Yep garden seeds that is! Many of your are chomping at the bit to get those fall gardens going, it’s still a bit early for transplants but you can, IF YOUR GARDEN SOIL IS WELL PREPARED, start planting from seed many things. Beans,Cabbage, Celery, Corn,Cucumber… Your can see them all for yourself here:Phoenix Arizona Planting Dates Take Note how many more come on line September 1 which is just around the corner! The key is good soil. Be sure to take time to till and loosen and add lots of organic compost, gypsum, and fertilizer!!
Feed the plants that feed you! Yep we’re just about to another date for fertilizing citrus. Labor day is the next “signal” date for citrus and really just about everything in your landscape. It will help summer stressed plants to recover and also help tropicals go thru the winter more effectively if you give them all a late summer feeding!!
Mulch, Mulch, Mulch…Plants looking a little heat stressed and sunburned, especially rose, fruit trees, and the like? One of the best antidotes for summer recovery is to add a layer of organic mulch around plants. It’s kind of like putting a cool towel on the back of your neck. Cooling the soil and roots of the plants will help them be able to more efficiently use available moisture and will keep that moisture available longer and more uniformly. Mulch also helps beneficial organisms thrive in the soil so the plant is surrounded by all kinds of goodies to help it grow, handle stress, and recover from server temps.
Spring a leak? Maybe that is why the water bill is higher than it should be. Do yourself a favor this weekend. Turn on your sprinkler system and watch all of the zones come on, walk around and be sure water is going where it should be! Believe me, I have one myself right now that i have to fix and because they systems generally run when we’re asleep or not outside many times they go for weeks or months until we catch them!
Raise the mowing height or mow more often! If your lawn is browning between mowings, it’s because you’re taking too much off! Grass grows so fast when it’s hot and humid that one mowing per week just isn’t often enough. Removing more than 1/3 of the height of the grass can result in post mowing browns!
Don’t just Stand There Let’s Get Ready To Plant Something-Trees, shrubs, and vines that are locally grown can be planted even in hot weather. Planting a tree shrub or vine on the correct spot in your landscape can reduce your electric bill summer and winter! Plants provide shade for wildlife and attract pollinators ( been hearing about our loss of bees, butterflies, and the like?) And who couldn’t use a nice place to put up a hammock!