Gardening Tips > July

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General Gardening Tips

• Summer is here and it's a great time to add a water feature to your landscape. The experts at Beaver Bark can design and build creative water features that will allow you to enjoy the soothing sights and sounds of water. Stop by and speak with our water garden experts and pick up informational literature about proper pond care.
• Plants and trees that provide color in the month of July include crape myrtles, spireas, hydrangeas, summersweet, hypericum, butterfly bush and goldenraintree. Visit the nursery and see these beautiful plants in bloom.
• Beaver Bark stocks thousands of perennials throughout the summer so stop and add some to your garden. Perennials that provide interest in the month of July include daylilies, rudbeckia, phlox, veronica, ligularia, tickseed and much more.
• Check all plants, especially newly planted ones, for water on a regular basis. Water deeply and thoroughly as needed. Pick-up a copy of our free brochure, Proper Planting & Watering Instructions.
• Gator bags provide a great way to keep trees watered during hot and dry months. These bags, which can hold up to 20 gallons of water, are secured to the trunk of the tree, where they release the water slowly to the root ball over the course of 15-20 hours.
• Spruce up your summer landscape with beautiful color in containers and hanging baskets. Our staff can assist you in selecting combinations of annuals, perennials and shrubs that work wonderfully together. We have a tremendous selection of window boxes, hanging baskets and planters. Be sure to use Beaver Bark Potting Mix when planting and a water-grabbing polymer such as Soil Moist to reduce the frequency of watering.
• Stop pinching chrysanthemums by July 16th.
• Do not prune azaleas and rhododendrons after the second week of July for they soon will begin setting their buds for next year's blooms.

Water Gardens

• Clear pond water can be achieved with proper plant balance. If the pond is in full sun, 50-70% of its surface must be covered with foliage such as floating heart, water hyacinth, water poppy, water lily, or lotus.
• Underwater grasses produce oxygen, helping to maintain D.O. Levels.  Grasses will improve water clarity by using Nitrate.  Following are some easy guidelines to know when trying to figure out how many grasses are needed:
• 1 clump of grass per 1 sq. ft. of surface area for ponds less than 25 sq. ft.
• 1 clump of grass per 2 sq. ft. of surface area for ponds greater than 25 sq. ft.
• Time to fertilize all water lilies and lotus once a month to keep them blooming continuously throughout the season.
• Lotus are great plants for container water gardens on a deck or patio. Whiskey barrels make a perfect container for these types of water gardens.
• Tropical water lilies make a spectacular show of color for any water garden. Whereas hardy water lilies bloom only during the day, tropical varieties, which are considered annuals in this area, include day and night bloomers. This makes it possible to enjoy the bloom in the late afternoon and evening. Day blooming tropical water lilies bloom heavier than hardy lilies. The flowers stay open longer each day and they bloom much later into the season. Night blooming tropical water lilies open their flowers at approximately 5 pm and do not close until the following morning around 9 am. This is perfect timing for those evening barbecues and parties.
• Time to switch from spring fish food to summer fish food since water temperatures have risen above 70 degrees. At higher temperatures, fish metabolize at a faster rate, thus creating a need for a diet higher in protein, which the summer food contains

Pest Controls

• Various pest problems can occur in July. If you have plants that you suspect may be facing a pest problem, bring in a representative sample to our plant clinic at either of our stores and speak with one of our plant specialists. We will diagnose the problem and recommend the appropriate control. Listed below are some of the problems that can appear this month along with the proper controls.
• If needed, set Japanese beetle traps up, but away from the garden.
• Use Diatomaceous Earth to control crawling insects such as cockroaches, ants, slugs, silverfish, earwigs, fleas, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and carpet beetles. Use indoors and outdoors.
• Time to control aphids, lacebugs, bagworms, birch borer, fall webworm, Japanese beetle, obscure scale, oystershell scale, euonymus scale, pine needle scale, rhododendron borer, apple tree borer, spider mites. Stop by Beaver Bark Gift & Garden Center's plant clinic with a representative sample and our staff will instruct you on the proper control measures.
• Use Round-Up or Pratio to kill weeds and grasses in brick patios and walks. Stop birds from making a mess on your patio or automobile finish by placing our plastic owls or owl decoy's in your garden. This also works to protect fruit from bird attacks.
• Spray roses with Ortho Rose Pride or Immunox Plus to keep black spot and other problems under control.
• Spray for bagworms on arborvitae and other evergreens. Use Sevin or Thuricide.
• Spider mites can be controlled on Alberta spruce, hemlocks and other plants using Ortho's Systemic Insect Control or Rose & Flower Insect Killer. 
• Lacebugs can be controlled on azaleas, andromeda and other plants now with Malathion or Merit.
• If necessary, treat dogwoods for borers with Borer Miner Spray.
• To treat hemlock woolly adelgid, Aphids and other pests use Merit for season long control.
• To control deer foraging on your landscape plants, try the following: Bobbex, Milorganite and/or Deer Away.
• To control rabbits and other animals that are getting into your garden, try a repellent such as Dried Blood or Ropel, which is labeled for that particular pest.
• Fruit trees should be on a regular spray program. See our Fruit Tree Spray Program bulletin.
• Control slugs and snails on hosta and other plants with Bug-Geta or Deadline (if you have pets, you should use barrier tape or Sluggo instead of these products).

Fruit and Vegetable Gardens

• If necessary, spray tomato plants and other vegetables to control diseases. See our staff for advice.
• Start seeds for fall vegetables this month. This includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and many others.

Lawns

• Apply a fungicide to the lawn to control turf diseases such as brown patch, dollar spot and others. Use Bayleton or Immunox.
• Apply Perk to the lawn to keep it nice and green throughout the summer months. This product contains 10% iron, which gives added color without excessive growth.
• Fertilize zoysia lawns now with Merrifield Premium 26-4-12.
• If needed, apply a weed control to the lawn to kill actively growing weeds. Use Bonide Weed Beater or Speed Zone.

Tips on applying weed killer:

• Do not apply weed controls on newly seeded areas.
• Do not apply weed controls on windy days.
• Do not apply weed controls near or on the edge of waterways.
• Do not allow children or pets to play on lawns freshly applied with weed controls. It is best to wait one week.
• Do not apply weed controls when temperatures are above 85 degrees F.
• Always follow the label directions.

Houseplants

• Feed houseplants with a good quality indoor plant food such as Jack's Classic (water-soluble powder) or Osmocote (slow-release granular).
• If needed, re-pot root bound houseplants to a larger pot. Beaver Bark stocks a full line of containers, including terra cotta, wood, concrete, ceramic and plastic. Use Beaver Bark Potting Mix when repotting houseplants.

Additional Information

For more information to help you garden more easily and successfully, stop into the garden center.

July Reminders:

• Get ready for your 4th of July parties by sprucing up your summer landscape with beautiful color from Beaver Bark's excellent selection of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. We even have red, white and blue blooming plants for you to choose from. If needed, add fresh mulch to your landscape for that extra clean look.
• Use Mosquito Patrol or Mosquito Off to keep mosquitoes, gnats and black flies under control.