To Do List - June

Summer is here, but it’s not too scorching hot yet so you can still plant shrubs and bedding plants, although they will need regular watering as the soil will dry out much quicker in the heat.

• Start checking fruit trees for aphids, mealy bug and sooty mould. The warmer weather will herald an increase of these pests in the garden.
• Increase your irrigation system in readiness for the continued blue skies and warm sun. You need to step it up by 30-50%, especially for lawns.
• If you are watering your plants with a hose, never spray foliage as soon as you turn on the tap. The first 30 seconds of water may be baking hot and scald and damage your plants.
• Keep mowing your lawn regularly to keep it healthy but don’t cut it too short. You should be cutting every 10 days.
• Start using a pesticide on your lawn every month to prevent cutworm. If you see hoopoe birds pecking at your lawn, this is a sure sign you have a problem.
• You can mulch with some of your lawn clippings around citrus trees and avocados during the hot season, but don’t allow it to build up around the trunk to avoid pest infestation.
• Continue dead-heading on fading flower blossoms including roses.
• Continue planting heat-loving vegetables such as corn, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkin, melon and tomatoes and radishes.
• Plant plenty of basil around your tomatoes and the bugs will stay away.
• As the temperatures rise, some plants will start to slow down so avoid fertilizing now as this will confuse and stress them.
• Potted plants will need daily watering if they are in the full sun.
• If your pots are needing to be watered every day, think about moving them to a shadier spot in the garden. Or add some mulch to the soil surface such as pine bark or gravel to help retain moisture and slow down evaporation and also help keep the roots cool..
• Prune your wisteria to keep it under control.
• Keep adding to your compost heap - and if you still don’t have one - start one! Add kitchen vegetable peelings and un-used organic materials such as fruit scraps, plus garden clippings from your garden such as lawn cuttings, leaves, wood chips and straw.
• Keep your compost heap moist. Direct your garden hose on it next time you water the garden.
• Try not to cut too many fronds from your Phoenix Canary Palm, as unfortunately, this will attract more palm weevils.