August is interchangeable with drought and heat in many regions of Southern California. Feel free to put those ambitious garden jobs on hold until things cool down. Concentrate on watering needs, harvesting summer plants and flame security.
Finally, do not forget to incorporate some of the most important of summertime backyard activites this month: Make time for reading a novel, chillaxin’ with friends, enjoying just a little music, napping in the colour or merely contemplating your navel.
Michelle Jacoby, Shifting Spaces
Potted plants. If your potted plants are drying out too fast, think about a strategy which will help retain soil moisture and keep plant roots cooler:
• Move baskets where they get some afternoon shade.
• Mass containers together so they color one another’s roots. (Be sure to permit for sufficient air circulation and light penetration.)
• Use lighter-colored pots for lower heat advantage.
• Use larger containers — with a greater mass-to-surface-area ratio, the relative root area exposed to the solar-heated pot is reduced.
• Use porous containers (for example, terra-cotta vs. glazed ceramic); evaporation cools the surface of the pot.
• Use trailing plants to color the bud surface.
Phil Kean Design Group
Mulch. Add mulch to help control weeds, retain soil moisture and keep soil cool.
Grandin Road
Garden Sprinkler – $49
Water. Cool morning hours are best for watering, since evaporation rates are reduced and foliage dries fast, reducing the probability of fungal problems such as black spot, rust and powdery mildew. Water deeply, thoroughly and infrequently to encourage profoundly rooted plants, that might be much better able to withstand drought. (“Infrequently” means enable the top couple inches of soil around established plants to dry between waterings.) Most lawns and veggies need a total of about 1 inch of water per week.
Hint: Do not waste water with light, shallow watering. The water evaporates from the ground before it can actually get to the main zone.
Hayneedle
Exaco Compost Bin With Aerator – $519.99
Compost. Water your mulch pile when it has a tendency to dry out in the heat of the summer. Without sufficient moisture, the compost won’t “cook” (that is, break down into usable organic substance). Soaking wet is a lousy idea, however — you’ll wind up having a nasty, smelly mess. You will know you’ve obtained the moisture content right if your mulch pile is giving away heat and the substance is slowly breaking down without giving away a foul odor.
Leslie Ebert
Deadheading, pruning, tip pinching. Continue deadheading to extend the bloom period of flowering plants.Cut back lavenders when they finish flowering. Pinch berries for return. Hint: Pinch perennials that tend to get leggy to encourage fuller growth and increase next year’s blooms.
Andrew Renn
Train vines. That is the season of accelerated growth. Train vines on service structures while they are still manageable. Ask anyone who has ever needed a rambunctious vine get out of hand and you’ll enjoy the value of accomplishing this task early and often.
Monrovia
Fertilizing. A light feeding followed by thorough watering is still OK for actively growing warm-season lawns. Ditto for stone fruit and nuts, citrus. Avoid applying too much fertilizer, though — it’s too hot in August to induce a lot of tender new growth.
Mark Hickman Homes
Weeding. With August’s increased irrigation and heat, weeds often come on quickly, robbing nutrients and water intended for desirable plants. Yank weeds up from the root to reduce competition for funds. Eliminate weeds before they go to seed to save a ton of weeding next year.
VivaTerra
African Market Basket – $49
Peak harvest time. Select, eat, maintain, make sauces and jams, dry, freeze, swap and give away fresh vegetables and fruits. If you can not maintain, call the regional food pantry to find out whether it has a backyard-harvest program. Many communities have a method for collecting excess new produce and making it accessible to families in need.
U-pick time. August is prime time to support the regional farmer. Do a bit of research on what is available near and take a little road trip with some friends to harvest summer produce straight from the field or orchard.
Illness prevention. Fallen fruit and rotting veggies might be harboring next year’s pest and disease problems. Do not allow spoiled make to accumulate. Collect and toss it in the heap.
Summerset Gardens/Joe Weuste
Fire readiness. Annual weeds and thick brush should have been cleared in areas at high risk of fire. Most fire departments recommend that in the event that you haven’t done your brush clearing yet, do not do so at this point if you’re planning to use power tools. The risk of equipment-sparked fires is extremely high today that plant moisture content is reduced.
Aiken Gardens & House
Chill. Take in the joys of the August backyard: read a novel, play some songs and take a nap.
More:
Planting guides to your California backyard
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