What’s Blooming in August?

August Maintenance Tips

Fertilizing 

August is a great time to give your lawn, shrubs, and small trees one last fertilizer feeding to prepare for the later stages of new growth, before the colder fall weather begins to approach. I recommend feeding your lawn with a fertilizer that starts to re-introduce nitrogen to your lawn. While your lawn and garden may benefit from being fed one last time before the summer ends, it is recommended that you stop fertilizing by mid august. 

Pruning 

August is a great time to prune fruit trees to contain its size, but a bad time to prune evergreen shrubs. If you have stocky deciduous shrubs that are in need of removing access growth, now is a good time to do that as well.

August Pests and diseases 

• Fall army worms:

Fall armyworms are caterpillar-like insects that feed on lawns in the late summer and early fall months. The first signs of a fall armyworm infestation are small brown patches in your lawn, and chewed up blades of grass. Several insecticide treatments should get rid of fall armyworms. Another potion is to apply cooking fat to the infected area to attract ants, which will prey on the fall armyworms. After treating the lawn, it should have no problem being restored back to health. Fall armyworms like to feed on the tips of the grass, rather than the root. This greatly protects the health of the lawn, even after a fall armyworm infestation. 

• Chinch bugs:

Chinch bugs are another lawn eating insect to watch out for in August. You will start to notice yellow patches in your lawn when it is suffering from a chinch bug infestation. Chinch bugs are attracted to long blades of grass, and moist soil, so it is recommended to mow frequently and avoid over watering. A turf-type insecticide treatment will rid your lawn of chinch bugs. Once the lawn has been treated, it is recommended to reseed the infected patches in the lawn that the chinch bugs have left behind. Keeping your lawn as happy and healthy as possible will help avoid future infestations. 

Adjust Irrigation Systems

While having an irrigation system is one of the most effective and popular ways to water a lawn and/or garden, it is important to remember to adjust your irrigation watering schedule to account for the amount of rainfall that your lawn and/or garden has also been receiving. It is recommended to turn your irrigation system off for two days for each half-inch of rain to prevent overwatering. Installing a rain sensor to your irrigation system will automatically adjust your irrigation watering schedule to the amount of rainfall, creating less maintenance to keep a year-round healthy lawn.