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A.U.G.U.S.T.
A: Arrive Early and Beat the Heat
Valley heat is no joke so get up early and bring that coffee to the patio and walk your yard to check for any issues that are brewing. Check that sprinklers are running as scheduled, and you may need to set the "seasonal adjust" to about 120%. Its also a good time to trim grass and prune shrubs around nozzles so water isn't blocked. Its a good time to augment drip systems with the watering can to lightly fertilize (use a soluble fertilizer at quarter strength to give your plants a boost). Alternate balanced fertilizer feedings with a bloom fertilizer (low N and High P, K numbers) Then sit back in a comfy chair and enjoy your beautiful yard and finish that coffee over a game of Wordle.
U: U're the Bee
August has notoriously low humidity so if you want to increase fruit setting on your vegetable plants you need to help with the pollination. Two suggestions: Get a long handled, soft bristle artist paintbrush and use it to brush all the fresh blossoms on your plants that aren't setting much fruit including tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash and cukes. Seriously! Its what they generally do in greenhouses to increase yields. If you have a lot of flowering plants already attracting bees to the garden use a water bottle or hose attachment to mist around the blossoms so the pollen stays viable a bit longer into the day. This helps increase yields for September harvests.
G: Get Grasses Going!
Discrete clumps of green, gray, pink and red grass have been quietly growing all summer while letting flowering plants dominate the stage. Then one day you look out and notice they've been replaced by tall, fluffy plumes waving with an array of texture and softer tones. Those Pennisetum, Pink Muhly, Red Bunny Tails, and others are the class of Showy Fountain grasses that are the herald of fall and they'll be around well into the winter so come on by and find your favorites!
U: Underwatered and overwatered plants...
Both show similar symptoms of plant wilt. Best is to test the soil with a squeeze or push a shovel in the ground by base of the plant to determine how wet or dry your soil actually is. If dry, check the irrigation nozzle/emitter and consider putting a deep layer (3") of mulch around the base of the plant(s). If soil shiny and wet, check the watering duration for watering that plant. You can also use a garden fork and dig in an break up heavy soil and mix in a mulch to loosen soil and allow air to get to roots - cause they may be drowning!, We sell several types of mulch here at Belmont.
S: Seed Germination Time
Its time to start germinating fall and winter flowers and veggies if you can't wait for started plants at the end of the month.
We carry a wide selection of cold season flower, veggie and herb seeds and seed starting kits to help you get going. That includes seeds and kits for Micro-greens and sprouts.
For summer diehards, late seeded summer veggies are still a Fair bet: Basil, cucumbers, String beans, and winter squash should yield in time for fall holidays! There's also time for a late crop of Indian Corn, and tall Marigold.
Basil planted now grows well in pots all year.
T: Tree Review Time!
Are you seeing spots of the yard that are just too dark with nothing thriving under that ol' tree? Or is there that terribly hot section of the yard that could use some shade? Maybe not time to plant but definitely to determine if you need to add a new tree on the western or south side of the yard, or if you need to get some serious pruning done to thin that beast this winter.
Thanks for your time!
Comments Welcome: DavidM@belmontnursery.com
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