August Calendar 2022

Average temperatures: High 92 Low 73

Rainfall 6.25 inches

August plantings

Vegetables: Cantaloupe, collard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, lima bean, okra, pepper, pumpkin, snap bean, southern pea, squash, tomato and watermelon

Flowers: Angelonia, begonia, black-eyed Susan vine, blue daze, butterfly weed, bush daisy, cat's whiskers, chrysanthemums, coleus, coreopsis, crossandra, fire spike, gaura, golden globe, heliconia, jacobinia, impatiens, lantana, marigold, melampodium, moon flower, pentas, periwinkle, porter weed, portulaca, purslane, salvia, Stokes aster, sunflower, torenia and zinnia.

Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, chive, dill, ginger, lemon balm, Mexican tarragon, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme.

Bulb-type flowers: African iris, agapanthus, amaryllis, bulbine, canna, crinum, day lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, kaffir lily, Louisiana iris, society garlic, rain lily and walking iris.

Vegetable & Fruit Care

Prune mangoes and lychee after harvest.

Check pineapples: fruits are ready when fragrant and turn yellow to orange.

Feed bananas and figs monthly but lightly; keep moist and mulched.

Give grape, apple and peach plantings a summer feeding.

Many gardens have filled with summer weeds; remove and till the soil for planting.

Enrich sandy soils and old garden sites with organic soils, organic matter and manure.

Test soil acidity and adjust the pH if needed before planting in ground and in containers.

Remove plastic from solarization after 6-8 week treatments and plant immediately.

Transplants started in July should be ready for the garden during mid to late August.

Plant quick growing warm season vegetables mid-August through early September.

Seeds of melons and pumpkins must be planted during early August.

Grow vegetables in large containers with a good potting soil if you have limited space.

Give tomatoes an extra-large container and keep moist to prevent blossom-end rot.

Groom and feed herbs monthly; shelter container-grown herbs from the daily rains.

Mints in containers that have stopped growing may only need dividing and more fertilizer.

Clean containers between crops and add fresh potting soil.

Plant flowers that attract pollinators among vegetables to obtain better fruit set.

Where possible plant nematode-resistant tomato and other vegetable varieties.

Open wide, 8 inch or deeper holes in nematode infested sties and fill with fresh pest free soil.

Begin staking or trellising taller growing crops when young.

Mulch new plantings to conserve water and promote better plant growth.

Feed sweet potatoes monthly and check for ready to harvest potatoes in 100 days.

Feed citrus with one-quarter pound of citrus fertilizer per inch of trunk circumference.

Apply a minor nutrient spray and insecticide to citrus at each flush of new growth.

Lawn Care

Lawns may appear yellow green by mid-summer; apply an iron treatment where permitted.

Sod webworms have been feeding in lawns; apply a natural control if needed.

Turn off irrigation systems during rainy periods; lawns can go four to five days or more without water.

Allowing your lawn to wilt a little between waterings helps deepen the root system.

Raise or replace pop-up sprinkler heads that don?t reach far enough above the sod.

Mow frequently and at the recommended height; sharpen dull mower blades.

Fill bare areas with sod, plugs or seed to take advantage of the good growing weather.

Wait until Fall to sod shady areas to prevent decline due to excessive moisture.

New lawns are susceptible to fungal problems; apply a fungicide to help reduce decline.

Mushrooms are common in lawns after rains; remove as needed.

Control weeds that are filling bare spots and over growing the good grass.

Consider another ground cover for hard to maintain and problem turf areas

Landscape care

Landscape plantings make lots of growth during summer; prune to keep in bounds.

Thinning out excessive growth can help many shrubs avoid disease problems.

Many shrubs & flowers need a summer feeding; fertilize where permitted.

Weeds grow out of control during summer; remove to prevent seeding and more weeds.

Renew mulch layers to control weeds: keep them back a few inches from stems and trunks.

Summer rains can cause container plants to decline; check for proper drainage.

Replace annuals and perennials with heat tolerant selections.

Do not count on summer rains to water new plantings, most need daily hand watering.

Use a slow-release fertilizer that feeds the plantings for several months.

Palms fertilized with products made for their needs and that contain minor nutrients.

Don?t let vines climb trees and shrubs; train them to arbors and trellises.

Pruning time is over for azaleas, camellias and gardenias that are forming flowers buds.

Give palms a break; only remove the dead fronds and old flower heads.

Complete pruning of poinsettias, bougainvillea, and wisteria by month?s end.

Edge walkways and driveways to keep the landscape attractive.

Use foliage plants in shady gardens during the warmer months.

Avoid trimming sheared plants back to the same height; allow a little new growth to remain.

Stake newly planted small trees and shrubs that might be affected by wind.

Feed crape myrtles where permitted and remove seed heads to continue summer blooms.

Yellowing and leaf drop of crape myrtles is often due to a fungus but usually ignored.

Caladiums may start to decline by month?s end which is normal.

Trim both declining flowers and foliage from perennial beds.

Divide bromeliads, Shasta daisies, day lilies and other landscape perennials.

Dig gladiolus bulbs to store in dry peat moss or allow them to remain in the ground.

Transplant palms and sagos.

Start poinsettia cuttings in early August.

Pinch the tips of chrysanthemums in early August to grow well-branched compact plants.

Feed water lilies and bog plantings in home water gardens monthly.

Foliage & house plant care

Time to prepare foliage plants for Fall; reshape and trim to encourage new growth.

Transplant root bound and poorly drained foliage plants.

Check for mealy bugs, scales and mites; control with natural soap or oil insecticides.

Make cuttings of your favorite plants.

Feed all foliage plants with a slow-release fertilizer where permitted.

Look for new plants to add to the collection.

Indoor plants accumulate dust like furniture; rise with water or a mild soapy solution.

Move light starved plants outdoors to a shady location.

Enjoy orchids and bromeliads indoors when in bloom, then move then outside to the shade.

Divide clump forming foliage plants like Spathiphyllum and Sansevieria.