallon of water and spray AFTER SUNDOWN. Check out the Pests page for other solutions.
- My mom always had a problem with “pinching back” – you gotta do it! Plants such as tall phlox, salvia, sunflowers – as well as annuals – need an occasional nip of new growth to encourage branching out. This makes them stronger and fuller and you will reap the rewards. So you may lose one or two small blooms now, but you’ll be glad later.
- Spray with fungicide for black spot and mildew – roses and phlox are especially susceptible.
- Summer sod grasses can still be installed now.
- Mulch your shrubbery now in advance of the hot weather.
- Continue to feed roses with 10-10-10. Alternate fertilizer with super phosphate for blooms for the rest of the season. Also spray weekly for spider mites. If less than an inch of rain per week, water.
- Begin your regular weeding program and keep the soil around your plants lightly tilled with a long handled cultivator.
- Dead head your blooming flowers – it helps keep the blossoms coming as well as making your garden prettier.
- The bulb foliage is starting to disappear, but leave it alone until it does away- it is part of the bud forming process for next year. Just double them and slip a rubber band over them to tuck them out of sight until they die away.
- For a beautiful lawn, be sure your lawnmower blade is sharp – chewed blades of grass make for a ragged looking lawn.
