| Louis Miller's August Checklist |
Continue to clean and fill hummingbird feeders as the hummers are feeding heavily in preparation for migration.
Continue to spray rose bushes and remove dead and dying canes.
Watch the lawn for brown patch, chinch bugs and fall army worms.
Fertilize azaleas, camellias and gardenias to boost bud side for next year’s bloom.
Remove dead wood from trees.
Apply Dursban to prevent peach tree borer.
Sow seeds for cool season vegetables and ornamentals.
Prune overgrown summer annuals.
Plant seed potatoes.
Pinch back poinsettias to encourage branching.
Apply liquid iron to hibiscus as foliage begins to yellow.
Week 1
Install a bat house in the yard. They are out there anyway, so let them eat your mosquitos.
Purple Martins leave the house – keep sparrows out.
Treat peach trees and dogwoods for borers.
Week 2
Continue to fertilize Mirleton vines for increased production.
Check out trees for dead wood that may fall in a storm.
Watch for fall army worms which may show up in the yard with chinch bugs and cause lots of damage.
Week 3
Make way for fall crops, including the cool season vegetables – be sure to plant on time.
Water shallow-rooted trees and shrubs to they’ll receive the equivalent of one inch per week.
Prune hybrid tea roses to about 30 inches for a huge flush of fall blooms.
Week 4
Pamper eggplants and peppers for a huge harvest of fruit in the fall.
Cool the greenhouse by adding shade cloth to cover the roof or paint it white.
Winterize the lawn to prevent winter kill.
