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	June Gardening Tips

Annual Color

• Try Torenia. Originating from Vietnam, this wonderful annual loves our heat and humidity. It blooms throughout summer and autumn and makes a good companion for Hostas and ferns.
• Remove flowers from Caladiums, Coleus, and Copper Plant to increase colorful leaf production, and prevent the plants from becoming woody.
• Attract hummingbirds by planting Lady In Red and/or Nymph Coral Salvia. Deadhead spent blooms, and pinch growing tips to encourage more flowers.
• If you have very hot and dry areas try Crystal Bowl Zinnia, Dahlberg Daisy, Moss Rose, Ornamental Okra, or Purslane.
• Vinca (a.k.a. Periwinkles) that are planted in alkaline soil are usually affected by Phytophthora fungus. The best way to enjoy Vinca is to make sure your soil is slightly acidic, use the disease-resistant Pacifica group, and to plant them no earlier than this month.
• Install a soaker hose to effectively water your annuals, without getting water on the leaves and flowers. Here's how.
• Feed annuals with Osmocote or Color Star. These slow release fertilizers will continuously feed plants so you won't have to during the hottest days.
• Foliar feed annuals in early morning or late afternoon.

Exotics and Tropicals

• Fertilize your tropical plants: Hibiscus, Plumeria, Mandevilla and Allamanda.
• Watch hibiscus for yellowing spots on leaves. This could be a sign of Spider Mites. To control them, wash with a strong spray of water the leaf tops and undersides every morning for a week. Or spray weekly with either Insecticidal Soap or Neem Oil until they're eliminated.
• Keep pinching tips of poinsettias for lush growth.

Fruit Trees

• Entomosporium leaf spot may cause fruit trees to defoliate prematurely. Apply Mancozeb (maneb) fungicide in spring/early summer after periods of high rainfall to keep the foliage healthy into fall.
• If Brown Rot Fungus shows up on peaches and plums, use Daconil, Captan or a sulfur fungicide to control the disease. You can alternate products. Always follow label directions.
• For Fireblight infestation, prune out the damaged limbs about 12 inches below the blackened portion. After each cut, soak your pruners in a 10% bleach solution for at least 10 seconds to kill the disease causing bacteria. If you have planted a Fireblight-resistant variety, it has the ability to wall off the infection and outgrow the problem.
• If caterpillars are eating your citrus leaves, don't worry. They're most likely butterfly caterpillars. They won't hurt the citrus. If you're not sure what they are, bring it in to us and we'll identify it for you.
• Install a soaker hose to effectively water your fruit trees. Here's how.

Herbs

• Keep flower heads removed from Basil to increase leaf production and prevent it from becoming woody.
• Plant Painted Daisy in your vegetable garden. Not only are the flowers pretty, they also provide some insect control - being the source of the insecticide Pyrethrin.
• Try Pineapple Sage in a spot that receives afternoon shade. The leaves smell like pineapples and can be used in tea or lemonade. Its flowers attract hummingbirds.
• All herbs benefit from a light pruning. If you do not need to use the leaves in cooking, dry them in a very slow oven, or freeze them in ice cube trays.
• Flowering herbs such as Mexican Mint Marigold, Rue, Mints, Chives, and Mexican Oregano make wonderful nectar plants for butterflies. Giant and Black Swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on Parsley and Rue, wonderful host plants for the resulting caterpillars.
• Install a soaker hose to effectively water your herbs, without getting water on the leaves and flowers. Here's how.

Insect Control

• Regularly inspect your plants for early signs of insect problems. This is the easiest and most important part of pest control.
• Identify insects before spraying! Although they may be climbing on your plants - they can be beneficials hunting for their prey. Eliminate the beneficials and you'll create a much larger insect problem later on. If you can't identify the bug - bring it in to us for identification. Read the information below to learn how to identify common insect problems.
• Bag Worms/Tent Caterpillars: Worms that spin bag-like nests spun in tree branches. Organic controls include spraying leaves with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), and/or cutting the branch with the bag and burning it. Chemical controls include piercing bag and spraying the contents with Malathion or Eight.
• Fire Ants: Click here for information on how to control these pests.
• Lacebugs: Tiny bugs that suck sap from the undersides of leaves, leaving a brown excrement. Leaves have a mottled appearance from the top. Control organically with Neem Oil (Rose Defense). Control chemically with Eight or Malathion.
• Pecan Phylloxera: Usually seen as swollen bumps on the leaves and twigs in late spring. Spray with dormant oil. Do not spray when daytime temperatures are predicted to rise above 85 F.
• Scale: Adults are non-moving, small, white, hard bumps found on leaves and stems. If a few are found, they can be manually removed. If there are many, spray with dormant oil. Do not spray when daytime temperatures are predicted to rise above 85 F. You can also treat the plant chemically with systemic insecticide.
• Spider mites: Yellowing, bronzed or "speckled" leaves. Organic controls include spraying tops and bottoms of leaves every morning for a week with a strong spray of water, insecticidal soap, or Neem Oil. Chemical control includes Kelthane.
• Thrips: Microscopic bugs that suck on rosebuds, resulting in malformed blooms. They generally attack hybrid tea roses.
• Whiteflies: Tiny flies with white wings. They billow like powder when an infected plant is shaken. Spray with Neem Oil.

Lawn Care

• Calibrate your watering system to efficiently water your St. Augustine lawn. Here's how.
• If lawn areas are looking thin, mow often to encourage grass to spread to those areas. Do not add more fertilizer to those areas - you'll just be feeding any weeds that develop there, and overfertilizing the thicker areas. Overfertilization is a contributing factor for fungal disease development.
• Do not remove more than 1/3 the height of grass at a time when mowing. Leave grass clippings on the lawn; they shade grass roots and replenish the soil.
• Make sure your sprinklers are working properly, and that the lawn is not being overwatered. Overwatering is a contributing factor for fungal disease development.
• DO NOT apply pesticide on the lawn to prevent Cinch Bugs. This simply does not work.
• Dead spots on lawns could be due to Take-All Patch. Bring in a sample and we'll help determine the cause of the problem. Dig a small square with at least an inch of soil clinging to the roots. Make sure half of the sample contains healthy growth.

Perennials

• Let your wildflowers go to seed. They'll produce flowering plants for next season.
• Feed summer blooming perennials with Osmocote to avoid doing so during the upcoming hot months.
• Pinch growing tips to make perennials bushier. Discontinue when they produce flower buds.
• If your Asian Jasmine is looking thin, mow or weed-whack it back. This will force it to thicken.
• Mexican Sunflower, Stokes Aster, Coneflowers, Pentas, Lantana, and Passion Vine are great nectar plants for butterflies. All thrive on our heat and humidity.
• To attract hummingbirds plant Bat-Face Cuphea, Turk's Cap, Shrimp Plant, Salvia, Penta, Mexican Firebush, Firecracker Plant, Chinese Hat, and others. They also thrive in our heat and humidity and attract butterflies.
• If you have a very hot, very dry spot try Verbena and Calliopsis.
• Plant vines on fences for more color. Good evergreen ones are Confederate Jasmine, Carolina Jessamine, and Five-Leaf Akebia.
• Install a soaker hose to effectively water your perennial border, without getting water on the leaves and flowers. Here's how.

Roses

• Watch for die-back (canes turning brown or black at the cut end); prune to healthy eyes, if needed.
• Lightly feed all roses with a well-balanced fertilizer, apply a handful of Epsom salts around each bush, and water it in. Epsom salts contain the element magnesium which is said to encourage new basal breaks.
• Prevent Black Spot Fungus occurring on modern hybrid tea roses by preventatively spraying both the bottom and top sides of leaves, and canes, with Funginex. Alternate with Mancozeb or Daconil.
• DO NOT preventatively spray roses with insecticide. This simply does not work, and serves only to kill beneficial insects like Ladybugs. Spray only when insect damage is detected, and only with an insecticide formulated for the specific insect pest. If you're not sure what insect is causing damage, bring in your damaged leaves, canes, and/or flowers and we'll be happy to diagnose the offending pest for you.
• Plant Society Garlic below roses to repel Aphids.
• Plant Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) to attract both Aphids and their predators Ladybugs. The Aphids are attracted to the Butterfly Weeds sticky sap, keeping them off the roses. The Aphids then attract Ladybugs who'll appreciate the easy meal.
• Install a soaker hose to effectively water your roses, without getting water on the leaves and flowers. Here's how.

Shrubs

• Gardenias typically will drop older leaves. However, if buds are dropping check for drainage and/or pH problems. Gardenias, like Azaleas, Camellias and Magnolias, require an acidic soil.
• This is the last month to feed your Azaleas.
• If you see yellow leaves on your azaleas, check to see if there is Lacebug damage. See Insect Control on how to identify them. Feed Azaleas with Azalea/Magnolia/Camellia food. Mulch the roots well.
• Try Pineapple Guava petals in salads, over ice cream or cake. They're very sweet.
• Pinch back nonblooming shrub tips to force bushier growth.
• Do not prune Oleanders except to remove errant branches.
• Prune other summer bloomers after the flowers fade.
• Shrubs that are exhibiting Black Spot Fungus can be sprayed with Daconil. Remove any fallen leaves from underneath the shrub to control the disease more effectively.
• Install a soaker hose to effectively water your shrubs, without getting water on the leaves and flowers. Here's how.

Trees

• Feed Crape Myrtles for a colorful summer this year.
• Palms can be planted throughout the summer
• Remove any branches that hang too low over sidewalks and streets. Individuals may be tempted to pull and break them. Vehicles can rip branches off as they drive by. In either case, the tree can be damaged with the resulting ragged stubs, and/or stripped off bark.
• If pruning an oak tree, seal fresh cuts with pruning paint to prevent Oak Wilt infestation.
• Water trees thoroughly if an inch of rain has not been received in a week.
• Install a soaker hose to effectively water your trees.

Vegetables

• Side dress vegetable plants that were planted earlier this year: tomatoes, beans, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, kohlrabi, lettuce, spinach, and lettuce.
• Harvest bell peppers when they reach full size, snap beans when the pods are the diameter of a pencil, and tomatoes any time after they being to turn pink.
• Keep the soil around your tomatoes evenly moist. While tomatoes are ripening, wide fluctuations in soil moisture levels can cause blossom end rot and fruit cracking.
• Cucumbers are prolific producers and need to be harvested daily.
• Plant cantaloupe, eggplant, okra, squash, sweet potatoes, and watermelon. Don't forget to feed these every few weeks to keep them vigorously growing and productive.
• Install a soaker hose to effectively water your vegetables, without getting water on the leaves and flowers. Here's how.

Miscellaneous

• At a minimum, don't forget to get Dad a pretty plant for Father's Day.
• Give the soil an application of seaweed or fish emulsion. This adds a bit of organic matter and will help stimulate beneficial soil organism activity. Apply mulch where needed.
• If you need to transplant perennials, shrubs or roses choose a cloudy day. First dig the new hole, and water it with root stimulator, or kelp. Dig up the plant, retaining as much of the soil ball as possible to prevent drying out the roots. Transplant to its new home and water in well with root stimulator. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy, until the plant starts growing well.
• Keep a water source in the yard for birds.
• Keep your mail box door firmly closed to prevent fleas, spiders, bees, and wasps, from building nests inside.