August Pointers and Tips for Northern Gardeners
Moisture is one of the most important factors in the growth of plants. More plants die for lack of it than from any other cause. The life of each plant cell depends upon moisture. Nutrients in the soil, no matter how plentiful, are of little use to the plant if sufficient moisture is lacking, for they must be absorbed in solution. At this stage of the growing season, with vegetable crops developing, flowers drawing upon the reserves of plants and the soil, buds on trees and shrubs maturing for next year’s display, moisture is in constant demand. If rains are inadequate you will have to water. When you do, see that the soil is soaked right through to the plant roots. After soaking, adopt some measures to conserve moisture. A cover mulch will help. Loosen the surface soil among plants in narrow rows to create a surface dust mulch.
Toward the end of the month moisture demands will change. The heavier trees and shrubs will have all but completed their growth for the season. This growth must mature and harden before winter. One way to help this trend is to withhold water. Fruit trees and spring-flowering trees such as dogwood, conifers and broad-leaved evergreens – rhododendrons, azaleas, etc. are in this category. Much of the damage these suffer in winter can be laid to an oversupply of moisture at the time when they should be ripening their growth. Moisture demands continue, however, for vegetables and all summer-flowering plants.
Despite the saying that watering only stimulates crabgrass, keep the sprinkler going on the lawn. While it is true that Kentucky ‘bluegrass goes dormant in the heat, the bents and fescues continue to grow. In any case, it is not wise to drain the soil of all moisture reserves. Merely withholding water will not discourage crabgrass. You will have to adopt other means to control not only crabgrass but the various other weeds which, if neglected, can get out of hand. If you intend to remake an old lawn or create a new one, get rid of the weeds now. At least this is my suggestion for backyard landscaping ideas during this time.
Your best control measure is some form of 2,4-D. The selective type will kill certain weeds without injuring the grass; the general contact weed-killers will kill anything they touch. The newer preparation, 2.4,5-T, is used chiefly for killing suckers on woody plants; it will injure grass and clover. The 2,4-D preparations are safest, but even these will cause injury if not used with care. Read and follow instructions before applying. All of these herbicides are effective and safe for the purposes stated and at the strengths recommended. What damage has been caused has been due to carelessness on the part of the user.
Ants, beetle grubs and chinch bugs are also lawn trouble-makers. These can now be controlled by chlordane. Five pounds of the 5 per cent dust applied over 1,000 square feet will be effective for three years. To spread this quantity evenly, mix the dust with a pailful of dry soil or sand.
Feeding
Vegetables, all plants in flower and those which will flower later need a little extra nourishment. Liquid feeding is more efficient. Less fertilizer is needed than if dry fertilizer is used and there is less danger of damage to plants. For liquid manure, use 1 pound of dried manure or 2 pounds of the regular stable product to each gallon of water. Let stand for a week. Then dilute this with 1 to 5 parts water before application. Liquid fertilizer may be made by using the high-analysis fertilizers such as 1530-15 or 13-26-13. Just follow instructions. Use these at the rate of 2 to 3 tablespoonfuls to 1 gallon of water. This should be enough to feed a 50-foot row of beets, carrots, lettuce or celery or five large-sized tomato plants.
Keep gladiolus protected against thrips by dusting every two weeks with the 5 per cent DDT dust or spraying with the 25 or 50 per cent wettable powder. Follow directions. When cutting gladiolus, leave as much foliage on the bulb as possible to help build it for next year. Slide a knife down the inside of the foliage, cutting the stem low and at an angle; in this way much of the foliage will remain.
Be on the alert for leaf insects and disease among chrysanthemums. An all-purpose spray or dust, applied every ten days, will help keep them clean. Feed weekly, but cease surface cultivation this month. Roots are forming on the surface; further cultivation will cause injury.
For the region between northern Connecticut and those farther south there is still time for another sowing of snap beans; the first week in August is about the latest date. Dig onions as soon as the tops die off. Left in the ground, they will sprout again and become unfit for winter storage.
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