Protecting your garden from summer temps
Allen Robinson: Ask a Master Gardener
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Q: It seems to be
getting hotter earlier each year, and 2018 is no exception. What are the most
important things I should be focused on to ensure a successful lawn and garden
season throughout the summer? Alicia M., Broken Arrow
A: Hot and dry days of
summer not only put a stress on people, but also on yards, plants and gardens.
Like people, keeping them healthy is the best way to prevent diseases and other
problems. Proper weeding, mulching, fertilizing and watering will go a long way
to help create and maintain a healthy landscape.
Weeding: Nobody likes to weed, but it’s a
necessity. The key is to apply pre-emergent herbicides at the proper time,
visit your gardens often and pull weeds as they appear, and to keep gardens
properly mulched and lawns properly fertilized. Remember — the best
countermeasure to weeds in a lawn is a thick, healthy turf.
Mulching: Mulching protects tree trunks from lawn
equipment damage, reduces water loss due to evaporation, keeps the soil cooler
in the summer and warmer in the winter, prevents grass and weed growth, adds
beneficial organic material to the soil as it decays and, quite simply, looks
better. Remember that most plants get oxygen through their roots, not from
leaves, and will suffocate without air in the soil. So, a maximum of 2-4 inches
of a loose material, such as shredded tree bark, wood chips or compost from your
own compost bin, is sufficient. The desirable mulch pattern should look like a
doughnut around the trunk, not a volcano.
Fertilizing: Having a soil test conducted is the best
way to know exactly what your lawn and gardens need. A test should be done
about every three years. In general, Bermuda grass needs about 5 pounds of
nitrogen per 1,000 square feet each active growing season, applied between
spring and fall. So, a good rule of thumb is to apply 1 pound of nitrogen per
1,000 square feet in each of the five months between and including April and
August. Fertilizing after August will increase the chances of spring lawn
diseases (e.g. Spring Dead Spot) next year. Fertilize fescue in the spring,
then again in September and November. Do not fertilize fescue or any
cool-weather grass in the summer.
Watering: Watering more infrequently and longer is
preferred over watering often and shorter. This method allows the moisture to
go deeper into the ground, thus coaxing roots to do the same. By doing this,
your lawn will sustain itself through hot/dry conditions much better.
Generally, the equivalent of 1 inch of water per week is sufficient. If it’s
very hot and dry, up to 2 inches per week may be necessary. Water early in the
morning to avoid heavy evaporation and to give the plants a chance to dry off
before nightfall. For gardens, drip irrigation is the most efficient way to
water.
Garden
tips
- Renovate overgrown strawberry
beds after the last harvest. Start by setting your lawnmower on its
highest setting and mow off the foliage. Next, thin crowns to 12-24 inches
apart. Apply recommended fertilizer, pre-emergent herbicide (if needed)
and keep watered.
- White grubs will soon emerge as
adult June Beetles. Watch for high populations that can indicate potential
damage from grubs of future life cycle stages later in the summer.
- Thatch is a layer of dead and
living stems, shoots and roots that pile up on top of the soil at the base
of lawn grasses. If it is over ½-inch thick, it should be removed with
either a core-aerator or power-rake. Now is the time to de-thatch Bermuda
and zoysia. De-thatch fescue, if needed, in the fall.
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