You can win the battle of summer weeds this month. Hoe, pull, or spray late-germinating volunteers now and you should sail through a mostly weed-free summer.
Mulch newly weeded areas with G & B Planting Mix.
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"Never yet was a springtime when the buds forgot to bloom." — Margaret Elizabeth Sangster
The Benefits of Mulching
Many homeowners revel in the glory of their garden in spring, only to be disappointed when plants start to dry out and look stressed in the heat of summer. The natural reaction is to pour more water into the garden to "moisturize" the plants. This in turn can lead to root rot and/or the continuous lowering of soil temperature to the point that plants aren't stimulated to grow — or just plain die (overwatering is one of the main causes of plant death). But these problems can be greatly reduced or, in many cases, prevented by summer mulching.
The goal of summer mulching is not only to reduce summer heat stress on plants, but to create an environment for plants that will be conducive to good growth. Mulch is to a garden what a roof is to your home. We couldn't heat or air condition the home without the roof. The same seasonal temperature variance occurs in your garden. A 3" layer of mulch not only retains moisture in the soil but it maintains a cooler temperature in the summer and a warmer temperature in the winter.
Mulching also brings many other benefits to the garden. It gives the garden a tidier appearance, and greatly improves the growing conditions for plants. Mulch helps suppress weeds and helps to conserve moisture. It creates an environment where earthworms can thrive and enhance the soil's condition. Nature provides this for us in natural settings and when we apply mulch to our garden, we mimic what is naturally done on the forest floor.
The strategy is to stimulate the growth of good soil bacteria which in turn digest plant foods that the plant will recognize as nutrients and absorb. By keeping moisture in the soil you will attract earthworms and beneficial microbes and bacteria. The earthworms loosen up the soil easing compaction, and the beneficial microbes help digest nutrients more efficiently making them more readily available to the plants. Maintaining "moist" soil as opposed to "wet" soil keeps the temperature of the soil at a more consistent level for optimum growth. Mulch also provides a blanket to the soil that protects against the crusting effect that happens as a result of watering or rain. Organic mulches decompose and add humus to the soil.
The method is to spread a 2" inch layer of mulch or bark over the top of the native soil before the heat of summer hits. There are many mulching materials available. Color, particle size, and nutrient exchange are considerations when choosing your material. While decorative barks are attractive, they can become a home for insects and they will drag nitrogen from your soil. Non-organic decorative mulches (rock and such) may be an attractive addition in gardens but give nothing back to the soil and can also be a hiding place for pests.
When mulching is incorporated with a good organic fertilizing program, the plants in your garden will not only survive the stress of summer, but will thrive in it. A good rule of thumb for mulch is to apply it at least 1-1/2 inches and up to 3 inches in depth. Mulch should never be placed right up against the stem of the plant or trunk of the tree.
In addition to all of the cultural advantages created by mulching, you will also give your garden a more "finished" look, adding to its overall beauty.
Clean up and replant flower beds as they finish blooming. In Southern California we grow annual
flowers year-round by planting with the seasons, twice a year. Beginning in September, but mainly
in October, we plant cool-season annuals that bloom all winter and peak in April. This makes May
the logical time to replace them with warm-season annuals for blooms all summer long. (If you
planted ahead from seeds in flats, you’ll have plenty of home-grown transplants all ready to go in
the ground.)
So now is the time to pull out all cool-season annuals that have finished blooming, such
as cineraria, calendulas, Iceland poppies, malacoides primroses, snapdragons, and stock. As you
clear the beds also clean them up, add some mulch and fertilizer, and replant the bare spaces with
summer annuals, including marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, gomphrena, and petunias in full sun and
lobelia, impatiens, and begonias in partial shade. (Semperflorens and richmondensis begonias can be
planted in sun or shade in coastal zones.)
If you'd like to have some water lilies but don't have a pond, try this.
Purchase a water lily planting tub, or
make your own from a plastic or cardboard container that is 14 or 18 inches in diameter and 6 to
12 inches deep. Plug the drainage holes with wads of two layers of newspaper. Containers can also
be made from plastic baskets like small laundry baskets. Line them with polyester quilt batting.
Plant water lilies in rich garden soil; fertile loam is best. Make sure it contains no manure (which
encourages growth of algae) and no peat moss, compost, commercial potting soil, perlite, wood
shavings, or other lightweight soil amendment that might float to the surface of the pond.
According to package directions, mix into the soil a complete, slow-release, granulated fertilizer
that's recommended for aquatic plants and contains trace elements to enhance growth and flower
color. Or choose a generic complete fertilizer such as 10-20-5, and mix 1/4 cup of it into every 3
gallons of soil. Be sure the fertilizer you use contains trace elements, but no herbicides or pesticides.
Fill the container to 2 inches below the top with fertilized soil, and then water it so that it settles.
Add more soil if necessary. Plant one lily at a time and keep all others moist and in the shade. Don't
let their roots dry out.
Plant water lilies when the water temperature is 70 degrees or higher. Place the tuber in the
center of the container with its roots buried and its crown, the place from which the foliage
emerges, protruding slightly above the soil. Protect your lilies from fish; fold some poultry wire
over the container with a hole in the center about 4 inches in diameter. (If your lily already has
foliage, cut the wire in half first and tie the two halves together, protecting the plant).
Immediately after planting carefully submerge the lily in the pond 4-6 inches of water above the
soil level. When the plant grows to 8 inches in diameter, lower the container so there are 12 inches
to 18 inches of water above it.
May Is The Time To...
1. Plant irises, canned roses,
tropicals and tuberoses.
2. Transplant potted bulbs into the ground.
3. Replace cool-season bedding flowers with summer-season flowers.
4. Plant zinnias and other heat loving flowers.
5. Plant morning glories.
6. Plant warm-season lawns.
7. Continue to plant summer vegetables.
8. Replace parsley if you haven’t already done so.
9. Plant a giant pumpkin for Halloween.
10. Purchase, plant, and transplant succulents, including cacti and euphorbias.
11. Stop pinching fuchsias if you did not do so last month.
12. Thin out fruit on deciduous fruit trees.
13. Pinch dahlias back when the plant has three sets of leaves; tie the
plant up as it grows.
14. Continue to pick and deadhead roses.
15. Divide and repot cymbidiums that have outgrown their containers.
16. Cut off bloom spikes from cymbidiums after flowers fade.
17. Prune camellias if you have not already done so.
18. Clean and prune azaleas.
19. Divide and mount staghorn ferns.
20. Prune winter- and spring-flowering vines, shrubs, trees and ground
covers after they finish blooming.
21. Continue to tie up and sucker tomatoes.
22. Remove berries (seed pods) from fuchsias after flowers fall.
23. Pinch back petunias when you plant them.
24. Continue to prune and train espaliers.
25. Feed citrus trees, avocado trees.
26. Feed fuchsias, azaleas, tuberous begonias, water lilies.
27. Feed roses, ferns, flower beds, camellias after they bloom.
28. Fertilize lawns.
29. Side-dress vegetable rows with fertilizer.
30. Feed all container-grown succulents with a well-diluted complete liquid
fertilizer.
31. Fertilize peppers when flowers first show.
32. As the weather becomes drier water all garden plants regularly.
33. Taper off watering those California native plants that do not accept
summer water.
34. Water roses, cymbidiums, and vegetables.
35. Do not water succulents.
36. Control rose pests and diseases.
37. Spray junipers and Italian cypress for juniper moths.
38. Control mildew.
39. Control pests on vegetables.
40. Control weeds among permanent plants by mulching or cultivating.
41. Control weeds among vegetables and flowers by hand-pulling.
42. Keep bamboo from running into your neighbor’s garden.
43. Harvest vegetables regularly.
44. If you finish this work-list over the weekend, drop by the store and
we will give you an expanded version.
Recipe of the Week: Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta
What you need:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups chopped fresh plum tomatoes
6 cups cooked and drained pasta (campanella, fusilli or small shells)
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Step by Step:
Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add minced garlic; sauté for 30 seconds.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.
Add pasta, basil, cheese, salt and pepper, tossing gently to combine.
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