With all of the May gray and June gloom we’ve had lately, it’s hard to believe that summer’s heat is almost here. To protect your San Diego gardens, make sure your irrigation is working properly and add several inches of mulch to your garden beds.
Roses: Time to Deadhead and Fight Powdery Mildew
Cut spent flowers from your roses or cut them while in bloom to fill your house with fragrance. This will help stimulate new flowers and can keep the plants blooming through October. Also give them a light, all-purpose fertilizer and a deep watering.
If this month’s June gloom is encouraging powdery mildew on roses, take a look at May Gardening Tips for ways to fight it.
Feed Plants and Vegetables in Your San Diego Garden
Vegetables need a nitrogen fertilizer to promote growth. Feed corn when it is six inches and 24 inches tall. Fertilize cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and squash when they begin to produce runners. Eggplant, peppers and tomatoes should be fed when they begin to bloom and again after one month. Feed beans one month after planting or when runners start to climb.
Fertilize actively growing plants like roses, annual flowers, fruit trees and plants in containers, but skip native and drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants.
Plant Bromeliads
We often think of bromeliads as houseplants, but, here in San Diego gardens, many thrive outdoors too. About one-third of the 1,500 species are air plants that grow on rocks or trees, but others can be grown in-ground or in pots. Most take low light and don’t mind tree roots which makes them perfect for underplanting. One of the largest bromeliad growers in the country is Kent’s Bromeliads in Vista.
The San Diego Bromeliad Society’s annual show and sale is June 10-11 at Casa del Prado in Balboa Park. There you can learn more about tillandsias, aechmeas, neoregelias, vrieseas, and desert-loving puyas.
San Diego Gardens Tips Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardens 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.