July Weather Statistics
Average
daily high: 89 degrees
Average daily low: 78 degrees
Average rainfall: 4.39 inches
• Cool-season lawns will naturally go dormant this time of
year. Keep the grass mowed high – at least 3 1/2” and water
only when there has been no rain for three to four weeks.
Keep in mind that no lawn is green year-round!
•Warm-season lawn grasses such as zoysia and Bermuda wear
their best green this time of year. Fertilize established
lawns at the rate of one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square
feet. Unlike fescue, Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass need to
be kept mowed to a height of only about 1”. This promotes
dense growth and discourages many weeds.
•Frequent mowing is less stressful to all lawns. Take off
no more than 1/3 of the plant when you mow and allow the
clippings to remain on the lawn as a source of nutrients.
•Keep vegetables picked to encourage production. Maintain
even moisture on tomatoes to help prevent blossom-end rot.
Use soaker hoses rather than overhead watering and keep
plants mulched. Plant Brussels sprouts, carrots and
rutabagas from July 1 - 15. Mid month, begin planting
beets, broccoli and collards.
•If you are willing to keep them well-watered all summer,
roses may be fertilized every four weeks until mid-August.
This will keep them blooming well into fall. However, if
deep watering is not an option, roses can be rested this
month. Keep blossoms cut to encourage further bloom, too!
•Propagate roses this month by taking softwood cuttings and
removing all but the top leaf. Dip in rooting hormone and
plant in a moist mixture of sharp sand and perlite, or your
favorite medium.
•Remove water sprouts and weak new growth from apple trees,
crapemyrtles and others. Summer pruning is less likely to
produce weak growth. Discontinue pruning by August 1st so
any new growth will harden off before frost.
•Mature vines of poison ivy, trumpet creeper, English ivy
and wisteria that climb your trees can be killed at this
time. Cut a chunk from the vine near the base of the plant,
being careful not to cut the resident tree. Apply brush
killer to the cut. The cut must be fresh – no more than 15
minutes old. Wipe blades and other tools used for this
project with a solvent such as gasoline or alcohol to
remove residual oils. Bag vines and dispose of in the
trash. Never burn poison ivy!
•Keep birdbaths filled and clean them out at least once a
week to discourage mosquito larvae. Clean hummingbird
feeders frequently and refill them with a solution of four
parts water and one part sugar. Boil the solution to
dissolve the sugar and allow to cool before refilling
feeder.
•Hand pick Japanese beetles from your ornamentals and drop
them into soapy water. If you must spray, remember to spray
at dusk after the bees have gone to bed.
• Annual bedding plants will benefit from a summer haircut.
Stagger your pruning by cutting back 1/3 of a bed or
container each week. By the third week, the first group of
pruned plants will be blooming again, assuring some color
during the entire pruning period.
• Remove water sprouts and weak new growth from apple
trees, crape myrtles and others. Summer pruning is less
likely to produce weak growth. Discontinue pruning by
August 1st, so any new growth will harden off before frost.
• Try rooting softwood cuttings of your favorite crape
myrtle or rose. Remove all but the topmost leaf; dip the
cut end in rooting hormone and place in a moist mixture of
sharp sand and perlite or your favorite medium. Root
semi-hardwood cuttings of many other shrubs, including
aucuba, azalea, buddleia, camellia, nandina, gardenia,
holly, kerria and weigela.
• Fertilize established warm-season (Zoysia or
Bermudagrass) lawns at the rate of one pound of nitrogen
per 1,000 square feet. Unlike fescue, which should be kept
tall – at least 3 to 3 1/3 inches, warm-season lawns need
to be maintained at a height of only 3/4 to 1 inch. This
promotes dense growth and discourages many weeds.
• Even moisture at the root zone of tomatoes may help
prevent blossom-end rot. Use soaker hoses or drip
irrigation rather than overhead watering and keep plants
mulched.
• Plant Brussels sprouts, carrots and rutabagas from July
1st to the 15th. Mid-month begin planting beets, broccoli
and collards. Keep vegetables picked to encourage
production.
• If you are willing to keep them well-watered all summer,
roses may be fertilized every four weeks until the middle
of August. This will keep them blooming well into fall.
However, if deep watering is not an option, roses can be
rested this month. Keep blossoms cut to encourage further
bloom, too!
• Mature vines of poison ivy, trumpet creeper, English ivy
and wisteria that climb your trees can be killed at this
time. Cut a chunk from the vine near the base of the plant,
being careful not to cut the resident tree. Apply brush
killer to the cut. The cut must be fresh – no more than 15
minutes old. Bag vines and dispose in the trash. Never burn
poison ivy!
• Keep birdbaths filled and clean them out at least once a
week to discourage mosquitoes. Look for and empty the water
from hidden breeding sites such as saucers under pots, pet
dishes or wheelbarrows. As little as a cup of water left
standing for a week is enough to support a generation of
mosquitoes. If the standing water can’t be emptied, such as
that in a still water pond or water garden, add a mosquito
“dunk” – a low-dose insecticide harmless to plants and
fish.
• Hand-pick Japanese beetles from your ornamentals and drop
them into soapy water. If you must spray, remember to spray
at dusk after the bees have retired and avoid spraying open
flowers as the pesticide residue can cling to fuzzy bee
bodies and poison them when they groom themselves.
• Brown patch attacks cool-season lawns and is encouraged
by overwatering and overfertilizing with nitrogen. Allow
your cool-season lawn to go dormant, watering only if there
has been no rain for three or four weeks.
• Fertilize established Bermuda or Zoysia lawns at a rate
of one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn.
Keep these lawns mowed to 1/2- 1 1/2 inch for densest
growth.
• Annual bedding plants benefit from a summer haircut.
Stagger your pruning by cutting back one-third of a bed or
container each week. By the third week, the first group of
pruned plants will be blooming again, assuring some color
during the entire pruning period. Impatiens tend to grow
leggy in the South in response to high nighttime
temperatures. The Impulse series and the Super Elfin series
resist growing gangly.
• If you are willing to keep them well-watered all summer,
roses may be fertilized every four weeks until mid-August.
This will keep them blooming well into fall. However, if
deep watering is not an option, roses can be rested this
month. When cooler temperatures arrive, resume feeding and
water them for a fabulous fall display.
• Keep your birdbaths full and clean them out at least once
a week to reduce the mosquito population. Scout your
property for other sources of standing water and dump them
out.
• Plant Brussels sprouts, carrots and rutabagas from July 1
to 15. Begin planting beets, broccoli and collards on July
15th.
• Harvest vegetables such as squash, tomatoes, okra and
beans on a regular basis to encourage plants to produce
more.
• If late-winter pruning encouraged undesirable shoot
growth, prune trees and shrubs now. Summer pruning is less
likely to produce weak growth. Discontinue pruning by
August 1st, so any new growth will harden off before frost.
• Keep the bees in mind when spraying insecticides to kill
the bad guys. Spray only at dusk, when the bees are at home
in bed to avoid harming them.
• Mature vines of poison ivy, trumpet creeper, English ivy
and wisteria that climb your trees can be killed at this
time. Cut a chunk from the vine near the base of the plant,
being careful not to cut into the resident tree. Apply
brush killer to the fresh cut. The cut must be fresh... no
more than 15 minutes old.
