Things to do in August
• Fruits
Spray fruit trees – continue spraying your fruit trees with a fungicide (Captan, etc.) every seven to 10 days to provide the beautiful fruit you look forward to. Do not use any insecticides on the trees until less than 10% of the blooms remain – you certainly do not want to hurt your bee pollinators. The fungicide will have no effect on them. After the blooms have fallen you may begin to also spray malathion insecticide.
• Lawns
Lawn Fertilizer – you should apply a complete fertilizer to warm season lawns this month.
Fire ants— if you have not yet broadcast fire ant baits, apply your first treatment any time this month. Be sure to apply fresh bait, and do it at the correct time of day ( fire ants only forage actively when the ground temperature is between 70 and 95 degrees F). See the Fire Ant Management in the Home Lawn and the State Fire Ant website for more information.
Aeration—fall is a great time to aerate cool season lawns such as fescue. Warm-season lawns (centipede, zoysia, Bermuda, St. Augustine) should be aerated in the spring and summer. See Aerating Lawns for more information.
Irrigation— your irrigation cycle is still going strong. See the Home and Garden Center’s irrigation publications for more information. One inch per week is the appropriate amount for most lawns and vegetables (except sweet corn and yellow squash, which may require up to two inches depending on growth stage). Include rainfall in this amount, and see How Much Water to determine how much water you are actually applying. And make sure you adjust your water applications with plant growth stage and time of year. One size definitely does not fit all for the entire year.
• Trees and Shrubs
Pruning—now is another good time to prune most trees and shrubs. July and August are the months to prune azalea, dogwood, forsythia, redbud, and rhododendron. They should be pruned after they bloom, but before bloom set in the fall. Oakleaf hydrangea and late-flowering azalea cultivars might also be considered now. Avoid any pruning in the spring and fall if at all possible. See Pruning Trees and Pruning Shrubs for more information.
Plan ahead—if you plan to plant some trees or shrubs this year, begin thinking about which plants you would like now, and find retailers that carry those varieties. You have plenty of time, but you certainly do not want to miss your favorite at the last minute.
Pecan Weevi ls— pecan weevils are those little critters that make holes in your pecans. Start treating for pecan weevils the first week of August, and continue treating once per week for six weeks. Place five ounces of liquid carbaryl (Sevin, etc.) in 10 gallons or more of water and spray the entire area under the tree, from trunk out to dripline. Repeat this for each tree. You will need to do this two years in a row to get rid of the pesky critters (they have a two-year lifecycle). See Pecan Weevil for more information.
• Vegetables
Garden clean-up— half the tomato disease battle in a vegetable garden is sanitation. As tomatoes end their production, remove them from the garden and take them to a landfill. Many diseases will over-winter on old infected leaves and stems. (A good practice for any plants you have had disease problems with this year).
Make a note— sketch out where you planted various vegetables in your garden. This will come in handy next spring when you plant, so you can rotate your crops to help prevent disease.
Vegetables—Some planting times for more common vegetables: Collards—July 1–August 30 Snap beans—August 1–15 Half-runners—August 1–15 Lettuce—Augus 15–25
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