Monthly Gardening Tasks – July July 1st, 2016

July Garden Checklist

• Water: July is the month of peak water requirement. Ensure plants are watered deeply. After this month irrigation times and durations can be reduced.
• Avoid planting in the heat of the summer plants will require extra water and care to survive. if needed chose days where overcast and cooler temps forecasted.
• Harvest vegetables and fruit. Tie up tomatoes and beans.
• Hanging baskets and container plantings may need special watering consideration should the temperatures get much above seventy degrees. In fact, they may need daily or twice daily watering if it should get hot, into the eighties or nineties.
• Avoid fertilizing in the middle of summer it increases water needs and can stress plant if new growth is hit by extreme temps.
• To eliminate aphids and spider mites from roses, spray plants with water, then apply insecticidal soap.
• Clean up fallen leaves. If they’re diseased, discard them (don’t compost them).
• Thin the fruit of apricots, pears, peaches, apples, and other orchard fruit after fruit drop. Keep a vigilant eye out for pests and diseases, and treat promptly and organically. Keep the ground clean of litter and fallen fruit.
• Use liquid organic fertilizer on your potted plants every two weeks. Frequent watering can lead to leaching of valuable nutrients.
• Monitor spots and objects in your yard that might be harboring standing water. Drain these areas for mosquito control. Change birdbath water every few days, and clean birdbaths with a firm blast of water and a scrub brush weekly.
• Do not deadhead too soon midsummer- the fading blooms provide food and necktar to bird, butterflies and other wildlife
• Pruning of CA natives- if your Manzanita or Ceanothus need to be reduced in sized do it mid summer when these plants are somewhat dormant.