July in review
What a month! Direct impact from a Cat 1 Hurricane early in the month and then heavy rainfall for over a week toward the end of the month. One thing that holds true, our weather tends toward extremes here in the greater Houston area. Last month we talked about wet conditions and the weed and pest pressure, none of that has changed and we are going to start seeing new problems crop up.
What to expect in August
If your garden hasn’t been destroyed between winds, excessive rainfall and long-term saturated soils or pest consider your self a master gardener. Okra and green beans are doing well for me currently but everything else is gone.
Insect pressure is still persistent, we are seeing web worms still in trees and some army worms in lawns. Cinch bugs and grubs can show up anytime, see specific info about them both below. We are going to see fungal problems in many lawns this year with all the moisture and high heat returning.
Weeds have taken off in the best managed lawns this summer. So do not feel bad if you are seeing new weeds pop up in your lawn that where not there 30-45 days ago.
Action items for this month
- Our “normal” schedule would not call for a fertilization in August, but I am going to feed my yard. We have had a lot of heavy rainfall with runoff to leach out nutrients. The silver bag Nitro – Phos is my preference again; it has a high-quality slow-release nitrogen so you will not get excessive growth and extra Iron to get that dark green color.
- Weeds- normally we do not see broadleaf weed problems in July and August. But ample moisture and cooler soil conditions caused a lot of nuisance weeds to germinate and begin to show up. Use a premixed weed killer from the hardware store that attaches to the end of your garden hose for easy application and fast results.
- Fungal problems – Gray Leaf Spot and Brown patch I expect to be more prevalent than normal and especially more than the past 2 years with drought. Managing your irrigation so that the top of your soil layer is drying out between irrigation days will make a big difference. I have linked to more resources on identifying and treating these two problems
- Chinch Bugs- normally chinch bugs gravitate toward yards that are not maintained at as high a level as we discuss. Low fertility, weedy, stressed lawns are their normal target. But, if reproduction rates are high, and they probably will be this year, expect to see them in lawns that don’t usually have them. Identification and treatment
- Landscape pest pressure will continue this month. Aphids and caterpillars are the biggest culprits we will see. Ants are really active after all the rain as well.
- BT Worm killer and caterpillar killer is an organic option that is highly effective on smaller caterpillars. Keep it on hand and follow directions. It can be used in the garden as well against tomato hornworms and to some degree Squash vine borers. It does not last long once applied so may need to be used every few days and after rains.
- Cyonara is a broad range insecticide that will treat most of your insect problems from aphids to ants and caterpillars.
- You may consider reapplying a granular insecticide if you applied one early in the growing season and are now seeing lots of fire ants. Something like Over N Out we work well.
- Roses- Monthly feedings for roses are still imperative, if you have been on our program, you should be reaping the rewards.
Municipal Drainage Happenings
Our drainages and corresponding maintenance to them was front and center in most MUDs and LIDs we serve this past month. Most importantly everything went well and worked as intended. The Hurricane damage was most extensive in areas with old big mature trees, especially where lines of single trees ran North and South. Privacy fences were also impacted heavily and we are still working around a lot of debris from them. Grass growth is looking great, we are continuing to see lots of Johnson grass and expect it to get worse over the next 60 days before slacking off in late September. Just like with lawns, broadleaf weeds are showing up that are not normal for the late summer.
Warm weather and green grass,
Hunter Soape