What To Do in Your Backyard in August
Average Temperatures: High 92 Low 73
Monthly Average Rainfall 6.25 inches
Plant in August
Vegetables: Cantaloupe, collard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, lima bean, okra, pepper, pumpkin, snap bean, southern pea, squash, tomato and watermelon
Flowers: Angelonia, begonia, black-eyed Susan vine, blue daze, butterfly weed, bush daisy, cat's whiskers, chrysanthemums, coleus, coreopsis, crossandra, fire spike, gaura, golden globe, heliconia, jacobinia, impatiens, lantana, marigold, melampodium, moon flower, pentas, periwinkle, porter weed, portulaca, purslane, salvia, Stokes aster, sunflower, torenia and zinnia.
Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, chive, dill, ginger, lemon balm, Mexican tarragon, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme.
Bulbs type plants: African iris, agapanthus, amaryllis, bulbine, canna, crinum, crocosmia, day lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, kaffir lily, Louisiana iris, society garlic, rain lily and walking iris.
Lawn Care
Sod webworms have been feeding in lawns; apply Summit Caterpillar and Webworm Control.
Turn off irrigation systems during rainy periods; turf only needs 1.5” of rainfall or water a week.
Overwatered lawns should be weaned off irrigation with the summer rains. They may decline and wilt for a few weeks, but will recover.
Allowing your lawn to wilt a little between waterings helps deepen the root system.
Raise or replace pop-up sprinkler heads that don’t reach far enough above the sod.
Mow frequently and at the recommended height; sharpen dull mower blades.
Fill bare areas with sod, plugs or seed to take advantage of the good growing weather.
Wait until Fall to sod shady areas to prevent decline due to excessive moisture.
New lawns are susceptible to fungal problems; apply fungicide to help reduce decline.
Have problem turf samples diagnosed at your local University of Florida Extension Office.
Mushrooms are common in lawns after rains. Removal is not necessary but can be done.
Smelly mushrooms are often called stinkhorns; they are poisonous.
Control weeds that are filling bare spots and over growing the good grass by hand removal.
Consider another ground cover for hard to maintain and problem turf areas
Weed killers should not be used when temperatures are above 85 degrees.
Landscape care
Springtime flowering shrubs like azaleas, camellias, gardenias, hydrangeas, loropetalums, should not be pruned.
Thinning out excessive growth can help many shrubs avoid disease problems.
Many shrubs & flowers need a summer feeding; fertilize where permitted.
Renew mulch layers to control weeds: keep them back a few inches from stems and trunks.
Summer rains can cause container plants to decline, check for proper drainage.
Do not count on summer rains to water new plantings; most need daily hand watering.
Use a slow-release fertilizer that feeds the plantings for several months.
Don’t let vines climb trees and shrubs; train them to arbors and trellises.
Give palms a break; only remove the dead fronds and old flower heads.
Complete pruning of poinsettias, bougainvillea, and wisteria by month’s end.
Edge walkways and driveways to keep the landscape attractive.
Summer rains normally provide adequate moisture for established plants; water as needed.
Use foliage plants in shady gardens during the warmer months.
Avoid trimming sheared plants back to the same height; allow a little new growth to remain.
Stake newly planted small trees and shrubs that might be affected by wind.
Feed crape myrtles where permitted and remove seed heads to continue summer blooms.
Yellowing and leaf drop of crape myrtles are often due to a fungus. The leaves will drop anyway in Fall, no need to treat.
Caladiums may start to decline by month’s end which is normal.
Trim both declining flowers and foliage from perennial beds.
Divide bromeliads, Shasta daisies, day lilies and other landscape perennials.
Gladiolus can be left in ground if soil is dry.
Transplant palms and sagos.
Start poinsettia cuttings in early August.
Pinch the tips of chrysanthemums in early August to grow well-branched compact plants.
Feed water lilies and bog plantings in home water gardens monthly.
Foliage & house plant care
Time to prepare foliage plants for Fall; reshape and trim to encourage new growth.
Transplant root bound and poorly drained foliage plants, add new soiol.
Check for mealy bugs, scales and mites; control with natural soap or oil insecticides.
Make cuttings of your favorite plants.
Feed all foliage plants with a slow-release fertilizer where permitted.
Look for new plants to add to the collection.
Indoor plants accumulate dust like furniture; rise with water or a mild soapy solution.
Move light starved plants outdoors to a shady location.
Enjoy orchids and bromeliads indoors when in bloom, then move outside to the shade.
Divide clump forming foliage plants like Spathiphyllum and Sansevieria.
Vegetable & fruit care
Check pineapples – fruits are ready when fragrant and turn yellow to orange.
Feed bananas and figs monthly but lightly; keep moist and mulched.
Many gardens are filled with summer weeds; remove by hand.
Enrich sandy soils and old garden sites with organic amendments and manure.
Test soil acidity and adjust the pH if needed before planting in ground and in containers.
Remove plastic from solarization after treatments and plant immediately.
Transplants started in July should be ready for the garden during mid to late August.
Plant quick growing warm season vegetables mid-August through early September.
Seeds of melons and pumpkins must be planted during early August.
Grow vegetables in large containers with good potting soil if you have limited space.
Give tomatoes an extra-large container and keep moist to prevent blossom-end rot.
Groom and feed herbs monthly; shelter container-grown herbs from the daily rains.
Mints in containers that stop growing may only need dividing and more fertilizer.
Clean containers between crops and add fresh potting soil.
Plant flowers that attract pollinators among vegetables to obtain better fruit set.
Where possible plant nematode resistant tomato and other vegetable varieties.
Open wide, 8 inch or deeper holes in nematode infested sties and fill with fresh pest free soil.
Begin staking or trellising taller growing crops when young.
Mulch new plantings to conserve water and promote better plant growth.
Feed sweet potatoes monthly and check dates of planting to harvest potatoes in 100 days.
Feed citrus with one-quarter pound of citrus fertilizer per inch of trunk circumference.
Apply a minor nutrient spray and insecticide to citrus at each flush of new growth.
