Plant
All container grown trees, shrubs, and vines
It’s prime time to plant tropicals such as hibiscus, bougainvillea, ginger and palms.
Late spring and summer color
Zinnias, periwinkles, purslane, moss rose, gomphrena, lantana, ruellia, penta, caladiums, coleus, and more
Seeds
Sunflowers, morning glory, zinnias, and gomphrena.
Pepper and Tomato Seeds
Start seeds of peppers and tomatoes in containers to transplant in the garden in August.
Indoor Plants
Add plants to your indoor spaces to create a fresh air relaxing atmosphere.
Feed your houseplants to keep them healthy and looking their best. Hasta Gro works wonders. So does Plant Tone. And Worm Castings provide an amazing boost for houseplants too!
Houseplants that are happy & healthy will produce baby plants that are easily removed and transplanted to another container. A great way to increase your collection and share with your friends.
Fertilize
ANNUALS AND PERENNIALS
Organic: Medina Growin Green, Hasta Gro or Plant Tone
Conventional: Miracle Gro or Osmocote Time Release Granules
HIBISCUS AND TROPICAL BLOOMERS
Organic: Maestro Gro-Rose Glo
Conventional: Hibiscus Food
TREES AND SHRUBS
Organic: Milorganite, or Medina Growin Green
Read: A Few More Summer Tips
Water-wise Gardening
MULCH
Mulch all landscape areas with at least 2-4 inches of shredded mulch.
ADJUST MOWING
Cut your grass higher so it will not dry out as quickly.
TRIMMING & CLEANUP
Trim overgrown plants with excessive foliage so they use less water.
Remove old or unsightly plants you plan to get rid of anyway.
Repot root bound patio plants.
FERTILIZE
Top dress lawns with Nature Blend.
Use organic fertilizers to keep plants healthy.
WATER
Install drip irrigation around your foundation and plants for slow soaking and less water waste.
Catch water from your A/C - plants love it! Indoor dehumidifiers too!
Consider adding a rainwater collection system connected to your gutters - we can help.
Lawn Care
FERTILIZE
Organic fertilizers such as Milorganite and Medina Growin Green are excellent fertilizers that feed plants and soil and are the best choice during hot, dry periods.
FIX YELLOW SPOTS
Apply organic Nature’s Blend, or conventional Hi Yield Iron Plus to yellow spots in lawn.
MOW
Keep St. Augustine cut to about 3”, Bermuda at 1”– 2”.
WATCH OUT FOR PESTS
Watch for Chinch Bugs and Grub Worms.
Read: Check for Chinch Bugs if Your Lawn Looks Dry Even Though You Know It’s Not!
Prune
Dead wood from trees and shrubs
Faded blooms to encourage new blooms – especially important on perennials, tropicals, and crape myrtles
Shrubs to maintain good form
Palms, if needed
Watch out For
CATERPILLARS
Watch for caterpillars or their damage (chewed leaves).
Organic: Thuricide, Spinosad
Conventional: Cyonara
FUNGUS, POWDERY MILDEW
Organic: Neem Oil, BeeSafe 3-in-1, and Organic Fungicide 5
Conventional: Bonide Fung-onil ready-to-use, Fertilome Systemic ready-to-spray
WHITEFLIES
Organic: Spinosad Soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1
Conventional: Cyonara
CHINCH BUGS IN LAWNS
Organic: Diatomaceous Earth, Spinosad
Conventional: Cyonara
MEALY BUGS
Organic: Neem Oil, Insecticidal Soap, BeeSafe 3-in-1
Conventional: Cyonara, Bonide Systemic
Read: Mealy Bugs are Here
SPIDER MITES
Organic: Neem Oil, Spinosad Soap, BeeSafe 3-in-1
Conventional: Bonide Systemic, Cyonara
FLEAS AND TICKS
Organic: Spinosad, Diatomaceous Earth
Conventional: Cyonara
BORERS
Watch for Borers in mesquites, ash, and yucca.
Organic: Spinosad
Conventional: Fertilome Tree & Shrub Drench
Plant
September is vegetable and seed month.
There are numerous selections of vegetables to be started in the garden or in containers. Come in and pick up our fall vegetable guide.
Tomatoes & Peppers
Tomatoes and peppers can be planted through the middle of the month.
Planting Guide: Our Tomato Varieties
Read: New! Grape Tomato ‘Ruby Crush’
Read: Fall Tomatoes
Herbs
A large selection of herbs will be ready to add spice to your garden.
Garden Guide: Herbs
Bluebonnets & Other Wildflowers, Nasturtiums & Fall Marigolds
Plant by seed or transplants.
Read: Fall is Wildflower Time!, Benefits of Marigolds in Your Veggie Garden, Nasturtiums – Super Pretty & Easy (Yummy Too!)
Don’t plant pansies or snapdragons until temperatures have cooled down!
There is still time to add quick summer color such as zinnias, coleus, purslane, moss rose and periwinkles.
Read: Success with Fall Flowers, Best Tips of Planting Trees This Fall, Organic Gardening, Fuel For Your Hungry Hummers
Fertilize
Tropicals
We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food
Vegetables
We recommend organic Medina Growin’ Green, Hasta Gro, Maestro Rose Glo or Plant Tone, or conventional Hi Yield Ammonium Sulphate.
Roses
We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo.
Poinsettias
We recommend organic Maestro Rose Glo or Hasta Gro.
Blooming Annuals and Perennials
We recommend Organic: Medina Growin Green, Hasta Gro or Maestro Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food.
All plants that are especially stressed, or recently transplated
We recommend organic Hasta Gro Organic Fertilizer or Super Thrive
Christmas Cactus
We recommend organic Hasta Gro.
Read: How to Get Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom!
Read: It's Time to Fertilize For Fall!
Prune
- Continue removing faded flowers from annuals and perennials to encourage new blooms.
- Faded blooms and seedpods from crape myrtles to promote additional blooming.
- Rule of thumb for fall pruning is no more than 1/3. Wait until January for heavy cutbacks.
Lawns
Apply organic Nature's Blend or Peat Moss for lawns, or conventional F-Stop granules as a preventative to brown patch fungus, which shows up as temperatures drop during fall and winter months.
Watch: Brown Patch Fungus
Apply organic Nature's Blend, Peat Moss or conventional Hi Yield Iron Plus to yellowing lawns.
Apply Nature’s Blend, Peat Moss, or Scotts Disease Ex to lawns prone to Take All Patch Fungus.
Continue to water deeply every 1 to 2 weeks if little rainfall.
Wait to apply fall fertilizer until October!
Water
- Check all newly planted material for water every day.
- Check pots, containers and hanging baskets often as they dry out quickly and need more water.
- Apply mulch as needed to help conserve moisture.
- Make arrangements for someone to water if leaving for more than 2 days, especially with new plants.
- Follow City Guidelines.
Read: Summer Watering 101
Weed Control
Spray only growing weeds with Captain Jacks Deadweed Brew or Horticultural Vinegar. These products kill all vegetation; so protect plants from drift or over spray.
Apply organic Corn Gluten meal, or Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension in the fall and spring to prevent seeds from sprouting. It will not control already growing weeds.
Weed B Gon or Image can be applied once we cool down into the 80’s temps. An organic option is Captain Jack’s Lawn Weed Brew.
Watch For
Masses of worms eating your oak tree.
Treat with organic Spinosad or Thuricide, or conventional Cyonara. Read: Oak Tree Caterpillars
White Flies on tropicals and perennials, especially lantana and hibiscus.
Treat with organic Insecticidal Soap, Neem Oil, Spinosad Soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1 Spray, or conventional Cyonara or a long acting drench like Fertilome Tree & Shrub
Watch: Yucky Whitefly
Fleas and Ticks
Treat lawns with organic Spinosad, or Diatomaceous Earth Crawling Insect Killer, or conventional Cyonara
Mealy Bugs
Treat with organic Bee Safe 3-in-1 Spray or Insecticidal Soap or Spinosad Soap, or conventional Cyonara, or Bonide Systemic Liquid or Granule
Read: Mealy Bugs are Here!
Caterpillars or their damage (chewed leaves).
Spray organically with Spinosad or Thuricide.
Read: Not All Caterpillars are Bad!
Mosquitoes
Use Mosquito Beater Liquid for quick kill or Mosquito Beater Granules to repel.
Read: Mosquito Solutions
Note: Please, Please, Please, don’t kill the bees!
They are one of the best sources we have to pollinate our fruits, vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.
