August, Dog Days of Summer: To Do

Oh, and if you really think that I actually do all of these things, you are terribly confused. Sometimes I even (gasp) do things that aren't on this list.

I know this list is accurate for Sunset Zone 14, specifically, and I think it is good for all of USDA Zone 9. In addition, it is probably pretty accurate for USDA Zones 8-11, and other gardeners on the 'net have told me that it applies all the way to USDA zone 7.

What is August like? August is hot and dry. On some days, the fog comes rolling in in the evenings, and then it can be like heaven. So cool and moist. It is the best time of the year to enjoy the evening outdoors. Unfortunately, the fog burns off in the early morning, so the days are dry and dessicating, and when we don't get the fog, it will only cool off to 85°F (29° C). And compared to 110° F (43° C), I suppose that is cool, but it isn't much of a break for my plants. Don't forget to wear a hat and drink lots of water.

General

• Order stock for fall planting:
  • Trees and shrubs. Good shade trees are camphor tree, Chinese hackberry, Chinese pistache, Japanese pagoda tree, ornamental pear, Raywood ash, and red oak.

    This year, 1997, we decided to cut down the cottonwood in our backyard. Although ours was a beautiful tree, I do not recommend cottonwoods; they have shallow roots, and they sucker like crazy. We have ordered a paperbark maple to replace it. Okay, so we will still have shallow roots, but this tree is beyond beautiful. It has pealing red bark, and it turns a splendid red in the fall, even in Livermore, CA, USDA zone 9, Sunset Zone 14.

  • Roses
    It is still too warm in the fall in Sunset Zone 14 to plant roses, in my opinion. I strongly suggest that you wait until December to order and January to plant bareroot roses.
  • Ornamental grasses
  • Perennials
  • Hardy bulbs; store in refriderator until planting time.
• WATER!!!
  • Make sure new plantings of all types get plenty of water.
  • Water established plants as needed.

    We just went through a heat wave (1997). It was 104 ° F (40.3 C) the first day, 106 ° F (41.4 C) the second day, and 102 ° F (39.2 C) the third day. After a very hot period like this, it is a good idea to water all of your established plants. They are probably suffering from heat stress, and a big, cool drink will make them feel and look better.

  • Deep water trees. If you haven't watered your mature trees they may be suffering from drought stress. Deep water once per week or two (the hot climates should stick to once per week). Water established drought tolerant trees once per month.
  • Azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, fuchsias, and hydrangeas need lots of water to keep their shallow roots from drying out.
  • Water grasses and ground covers when necessary.
    It gets so hot here, and it is dry. Some people water their lawns twice a day when the temperatures hover at 100 F (38 C). So necessary is going to have different meanings depending on your environment. Be sure to check lawns by paved areas.
  • Water container plants as needed. It might be necessary to water 2x/day during HOT weather. The soil in a pot should feel slightly damp to your finger. If you wait until the plants start to wilt, it is too late. This may mean watering twice a day.
  • Water kitchen garden as needed. Water vulnerable crops before they show signs of stress.
  • Deep water fruit during dry spells (ha, ha, like all of August).
• Fertilize - Except for acidic fertilizer, I use the same fertilizer on all my plants. That is, I don't pay any attention to the numbers on the labels. I am not convinced that spending money on several different fertilizers really makes that much of a difference. However, it should be noted that I am not a veggie grower. OTOH, I have used veggie fertilizer on my flowers with good results.

  Make sure you water the day before feeding, and don't feed on very hot days.

  • Feed spring bloomering shrubs that are now setting buds.
  • Fertilize roses to encourage fall blooming and check leaves (yellow leaves with green veins) to see if iron chelate is needed. The exception is once blooming old roses. If those roses have finished their summer bloom (I still recommend checking for an iron deficiency), there is no need to fertilize, although it won't hurt if you do. If you have an old rose that is a repeat bloomer, you should feed it so that it blooms well this fall.
  • Fertilize the lawn
  • Feed chrysanthemums and fuchsias and all other perennials about to bloom. Check leaves to see if iron chelate is needed.
  • Feed azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, and rhododendrons with an acid type fertilizer.
  • Fertilize summer bulbs like dahlias and glads to nutrify corms, tubers, and bulbs for next year. Continue to feed peonies.
  • Annuals, if needed
  • Feed container plants.
  • Vegetables, if needed give plants a boost with a dressing dose of quick-acting high-nitrogen fertilizer, but if using a powder or granules, be sure to water in thoroughly.
  • Fertilize berries or top-dress with compost.
  • Feed citrus.
  • Feed houseplants regularly both those indoors and those enjoying the season outdoors.
• Lay fresh mulch
• Weed, weed, weed.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.
  • The following are vulnerable to fungus and mildew: mums, roses, crape myrtle, verbena, and zinnias. Remove affected leaves as soon as you spot them.

    My mother read an article on mildew and plants that said that mildew is not a problem on plants that get sprayed regularly. I have examined my garden, and I noticed that the lower leaves of my roses, which are sprayed regularly from my sprinkler system, do not have mildew, but the upper leaves (over 3 feet) do.

  • The war on snails never ends.
  • Tomato hornworms and petunia budworms can be treated with a "Caterpillar Killer" (BT is the main ingredient). This is an effective, evnironmentally safe, biological control. However, you can kill all caterpillars, including monarch butterfly larvae, so be careful where you apply it.
  • Aphids and spidermites can be "washed" from your plants with a strong spray from the hose. Be sure to get the underside of the leaves as much as possible.
• Mosquito control:
  • stock fish in all standing water.
  • b-b-que with rosemary and sage.
  • check your yard for containers that hold water, like old cans, jars, tires.
  • keep unnecessary pools of water (like watering cans) empty.
  • Check your pets drinking water every day.
  • Empty birdbaths and wading pools regularly.
• FIRE PREVENTION: The house you save will probably be your own. Clear all dry brush and volunteer grasses to at least 30 feet from you house. Remove or thin chaparral growth, but leave native trees and large shrubs to hold the hillside. Occassional summer irrigations will help to prevent the leaves from drying out.

  Please, please, clear your land, and get your neighbors to clear theirs. While it won't stop a firestorm in its full fury, clearing dry, dead brush and grass goes a long way in preventing fires from starting and spreading.

  • San Francisco Fire Department and the Oakland Firestorm
  • Pictures of the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm
  • CNN: The Oakland Hills Firestorm
  • Protecting Your Home from Brush Fire

Trees and Shrubs

• Plant palms and tropical plants. Conditions are dry enough to discourage root rot.
• Trim hedges, topiaries, and espaliers.
  • beech, holly, hornbeam, and yew
  • most evergreen hedges
• Maple leaves get burnt from heat and from wind. Strip off the damaged leaves and feed. The maple will leaf out again in 3 to 4 weeks.
• Remove dead flowers from hydrangeas, crape myrtles, and other summer blooming shrubs.
• Prune summer shrubs when they have finished blooming.
• Prune water sprouts and suckers from young trees.
• Take cuttings from azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, and other shrubs to start new plants.

Roses

• Deadhead.
• Pick up dropped leaves. This will go a long ways to preventing reinfestations of blackspot.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.
  • Last year, 1996, was a terrible one for me wrt rust and blackspot. Robert was spraying them with a fungicide every 10 days. It worked, but we still had a little blackspot.
  • Spider mites: mottled leaves and fine webs indicate the presence of spider mites. Spray undersides of leaves with insecticidal soap, lightweight summer (horitcultural) oil, or a stronger miticide or malathion. To discourage mites, keep foliage clean by rinsing both sides with water. This is an organic remedy that I saw on rec.gardens.
  • Mildew grows very well when you have hot days and cool nights. Almost everyone that I know is battling mildew in August. The best that I can recommend is to cut off the affected foliage.
• Prune ramblers and other once bloomers when bloom is finished.

Lawns and Ground Covers

• Lay sod for warm-season lawns.
  I have heard that it is just too hot and dry to do this right now. I have no lawn experience (except removal), but my sister tried to put down sod in the summer once, and she was only partially successful.
• Mow lawn weekly unless the grass is very dry.
• Weed ground cover areas if necessary.
• Aerate and renovate entire lawn if soil is compacted and shedding water faster than it is absorbed.
• For fall overseeding, a late summer aeroation or dethatching is advised.

Perennials

• Deadhead faded flowers unless you want plants to self-sow. Fuchsias will not bloom again if they set seeds, so it is particularly important to get the entire flower head.
• Cut back early bloomers as foliage begins to die back.
• Divide crowded spring bloomers.
  • poppies
  • primroses
  • marguerites
  • shasta daisies
• Take semi-ripe cuttings
  • Pelargoniums
• Take fuchsia cuttings.
• Plant colchicums, to flower in autumn.
• Layer border carnations.
• Transplant primrose seedlings into their flowering positions in beds and borders.
• Prune kiwi vines back to 4 or 5 buds.
• Prune wisteria back to 2 buds on all unwanted stems. Train the stems you leave before they twist around each other.
• Plan for Fall.
  • Choose flowers to plant: achillea, aster, begonia, coreopsis, dahlia, sdaylily (some), fortnight lily, common geranium, lantan, limonium perezii, Mexican bush save, scabios, and verbena.
  • renew soil in beds by digging in compost, leaf mold, and some rock phosphate or bonemeal.
• Sow seeds of campanula and primrose

Bulbs

• Plant amaryllis belladona (naked lady or hardy amaryllis), autumn-flowering crocus (Crocus speciosus), meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale), nerine, and spider lilies, aka lycoris squamigera (Amaryllis hallii) and lycoris radiata.
• Deadhead summer bulbs as they finish blooming. Dahlias will rebloom if you deadhead.
• Stake tall dahlias and gladiolas
• Stake and feed tall lilies that have not yet bloomed.
• Be careful around spider lilies and naked ladies (hardy ameryllis). Their foliage has died, but the flower stems are starting to come up.

  Our naked ladies are already done blooming (1997).

• Order bulb catalogues and bulbs for autumn delivery.
• Plant irises and Madonna lilies as soon as they arrive.
• Divide and replant crowded
  • daylilies
  • Madonna lilies
  • spider lilies
  • bearded irises

Annuals

• Deadhead faded flowers or shear back plants to promote reblooming.
• Remove and replace worn-out plants.
• Remove but do not compost mildewed plants.
• Prepare soil for fall planting.
• You can still plant seeds or set out transplants in early August of ageratum, sweet alyssum, calendulas, celosia, columbine, cosmos, dahlias, forget-me-nots, gaillardia, Iceland poppy, Madagascar periwinkle, marigolds, nemesias, petunias, sun flowers, snapdragons, stocks, sweet peas, vinca, violas and zinnias in the sun, and pansies in part shade.
• In late August, sow seeds of California poppy, Bachelor Button, Alyssum, and Clarkia.
• In late August, plant campanulas, dianthus, foxgloves, hollyhocks, poppies, and sweet peas.
• Annual larkspur should be refrigerated until outdoor temperatures dip to 40°F. Plant them outdoors to bloom in spring.

Container Gardens

• Harvest vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers from container gardens.
• Remove and replace worn-out plants.
• Deadhead faded flowers.
• Train climbers.
• Trim and train topiaries

Kitchen Garden: Vegetables and Herbs

• Keep up on harvest. Try to pick early in the day when veggies and plants are fresh.
  • cut herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme to dry or freeze
  • Lift shallots and onions as they become ready. Leave shallots on the surface for a few days to dry off if the weather is damp (ha, ha).
  • Search bean, squash and tomatoes for ripe veggies.
  • Corn is ready when the tassels have withered and the kernels are well formed. They will squirt a milky juice when poked.
• Sow cool-season crops indoors for fall planting: beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, chard, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, and spinach.
• Pull spent crops
• Turn compost pile.
• Check stakes and supports on tall plants and climbing plants.
• Take cuttings of perennial herbs to start new plants. Strip all but the top 3-5 leaves from a 4-6 inch tip and plant in potting soil in the shade. Some plants to take are: scented geraniums, lemon verbena, and rosemary.
• Continue to thin vegetables sown earlier, before they become large enough to compete with each other.
• Pinch out the growing tips of runner beans when they reach the top of their support.
• Pay regular attention to outdoor tomatoes
• Continue to pinch out flower stems of herbs for the leaf harvest. See June's To Do list for specific plants.

Fruit

• Harvest ripe fruit
• Cut brambles back to ground after harvest. You might have done this last month.
• Pick up dropped fruit and fallen leaves. If the dropped fruit is near your house, it might encourage ants to form colonies near your house.
• Summer prune cordon and espalier apples if not already done so shoots are mature enough. Remove diseased or injured limbs but wait until dormancy for severe pruning.
• Tidy up summer-flowering strawberries that have finished fruiting. Cut off old leaves and unwanted runners, remove straw, and control weeds.
• Protect fruit against birds if they are troublesome. A fruit cage is ideal.

• Prop up branches (like apples) on heavy-bearing trees.

House, greenhouse, or conservatory plants

• Sow spring-flowering plants such as cyclamen, schizanthus, and exacums.
• Take leaf and semi-ripe cuttings like chrysanthemums for flowers next fall.
• Remove sideshoots and yellowing leaves from cordon tomatoes regularly.
• Pot up and pot on seedlings pot-plants as it becomes necessary.
• Plant hyacinths for early flowering under glass.
• Check cinerarias for leaf miners (white tunnels in the leaves). Remove (do not compost).
• Pinch back plants that are spending the summer outside.
• Pinch chrysanthemums (indoor plants for fall and winter) one last time.
• Take cuttings from geraniums, lantana, poinsettias for winter bloom indoors.

Structural

• Check all drips and sprinkler heads for propper operations.

Neefer