Summer is coming and that means preparing for the heat
The alternative title for this month is Houston’s equivalent to the “Game of Thrones” catchphrase: “Summer is coming.” Most of us know that this phrase is to be said with the blank stare of a foretelling that others around the country might equate to winter snow and ice. Batten down the hatches, get your hoses, sprinklers and drip irrigation ready, and enjoy the current mild temperatures of 85 degrees. In the meantime, here is what we can be doing before the growing season slows.
In the vegetable garden
According to the Harris County AgriLife Extension Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar, the following vegetables can still be planted through June by seed:
• Melons
• Okra
• Southern peas
• Sweet potato (slips)
• Pumpkin
• Winter squash
• Summer greens While this isn’t the ideal planting time for eggplant (transplants), pepper (transplants), summer squash and watermelon, they may also still be planted.
Harvesting
Pick tomatoes before the birds do. Once they start turning color, they can be picked to ripen inside on a counter. Peppers, beans, peas, cucumbers and okra prefer to be washed and cooled in the refrigerator after harvest.
A fellow Harris County Master Gardener’s favorite vegetable to grow is green beans. She succession plants them for a continuous supply, picks them
when they are between 3-5 inches long, then steams them that day with butter, salt and pepper.
Pest management
Monitor for pests now before things escalate quicker than a flash flood. Learn to identify what you have so that you do not harm beneficial insects. Once they reach adulthood, stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs are not controlled well with chemicals. It is easiest, for you and the environment, to pick them off. If that is on your “definitely do not do” list, then carry a bucket of soapy water around and they can be flicked with a stick into the water.
Check under leaves for eggs. A spray with the hose will easily knock off aphids.
Do not forget the mosquitoes. Rid your yard, for your garden comfort. Check your property, carefully, for any standing water. Be sure to wipe the inside of birdbaths and containers, as eggs can attach and remain after a water change. Mosquitoes do not like airflow and movement, so adding a fan to your sitting area may help.
Planting
This is the last chance to plant heat-tolerant annuals, perennials and ornamentals if they are to be established before summer. Trees and citrus can still be planted if they are watered well, but it is best to wait until the fall so that their roots have a chance to grow without the stress of intense heat.
Watering
Be sure new plantings are watered regularly for a few weeks. Afterward, deeply water one or two times a week for a few more weeks. Depending on the plant, ensure the soil is dry between watering. Overwatering can create shallow, waterdependent roots.
Here’s a tip on deep watering: Since much of our watering does not penetrate through a mulch layer to the soil, run the hose at a trickle for five to 15 minutes for a deeper watering. I do this on select plants about once a month, especially if we have not had rain.
Pruning
Plants that were damaged from the February freeze should be pruned by now. Indian hawthorn appears to be coming back sporadically, so cutting to the lower green growth will let it flush out evenly. Citrus trees will likely be showing growth, so all dead material can be pruned above it.
Give palm trees more time. We see many that looked terrible showing growth, but some may take longer. Prune flowering shrubs that have flowered and faded. Keep basil and coleus deadheaded to prolong life. Cut amaryllis stalks but leave the leaves, as they are providing stored energy to the bulbs.
Mulching
If you have not mulched by now, it would be a good idea to do so before the heat is turned up. If you spread just enough to cover the soil, it is not doing much but visually obscuring the soil. Mulch should be 2-3 inches thick. Yes, it sounds like a lot, but once done, the following years will only need a top dressing. It takes that much to really keep the roots cooler, reduce weeds and retain moisture.
However, be sure that mulch does not pile high onto the trunks of shrubs and trees. Taper it to just above where the ground meets the tree so that mulch is not within 2-3 inches of the trunk. Create a berm around the outer edge of the trees so that water moves toward the plant and not off and away.
Lawns
Maintaining a healthy height for your specific turfgrass can prevent responses to natural stresses. Cutting too low can create disease and pests.
• St. Augustine: between 2.5 and 4 inches
• Bermuda grass: between 1.5 and 3 inches
• Zoysia grass: between 1 and 2 inches
A summer lawn should have 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, including rainfall. Water deeply (for a longer time) and infrequently (one to two times a week) to encourage healthier roots. No established lawn needs to be watered every day. If you are not sure if it adds up to 1 inch, test your irrigation. Place cans around the lawn, run the irrigation for the designated time, then measure. This will determine if the time needs to be adjusted for one to two cycles a week. For more guidance on weekly watering, check out watermyyard.org.