Southern Plains August Garden To-Do List

August is the calendar month when many nurseryman in our area dream of moving to cool climes . Northern gardener lament the month of January , but we suffer through August ’s doldrums alternatively . But do not despair ! There are still several things that you may do in the garden this calendar month .

Prune your oak trees . Oak wilt disease ( Bretziella fagacearum ) is a major concern in our region , with red oaks being more susceptible than livid oaks . Common flushed oaks in our realm are Southern unrecorded oaks ( Quercus virginiana , Zones 8–10 ) , scarp hot oaks ( Q. fusiformis , Zones 6–10 ) , Spanish oak ( Q. buckleyi , Zones 6–11 ) , Shumard oaks ( Q. shumardii , Zones 5–9 ) , and blackjack oaks ( Q. marilandica , Zones 6–9 ) . Safe times to prune are when temperatures are over 90 ° farad or under 50 ° F . Since August falls squarely into the over-90 ° F category , this can be a respectable time to prune . I like to salvage most of my tree pruning for the frigid calendar month just for my own comfort , but sometimes I have some pruning that just ca n’t hold off until winter , so August will suffice . No matter what meter of twelvemonth you are pruning , commemorate to paint all pruning cut made on oaks to protect against oak tree wilt disease . Pruning cuts on other metal money do not need to be paint .

take in cum from summer - bloom plants . Don’t block to roll up seed from the dry , spent flower straits on your summer - blooming industrial plant . I end every summertime with newspaper bags full of dry out blossom from perennials such as over-embellished coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea , Zones 3–9 ) , black - eyed Susan ( Rudbeckia hirta , Zones 3–9 ) , Engelmann daisy ( Engelmannia peristenia , Zones 4–8 ) , and chocolate bloom ( Berlandiera lyrata , zona 5–11 ) . Learn more about accumulate seed here .

Lightly prune roses for a flush of fall salad days . August and early September is when roses need their second , weak pruning of the year . Remove utter or unproductive branchlet as well as any cane that cross . Avoid removing foliage this time around , and focus on the bushed woody material . Get tips on pruning different types of roses here .

Water deeply and infrequently . This advice is good all class round , but it becomes especially crucial in August . How do you know when you need to water ? Stick your finger into the earth around your plant ’ root zone , and check for wet about 3 inches down . If it ’s dry , check that to offer enough water system to reach that depth . Most industrial plant will not be putting on much emergence this month , but sufficient water will keep them alive until cooler temperatures admit them to thrive again .

Do n’t implant anything this calendar month , except … Because of the heat , August is not a good time to imbed most industrial plant . I in the main debar planting ornamental this month , particularly Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or large shrubs . There are , however , a few things that you may set in your vegetable garden that can take the stress of August : bean , corn , cucumbers , Southern peas , summertime and winter squashes , and amazingly , potatoes !

— Karen Beaty is a horticulturalist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin , Texas .

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Northern California August Garden To-Do List

Northern Plains August Garden To-Do List

Southwest August Garden To-Do List

South August Garden To-Do List

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