July Gardening Tasks

CHRIS PESCHEJul 25, '24
July Gardening Tasks

Inspect your trees and shrubs for insects. Brown patches appearing on your evergreens along with small fine spider webs? Sticky, sooty black mold on pines? Spider mites and Adelgids (mealy bug family) are active now, if present spray with Bonide Systemic Insect Control or Bonide Eight Insect Control. www.bonide.com

Holes in your hostas that need attention but you have kids and pets in the yard and you’re worried about pesticides use Bonide Bug & Slug. www.bonide.com

Are your Marigolds and other plants getting stripped leaves down to stems? Does the damage seem to happen overnight? It’s probably earwigs!

  1. Conventional insect control: Conventional insect control: Spray Bonide Eight Insect Control
  2. Organic insect control: Bonide Bug & Slug, St. Gabriel’s Organics Diatomaceous Earth www.stgabrielorganics.com or spray plants with 100% Natural Dr. Earth Yard & Garden Insect Killer. www.drearth.net

Continue to fertilize your tomatoes and vegetables monthly with Dr. Earth Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer. Natural/Organic fertilizer for flavorful, healthy produce. www.drearth.net

A foliar spray of Neptune’s Harvest Fish/Seaweed fertilizer applied early in the morning will increase veggie production! Make sure to get the under sides of the leaves. Growers using this blend have reported increased yields and improved shelf life on fruits and vegetables. Fish and Seaweed are known to build sugars in plants. Flowers and foliage will be stronger and more colorful. Blooms will be more plentiful, fragrant, and last longer. www.neptuneharvest.com

Critters are really causing problems in landscapes. The rabbit population is soaring and so is plant damage.

  1. Rabbits and deer: Protect with Bonide Go Away! Deer & Rabbit Repellent, Rabbit or Deer Scram, or spray plants with Bonide Hot Pepper Wax Animal Repellent 
  2. Squirrels and Chipmunks: Bonide Repels All 
  3. Moles, gophers, voles, rabbits & ground squirrels: Bonide MoleMax www.bonide.com

Spiders and Ground Bees a problem? Use Bonide Spider & Ground Bee Killer. Snorkel tube applicator for hard-to-reach areas. Kills and repels, for indoor and outdoor use.

Tree Gators and Tree Soaker Rings are an excellent way to keep trees watered and healthy during the hot dry months. Tree Gators look something like a truck inner tube, they slow and evenly water your plantings and are available in our nursery.

Protect your lawns from fall grub damage by applying controls in July.

Conventional grub control:   Scott’s GrubEx www.scotts.com

                                                        Bayer 24 Hour Grub Killer Plus www.bayeradvanced.com

Organic grub control:    Milky Spore by St. Gabriel Laboratories www.stgabrielorganics.com

                                                Beneficial Nematodes by Orcon Organic Control  www.organiccontrol.com

Japanese Beatles coming to your neighborhood soon

Japanese beetles are a serious pest to lawns and plants. The larvae know as Grubs feed on the roots of grass resulting in dead patches of grass. These dead patches can be rolled back like a carpet to expose the lack of turf roots. Another sign is when skunks and raccoons are seen digging up your lawn for grubs, causing damage to your lawn. Japanese beetle adults feed on the foliage of hundreds of plant species causing skeletonized leaves or total defoliation.

Lawn Conventional Treatments for Grubs

Scott's Grubex: Works best when applied before grubs hatch. Newly hatched insects are highly susceptible to Grubex and are killed before large enough to cause turf damage. Apply in June.

Bayer 24 Hour Grub Killer Plus - The best time to kill grubs is July through September when they are young and actively feeding near the soil surface.

Lawn Natural/Organic Grub Treatment

Milky Spore by St. Gabriel Laboratories - Composed of Milky Spore in a granular carrier designed to deliver a biological control for white grubs of Japanese beetles in lawns, gardens and flower beds. Milky Spore is a natural insect pathogen that causes an illness in beetle larvae, yet, it is not harmful to man, plants or beneficial insects. Use this product once each season for 3 years to allow a maximum buildup of Milky Spore in the soil. Beneficial Nematodes by Orcon Organic Control - Nematodes seek out and destroy more than 230 different kinds of soil dwelling and wood boring insects. Kills Japanese beetles, cut worms, wire worms, weevils, white grubs, fungus gnat larvae, flea larvae, subterranean termites and more. Safe to humans, pets and environment. Nematodes are even compatible with helpful species.

Plant Conventional Treatments for Japanese Beetles

Bonide Eight Insect Control

Bonide Systemic Insect Control

Bonide Japanese Beetle Killer

Spectracide Triazicide Insect Killer Once & Done™

 

Plant Natural/Organic Treatment for Japanese Beetles

Dr. Earth Pro-Active™ Home & Garden Insect Spray

Bonide Bon-Neem Insecticidal Soap

Bonide Japanese Beetle Killer RTU

Bonide Bettle Bagger – Japanese Beetle Trap

 

 

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