KNOW WHEN TO GET RID OF THOSE GARDEN PESTS

As the sun bears down, plants become more susceptible to damage.

The world is full of pests — at work, at home, on the internet and in the garden. Still, in the hot weather garden pests get more active and annoying. As the gentle spring days are wafted away by the last breezes and the sun bears down, plants become more susceptible to damage and pests become more intent on damaging. Now is the time to marshal all your efforts to keep your garden healthy and productive for as long as possible.

One way to do that is to remember that every plant, like every dog, has its day. If your English peas have stopped blooming and making peas, jerk them out of the bed and put them in the compost. Some plants just can’t stand hot weather. No matter how much we water them, fertilize then and speak kindly to them, lettuce, cilantro, pansies, dill and broccoli will not survive a Texas summer. Instead of leaving sad and limping plants in the garden where they signal their distress to pests, get them out of there. Remember, they are continuing to do good work in the compost.

Replace the spring flowers and veggies with those that love hot weather — melons, southern peas, okra, zinnias, sunflowers and a host of native plants. These heatlovers will be less susceptible to pests because they will be less stressed by the heat. You know how you are more likely to get a cold when you are stressed out? The same is true of plants. When they are growing in conditions where they are poorly adapted, they will be pale, straggly, bloomless bug magnets.