Well, it is official. Summer has arrived. The truly wonderful winter and spring we have enjoyed this year are a part of history and we now enjoy the long, hot summer months of July, August and into September.

Have you made certain your irrigation is properly adjusted for the weather?

Early morning watering just one time a day is key for your garden to make the best use of the water it receives. A good deep watering in the morning allows the roots to drink up and dry out through the day so that when the sun goes down, the plants are at rest. Watering once the sun disappears may cause harm to the root structure, thus weakening the plant and putting it at risk for disease and opportunistic pests. Remember photosynthesis? Once the sun has set, plants are done working for the day.

Be sure all your sprinkler/drip heads are working properly.

Is the time correct for all the stations? Is the water on for the correct amount of time? How about the correct time and date? Our recent earthquakes and power outages can wreak havoc with a time clock. Your irrigation should be thoroughly checked at least once a week. Become friends with your time clock. They are just not that scary anymore. YOU SHOULD BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR TIMECLOCK, not whoever comes to service the yard just once a week.

Summer is still a great time of year for planting in your garden.

Citrus trees, shrubs and bedding plants do great as long as they receive regular watering. Even drought tolerant material needs daily water when newly planted. There are all sorts of bedding plant options for color in the summer; coreopsis, vinca (periwinkle), zinnia, marigold, scabiosa, scaveola and salvia to name a few. Planting key beds in the garden keep it looking fresh and alive with color through the hot summer months.

Your garden has a lot of work ahead of it this summer.

It takes a lot of energy to stay alive in our desert heat. MULCH is a great help to the whole garden calm and cool. A thick layer of mulch to cover the root bed helps to hold moisture in, keep the roots cool and replace soil that settles or is blown away through the year. LIGHT pruning is the name of the game in the summer. You want to prevent your plants from growing out of control and at the same time leave enough growth to prevent the plant from burning in the high heat. Pests are active in the summer. Red spider mite is a big problem, yet easily controlled through proper watering and simply hosing off the plant material once in a while. Mites thrive on dust. Hosing susceptible plants down occasionally prevents the mites from taking hold. Roses are a perfect example.

It is perfectly fine to fertilize through the summer as long as you use a slow acting organic fertilizer such as our Dr. Earth products.

There are several different formulas specific to various plants. Fruit trees, tropical foliages, roses and all purpose fertilizer are a few examples. Your palm trees can be fertilized through the summer as well. Any questions? Please feel free to visit the Nursery or phone one of our knowledgeable sales associates. The Nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7am to 4pm and we are here Saturdays from 7am to 3pm. PLEASE bring in samples of any problems you may be experiencing so we can stop the problem before you have a dead plant.