Early morning is your friend this summer

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

We have entered the “dog days of summer,” so if we don’t get afternoon showers, make sure your irrigation system is working to water twice a week, putting down .5 inches of water each time.

The heat and high humidity make it uncomfortable working in the garden for a long period of time, so if you can, do your chores early.

Deadheading old flowers will encourage more blooms on your plants. If your plants are leggy, trim them to no more than one-third of the plant at a time. Also, this is hurricane season, so inspect your trees for damaged or weak branches and prune if needed.

For citrus trees, as a general rule of thumb, bearing trees should be fertilized three times per year between March and October (but not when the tree is blooming). In order to produce large crops of fruit, citrus need water every seven to 10 days during periods of little or no rainfall. A nutritional spray may be required when minor element deficiency symptoms develop. These sprays contain zinc, manganese, boron and copper and can be purchased at any garden center.

Inspect your plants for sucking insects like aphids, scale, mealy bugs and thrips. If these pests are found, treat with an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil spray every 10 days. For heavy infestations or longer term control, try Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control which can be applied around the roots annually.

If you want to add color to your landscape, plant heat-loving annuals like bush daisy, celosia, crossandra, kalanchoe, nicotiana, penta, shrimp plant, torrenia, and wax begonia, to name a few.

You might want to add some striking foliage plants to your gardens, like caladiums. Caladiums come in many shades and patterns of pink, red, white, lime green and orange. Most varieties perform better in shaded locations, but many will tolerate full sun. They are tubers and die-back in the winter, but return in the spring.

Virtually all commercial production of caladiums in the world takes place in Central Florida, the majority of which is in Lake Placid. Don’t miss their annual Caladium Festival Aug. 24 to Aug. 26! Caladiums are grown in fields which have been compared to the tulip fields of Holland for their beauty.

Give summer plants a helping hand
An exciting new organic tool for gardeners is now available to help with the summer heat. Plant strengtheners, like JAZ sprays, help boost plants’ natural defenses so they are better able to deal with environmental stress, neglect, as well as insects and disease attacks.

You can even keep healthy plants performing their best by proactively using a plant strengthener. By doing so, you’ll boost a plant’s immune system before environmental stresses hit. It’s a great way to protect plants before they become threatened.

— Melinda Myers. Visit www.melindamyers.com.