Moderation helps beat the heat
High summer is often the time many people begin to notice things going awry with their yards. And why not? High summer is the time when our valley really begins to heat up. Add to that stress from everyday events, like foot traffic and doggy "gifts," air pollution and airborne diseases, and the occasional "oops, I left the sprinklers on too long," and you have a recipe for plant stress that can blight even the healthiest garden.
When the heat of summer strikes, the best way to keep your yard healthy is a good dose of moderation. Don't over fertilize or over water in an effort to keep it growing like mad. Don't freak out when you notice it's a little dry here and there. Don't get frantic if you suddenly have a few mushrooms sprouting where before you had only healthy lawn. Don't get frantic if a few leaves of that prized rose get a little dry and curly. Instead, sit back, take in the weather forecast, and plan some support care that will help your yard weather the worst of summer.
Little things, like taking note of those days when it's going to be over 100 degrees, and adjusting the sprinkler schedule a little for a few extra minutes water, or making a trip to the garden store for a couple of extra bags of mulch to shield young roots, can make a huge difference. Adding a little extra Iron supplement to your usual fertilizer routine can give grass that little extra it needs to weather the heat, as can adding an additional dose of food for your azaleas. Take a little time to figure out what your yard is going to need to get through the week, and you can avoid heat stress easily.
Other summer problems are not quite so easily fixed, like fungal infections and soil deficiencies. Summer is the time many fungi start to reproduce like mad, like rusts, which can infect roses, and "fairy ring fungus," which can leave ugly brown rings in your lawn. These pathogens are airborne, and the only defense you really have is to avoid giving them a congenial home. Avoid watering late in the evening or at night, so soil and leaves don't stay moist, giving the fungi place to start growing. Once you have one though, make friends with your local certified nurseryman, they'll have the ingredients you need to put your lawn or shrubs back on track.
If your plants just aren't flowering or fruiting right, you may have some soil deficiencies. Many types of veggies, and flowers as well, require specific trace elements that may not be present in your yard. Typical shortfalls are things like magnesium, phosphorous, sulfur or iron. Buy a soil test kit, easily available in many garden stores these days, so you can figure out what kind of soil you have, and what it may need to support your plants.
As always, if things get too out of control, you can take a step back, pick up a phone, and call the U.C. Davis Cooperative extension, and the U.C. Master Gardeners there. What they don't know about garden problems, especially around here, probably isn't worth knowing.
