Hort Tips

August

Edible

Plant greens, lettuce, kohlrabi and radishes for fall harvest.
Remove dead or diseased plants from the vegetable and flower garden.

Sow rye or oats to improve soil quality in harvested areas of the garden.

Plan a family outing to one of the following county fairs:
Kankakee County Fair - August 1 - 5 - Fairgrounds 815-932-6714
Kendall County Fair — August 3-5 - Fairgrounds 630-553-2860
McHenry County Fair - August 1-5 - 815-338-5315
Will County Fair - August 22 - 25 - Fairgrounds - 708-258-6592
Lake County Indiana Fair (Crown Point, IN) - August 3 - 12 - 219-663-3617
Illinois State Fair - August 10 - 19 - 217-782-6661

Cure onions in a warm, dry place for 2 weeks before storing.

Sow beets, spinach and turnips now for the fall garden.

Ornamental

Dry flowers from your garden for year round enjoyment in arrangements or wreaths. Factsheet available.

Continue watering the lawn regularly if you want to keep it green.

Look for grub damage and sod webworms in the lawn. Treat only if insect population is high. Factsheet available.

Late in the month, establish new lawns or renovate poor quality ones.

Do not fertilize perennial flowers after August 10.

Order bulbs for fall planting.

Soak shrubs periodically during dry spells with enough water to moisten the soil to a depth of 8-10 inches.

Once bagworms reach full size, insecticides are ineffective. Pruning off and burning large bags provides better control.

Watch Scotch and Austrian pines now for Zimmerman pine moth damage. Factsheet available.

Indoors

Repot summer blooming orchids.

Watch for scale insects. They will appear as brown bumps on stems or leaves. Try dabbing a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol on them to kill the insects.

September

Edible

Store leftover garden seed in a cool, dry place. A sealable jar with powdered milk in the bottom will work.

Clean up fallen fruits and leaves around apple, crabapple and other fruits. This will help to reduce the incidence of disease and insects next year.

Plant radish, lettuce and spinach for fall harvest.

Ripen mature green tomatoes indoors by wrapping them individually in newspaper. Store in a cool location 55-60 degrees.

Sow a green cover crop like rye or oats in empty garden areas. Factsheet available.

Oats grow quickly in the cool, wet weather of fall. Dig them into soil next spring.

Plant garlic in late September. Plant the cloves with the points up about 3-5 inches apart and 2 inches deep.

Pick apples at local orchard. For a free list of local orchards call 773-233-0476.

Have your soil tested. List of local labs available. A soil test will measure the levels of some of the major elements for plant growth, such as potassium and phosphorus, the pH of the soil and organic matter content.

Ornamental

Watch for needle drop in white pine and arborvitae. Many evergreens shed older needles as a part of their normal growth process.

Apply a lawn fertilizer in early September. Fertilize after rainfall or water lawn ahead of time for best results.

Renovate bare patches in your lawn or seed a new lawn in early September to mid-September. Factsheet available.

Plant trees and shrubs. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the rootball but at the same depth. Water and keep moist until soil freezes.

Use a weedkiller containing Dicamba to spray creeping Charlie.

Divide perennials. Factsheet available.

Divide and transplant peonies. Each division should have 3-5 eyes.

Plant eyes 2 inches deep.

Have your lawn aerated. Factsheet available.

Indoors

Force Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus into bloom. Give the plant fifteen hours of darkness from, for example, 6 pm to 9 am for about eight weeks. Flower will not form if night temperatures are above 70 degrees F. You can put your cactus outside in the summer in a shady spot. The longer night and cooler temperatures of late summer will encourage flowering. Bring them indoors if temperatures fall to below 45 degrees F and place in garage where no lights are used at night.

Bring houseplants indoors when nighttime temperatures fall below 55 degrees. Check for insects and diseases and isolate them from other houseplants for 2-3 weeks.

Dig up impatiens, coleus, wax begonias and fuschias for an indoor garden. Cut plant halfway back and place in sunny window.

Force amaryllis bulbs. Induce dormancy in September by placing the amaryllis in a cool, dark place and stop watering. Place the pot in a cool, dry location for a 2 month rest period. Place the bulb in a warm sunny location when a bud or foliage begins to emerge and water.

August 2002
What Is Killing My Tree? | Controlling Creeping Charlie | Home Lawn Fertilization | Watch Out for Wasps | White Grubs in Lawns | Identfying and Controlling Scale Insects | Ode to a Violet | Lawn Care Calendar | Cybergarden Sites | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Homemade Flavored Oil Alert – FAQs | Not-So-Popular Edible Vegetable Parts | Refreshing Ginger Lemon Tea | Yes, You Can Can | Making Herb Vinegar | Health & Household Tips | Did You Know?

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