LENOIR, NC (July 2, 2020) — Home, Lawn, and Garden Tips for July from the Caldwell County Cooperative Extension Center.
Plants in Flower
• Trumpet Creeper, Phlox, Butterfly Weed, Daylily, Red Hot Poker, Rose-of-Sharon, Sourwood, Crapemyrtle, Stewartia, St. John’s Wort, Abelia, Peegee Hydrangea, Chaste-Tree, Canna, Dahlia, Shasta Daisy and summer annuals.
Fertilizing
• Continue sidedressing your garden vegetables.
• July is the month we recommend giving landscape plants a second (last) feeding of fertilizer.
• Take soil samples form your lawn areas for testing. Soil boxes are available at the County Extension Center.
Planting
• Plants of brussel sprouts and collards can be set out in mid-July.
• You can begin your fall vegetable garden this month. Plant beans, carrots,brussels sprouts, and tomatoes in July.
• Start broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower plants in peat pots to transplant into the vegetable garden in mid-August.
• Begin repotting overgrown houseplants.
Pruning
• Prune “bleeder” trees like maple, dogwood, birch and elm this month.
• Prune the fruiting canes of raspberry and blackberry plants after harvest is over. Cut canes at ground level.
• Prune off dieback limbs on hybrid rhododendron, azalea, mountain laurel, and blueberry.
• Trim hedges as needed.
• Continue pruning white pines and narrowleaf evergreens like juniper early in the month.
• Remove faded flowers on flowering perennials to encourage a second flowering.
• Pinch your chrysanthemums the first week only!
• Do NOT prune spring flowering shrubs now.
Spraying
• Spray the following landscape shrubs for the following insect pests: arborvitae (bagworms), azalea and pyracantha (lace bug).
• Spray for Japanese beetles as needed.
• Continue with rose spray program.
• Spray your tree fruits and bunch grapes on a regular basis.
• Spray the following vegetables if insects are observed: cucumber (cucumber beetle), squash (aphids), tomato and eggplant (flea beetle).
• Spray woody weeds like poison ivy, honeysuckle and kudzu with a recommended herbicide.
Lawn Care
• Remember to change direction when moving your lawn. Travel north to south on one mowing and east to west on the next cutting.
• Continue feeding your zoysia lawn with fertilizer. Do NOT give tall fescue or bluegrass lawns any fertilizer this month.
• Maintain 3″ mowing height.
Propagation
• This month is still a great time to take semi-hardwood cuttings of azaleas, holly, rhododendron and many other shrubs.
• July is an ideal time to divide and transplant your iris and daylilies.
Specific Chores
• July is a good month to see if and where your home can use some additional shade trees.
• Blossom-end rot may be seen on tomatoes this month. Two factors – too little water and too little lime in the soil – may be the reason.
• In dry weather, both your vegetable garden and landscape plants will benefit from a good soaking watering. Slow watering will penetrate the root zone better. Apply 1″ of water early in the day.