Tips for Summer
Harvesting Cut Flowers - When harvesting cut flowers it is best to cut them when they are most turgid (saturated with water). Either early in the morning or in the evening is best. Be sure to carry a clean container of warm water and floral preservative. Commercial conditioners provide nutrients for freshly cut flowers while keeping the bacteria in check to increase vase life. Cut the stems at an angle with a sharp knife or pruners. Dipping the freshly cut stems in a commercial hydrating solution like Floralife Quick Dip will hasten the uptake of water. Remove all foliage that will be under water. Allow flowers to 'condition' or stand in the warm water and floral preservative in a shady, cool place for several hours before arranging them. Never crush woody-stemmed materials such as Lilacs or Forsythia. Conditioning in deep, hot water in a 5 gal. bucket overnight works best. Cover the flowers with a large plastic bag to keep humidity high. To prolong the life of your flowers, keep arrangements in a cool place, away from heat sources such as sunny windows, heat registers and televisions. Add water daily.
Good Gardening Practices - Avoid working in your garden if it has just rained. Wet soils compact more easily and water can spread diseases from plant to plant. Be careful not to bruise, tear or crush your plants. Diseases can enter plants through wounds and insects are often attracted to damaged plants so treat them with care to avoid many problems. Use mulch to retain soil moisture, keep weeds away, reduce erosion and enrich the soil naturally as it breaks down. A moderate mulch of 2" that is not mounded around the stems or trunks of plants is sufficient. More is not better deep mulch around the base of plants can smother them and encourage rot. Shredded leaves make an attractive mulch for flowerbeds while wood chips work well under shrubs and trees. Mulch under trees out to the spread of their branches (the drip edge) so you don't have to mow under them. Not only does mulch conserve moisture, the soil is not compacted under the trees from the lawn mower and the tree does not need to be pruned up so you can drive under it to mow. Fewer wounds from pruning cuts and no chance of wounds to the trunk from mowers or weed-whips mean healthier trees and less lawn to mow. Hand pick or brush garden pests off your plants into a bucket of soapy water or suck them up with a mini hand-held vacuum. NEVER use a pesticide on a plant until you correctly identify the plant's ailment. Your local county Extension office can often help you with this. Many plant problems can be the result of conditions other than insects and diseases such as late spring frost, hail, drought, air pollution, herbicide drift, soggy soil, etc. Properly identify the cause first to save money, time and unnecessary exposure to pesticides.
Fertilizing Your Lawn - A good way to remember when to fertilize your lawn is to follow the "Holiday Plan". Fertilize your lawn starting with Memorial Day, followed by an application at half strength near Independence Day, another at half strength sometime in early August if you irrigate your lawn, a half strength application near Labor Day, ending with a full strength application near Halloween. Consider using slow-release fertilizers that feed your lawn over a period of time. These products are less likely to burn your lawn and they help prevent nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of waterways. This is especially important whether you live near water or not since excess nitrogen and phosphorus can run off your lawn into the storm water system and find their way to a stream or lake. Pease use fertilizers responsibly! When mowing your lawn, practice grasscycling ~ mulch the clippings into your lawn for a natural fertilizer. The clippings will release nitrogen as they break down, you can mow your lawn more quickly if you aren't stopping to empty the bag and you don't have to dispose of the clippings. Try using a reel type mower. It is great exercise, reduces noise and there is no pollution from exhaust!
Watering Tips - Water in the early morning ~ you lose less to evaporation and plants take up the water most easily at this time of the day. Water near the base of plants instead of sprinkling their leaves. Dry leaves keep diseases from growing and spreading. Consider using a soaker hose or punch holes in a coffee can or 2 liter bottle and bury it next to your plant. Just fill the container with water. This way uses far less water and saves money!
Collect water in rain barrels. It's free water! A 42-gallon barrel will store ½" of rain from approximately 133 square feet of rooftop. Rain barrels should have a drain spigot threaded for a garden hose and an overflow outlet in case of heavy rains. They must be designed with removable, child-resistant covers and mosquito screening, too. They can be purchased from garden centers and on-line gardening companies.
