Summer’s in full swing and we are entering our three hottest and often driest months in San Diego County. Make sure your garden has plenty of water, and don’t forget to add mulch to keep the soil cool and moist.
Here are some July gardening tips to help your yard stay beautiful throughout the summer.
Plant a Butterfly Garden
If you have an area in full sun, you can create a butterfly garden. Butterflies need both flowers for nectar and host plants for their larvae. Brightly colored, sweet smelling flowers that butterflies can land on will bring them into your garden. Some good options are yarrow, lily-of-the-Nile, snapdragons, cosmos, columbine, butterfly bush, butterfly weed, lantana, lavender, coneflower, Shasta daisies, penstemon, rosemary and zinnias.
Some butterflies will only lay their eggs on one host plant, like milkweed for monarchs. Others aren’t quite as picky, but prefer flowers, shrubs and trees that are native to the area. In addition to some of the plants mentioned above, some host plants you might want to try are hollyhock, sunflower, lupine, monkey flower, speedwell, passion vine, ceanothus, tree mallow, cape plumbago, birch, pine, fir and oak trees.
Populations of migrating monarchs have plummeted in recent years. Groups, like The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation are trying to save them. They recommend not planting tropical milkweed and have lots of information on what you can plant and do to save the monarch population.
Deadhead Roses
Deadheading your roses now will help keep them blooming through October. You can cut them when they are in full bloom so you can enjoy their flowers in your home, or prune them once the flowers have stopped blooming.
To get new blooms, cut above a growth node at a five-leaflet leaf that points outward at a middle point on the cane. If you cut too high, the stems will be weak. Cut too low, and you could be waiting a long time for new blooms. Feed the plant lightly and water it deeply. Deadheading after each bloom cycle will keep your plant blooming throughout the season.
Troubleshoot Tomatoes
Tomatoes having problems? Here are some answers to common tomato-growing issues:
- Yellow leaves – could be caused by ozone and other pollutants. Try other varieties to see if they work in your garden.
- Wilting and dying plants – verticillium or fusarium wilt may be causing this. These are fungal diseases that can live on in your soil. Throw away the dead plants and don’t replant tomatoes in the same spots. Looks for tomato varieties with VF resistance.
- Defoliation – tomato hornworms are large, striped caterpillars with a horn-like tail. Pick off the worms or use Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). It is fatal to the worm, but won’t harm other beneficial insects.
- Cracked fruit – is caused by irregular irrigation. Water deeply in a 2-foot radius around each plant, increasing irrigation as temperatures rise.
- Blossom drop – occurs naturally if daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees or nighttime temps drop below 55. Once temperatures regulate, plants will start to blossom again.
A lot of information for July Gardening Tips 2020 comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.