What’s Blooming in July?

Hibiscus

Bougainvillea

Sunflowers

Gerber Daisy

July Maintenance Tips

Fertilizing

July is a great time to use some 15-0-15 fertilizer on your lawn. This fertilizer is great for warm-season grasses, especially centipede grass. Because these grasses are sensitive to chemicals like phosphorus, 15-0-15 fertilizer is ideal since it lacks this chemical. 

Unlike your grass, your flower beds will thrive if given a high in phosphorus fertilizer like 4-6-4. Using this fertilizer on flowers with summer blooming seasons will encourage quicker and longer lasting bloom periods. 

Pruning

During the month of July, it is recommended to avoid excessive pruning. Exceptions to this rule include:

• Containing a plant to a certain shape or size 
• Removing parts of a plant that have been infested with pests or diseases 

Pests and Diseases 

Aphids:

These pests should be on the lookout for all summer. Aphids like to consume many different plant species and often move from plant to plant fairly quickly. The best way to fight these pests long-term is to make your garden a safe haven for the natural enemies of aphids like ladybugs, lady beetles, and soldier beetles. These bugs will also keep the aphids away and benefit your garden in many more ways as well. 

Scale:

Scale is a pest that is commonly found on branches and twigs with sap in them. They are often mistaken for a disease rather than a pest due to its appearance and its immobile nature. Once scale is detected it is very important to act quickly to avoid spreading to other plants. Effective scale treatments include:

• rubbing alcohol
• neem oil
• insecticidal soap

Mealybugs:

Mealybugs are another common pest that can be controlled by beneficial insects like ladybugs. Some other effective mealybug treatments include:

• Neem oil 
• Safer® insecticide soap 
• BotaniGard ES

Avoid using anything high in nitrogen on plants infected by mealybugs, as this chemical attracts the pests. A fast-acting botanical insecticide can be used as a last resort treatment. 

Mole crickets:

Mole crickets are pests that like to burrow in dry soil, so keeping your soil as moist as possible in the affected area will be beneficial. You can also try to flush them out with a mixture of dish soap and water. Some other specific mole cricket treatments include:

• Ortho® Lawn Insect killer 
• BugClear® Lawn Insect Killer 
• Home Defense® Insect Killer for Lawn & Landscape

Chinch bugs:

Most commonly found in St. Augustine grass, chinch bugs cause dry, yellow patches of infection in your lawn that will gradually grow over time. Chinch bugs also thrive in extremely warm and dry environments. Regular watering will help avoid a chinch bug infection.A broad-spectrum pesticide is an efficient treatment for these pests.