Hopefully your yard and garden are flourishing! Here’s a few jobs to tackle now:
Monitor your water use. Instead of relying on your irrigation timer, take cues from the plants for the water needs. Plants can be tricky though! They will wilt when they need water and also when they have too much water. Check the soil with your finger before assuming they’re dry.
Plant cool season vegetables such as peas, lettuce, and spinach, if you want a fall harvest.
Watch for Japanese Beetles which infest Roses, Raspberries, Grapes, Virginia Creeper, Linden and Elm trees, among other host plants. Last month, the blog post was Integrated Pest Management (IPM). For these invasive pests, there are pheromone traps for the adult beetles. You can obtain some control by dropping them into a bucket of soapy water but this must be done on a very regular (daily) basis in the early morning. Finally, there are also options to control Japanese Beetles when they are in the larvae/grub stage with both chemical insecticides and biological treatments. See this fact sheet from CSU for more information.
Shop sales! Many of the nurseries are already marking down plants for the end of season sales.
Wait for Later:
Avoid pruning trees at this time. In late summer, disease pathogens are more likely to infect pruning cuts. Trees should be pruned in late winter/early spring (February or March).
