August 2024 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends,    I’m ready to turn the page on July. The heat has been intense and the deer hungry. Am hoping August will be better.   Boxwood Tree Moth, a relatively new damaging invasive species, has arrived with a vengeance. Keep a close eye on your boxwoods. If you see any browning or leaves being eaten take action right away. You can pick off the caterpillars which do the damage and drop them in some water with alcohol. Check this website for more detailed information: https://cals.cornell.edu/new-york-state-integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/fact-sheets/box-tree-moth   It’s important with the heat, not to forget watering trees and shrubs. They need water too. When you water keep in mind that tree’s feeder roots start at the edge of where the leaves reach and go out from there. Unless it’s a newly planted tree you need to water deeply and well away from the trunk.   Many of my woodland perennials are showing signs of heat stress. Some have already died back for this season. If a plant has leaves browned from the dry heat cut the leaves off. I had to do this for blood root and trillium among others. If they haven’t dropped their seeds yet you can leave them up until they do. It is less stressful for the plants to try and survive than to go dormant. Not to worry, they should be fine next year. The same thing is happening in nature.   Some plants need more water than others. Astilbe is one. If you see the leaves curling, water them right away. Once they crinkle up and turn brown, they will not come back until next season.   Powdery mildew had started showing up on susceptible plants like phlox. If it hasn’t shown up yet spray with an environmentally safe product for powdery mildew. Once it shows up those leaves can’t be helped. Remove affected leaves and spray the healthy leaves. The fungus can be spread by our hands and tools so be sure to disinfect with a spray of Lysol or whatever disinfectant you use before moving to another plant.   Check your plants regularly for signs of insects or disease. Determine the cause, and if any action is necessary, BEFORE you arbitrarily spray a pesticide or herbicide. Remember pesticides kill ALL insects, and herbicides kill ALL plants, the good with the bad. Always look for a nontoxic product.   A few holes in your leaves are not necessarily a disaster. Beneficial insects have to eat too. Remember butterflies and moths come from caterpillars so they are not necessarily the bad guys. Birds and many insects rely on caterpillars and other larva for their food and to feed their young.   By mid August discontinue fertilizing all plants except annuals. Perennials, trees and shrubs are starting their slow down into winter dormancy. They need to rest, not try and push out new growth.   Wait until the temps moderate to do any transplanting and dividing. It’s very hard on the plants to be moved in the heat. There’s lots of time.   With the rain and high humidity, it’s been a bountiful year for slugs.  By accident I discovered you don’t need to sink a container of beer to soil level to catch the slimy buggers. I left a 5 lb. plastic coffee container with alcohol & water out overnight on the walkway, not even on the soil. The next morning there were a lot of slugs in it. My new strategy is putting cottage cheese containers with water and rubbing alcohol sitting right on the soil. They climb up the sides and into the container. Lots easier!   Upcoming Gardening Events:   8/10, 10 – 2, WNY Hosta, Iris and Daylily Sale, Lake Erie Italian Club, 3200 South Park Ave, Buffalo.   Master Gardener Fall Gardening Classes:   September 10, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, East Aurora Senior Center             Garbage to Gold: Create Your Own Compost Using compost as a soil amendment adds nutrients to your soil and improves its texture, condition and drainage. Learn about the ratio of nitrogen and carbon sources and how to maintain moisture and temperature levels to produce “black gold” for your garden.   September 18, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Parkside Lodge             Eight Rules for Overwintering Plants Many garden plants can be overwintered as houseplants or by allowing them to go dormant in a protected spot. Others can be dug up and stored, including dahlias, begonias, cannas, and geraniums. Learn the best practices for helping your plants survive until the next season.   September 28, 10:00 – 11:30 AM, Roswell Park Community Center Fall Gardening: Tips for a Productive Garden Next Year (I’ll be doing this class) What should I do in the garden this fall? What jobs can wait until spring? Can I plant trees now? What perennials should I leave standing and which should I cut back? Get the answers to these questions and more to get a head start on next year’s garden.   $15 for one class -$45 for all 3 classes   Register at: erie.cce.cornell.edu/events   Garden Consultation: August is a good time to think about gardening successes, failures and make plans for improvement. Contact me for a garden consultation. I can help improve your garden and gardening practices as well as save you time and money!   Happy gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 [email protected] 716- 652-2432   Copyright © 2023 Lessons From Nature, All rights reserved. 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