The heat is on, so stop planting. Shrubs and trees planted now thru August will require an excessive amount of water to get established over the next few months, and the danger of death will be great even if you miss just one or two days of irrigation. Do not worry; we will have plenty of time to plant again in the fall, plus who wants to be digging planting holes in the 100 degree heat? June is a great month to settle in to your summer schedule. This is a regiment of deeper watering, keeping blooms in check by dead heading, and managing the rapid growth that comes with the longer days. It is also a great time to fertilize your planter beds again with a balanced 15-15-15 or 9-9-9 plus iron fertilizer. You will be rewarded with a resurgence of blooms and will help the plants with the coming heat stress. Make sure to water the fertilizer in well. If you have California natives or low water use Mediterranean plants, do not fertilize them now. This is traditionally the start of their dormant period, and they don’t need the extra nutrients. Deeply watering natives once or twice per week may keep them from going dormant and even encourage another bloom cycle. Be easy on the water though, they don’t like “wet feet.” You planted natives to reduce summer water, so do just that. June is a great month to simply sit back and enjoy your garden. By now you have healthy blooming plants, lush green grass, and the weather isn’t too hot to take some time and enjoy a cold ice tea on the porch. If ants become a nuance, this is typical as they search for water. The use of bait stations is far more effective than sprays. The baits are carried back to the nest where it kills the queen and her offspring, effectively ending the life cycle of the colony. Now that we are into summer, we need to be irrigating our turf 7 -9 start times a week; now through September. We are still running it 5-9 minutes per run time, 4-5 days per week. But with the temperatures soaring, we may have to run it twice on some of the watering days. This is called cycle and soak. We water for 5-7 minutes, wait an hour and run an additional 5-7. Sharpen that mower blade to keep the mowing clean. Bonus tip: Have you ever thought about installing a small water garden? Hardy water lilies look spectacular, and early June is a great time to find them already fully blooming at our local pond supply stores.
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