August 11 2007 Timely Tips

GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

BEXAR COUNTY BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

August 11, 2007

  • For beautiful fall blooming mum-like flowers, plant healthy budded but not blooming, heat tolerant ‘Mari-Mums,’ the Queen of Flowering Plants. They are a large yellow or orange blooming marigold type, commonly sold as an African marigold or Antigua marigold. They will bloom from Halloween through Thanksgiving if planted now.
  • Good time to start planting fall vegetables. For tomatoes that are heat setters, consider planting ‘Solar Fire,’ ‘Sunmaster,’ and ‘Sunpride.’ If you can find them, try ‘Top Gun’ ‘Surefire,’ and ‘Heat Wave.’
  • Bougainvilleas love the heat. If they’re root bound in the pot, even better. Wait until they just start to wilt before watering-this could be every day depending on the pot and individual plant. Also, consider top-dressing all container plants now with a time release fertilizer to make up for depleted and lost nutrients in the soil.
  • Lantanas, firebush, purslane, portulaca, and Vinca (periwinkles) are prosperous plants in this heat. Especially, with a two inch layer of an organic hardwood mulch. Looking for a new selection of Vinca? Consider, planting the ‘Nirvana’ series. This series tends to hold up better in this severe heat conditions and is less susceptible of diseases.
  • For full production, pecan trees need one inch of water every week over the entire root area. Fruit trees can be maintained with less until after harvest. If mildew, pecan scab or aphids have become an issue, spray with an approved product.

David Rodriguez is County Extension Agent-Horticulture with Texas Cooperative Extension in Bexar County. For more information, call the Master Gardener “Hotline” (210) 467-6575 or visit our County Extension website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu.

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