How is it almost June already?! It doesn’t feel like it! Mild temperatures and wonderful rainfall are making our transition into summer a breeze. Here are our top priorities in the garden this month, including what to plant, how to adjust watering, pests to watch out for, and how to keep plant roots cool and happy. Plus, we’re hosting lots of fun events throughout the month!
1. Water Low & Slow to Maintain Depth Moisture
Our goal this month is to maintain the depth moisture that recent rains have created. It’s much easier and takes far less water to maintain that depth moisture than it does to build it back up again if we let the soil get too dry. The key is watering low, as in as in low to the ground to avoid evaporation, and slow as in not with your hose open full-blast. This helps decrease runoff and get more water down to the roots. Consider setting up your own automatic drip irrigation system – they’re easy to DIY and they operate on the low & slow principle. Also, be sure to use the cycle & soak method, which simply means water once, let it soak in for several minutes, then come back and water again. This makes sure you’re pushing water down deep.
Pro tip: Use a moisture meter in your landscape beds and pots! We carry them for around $10 and can show you how easy they are to use. They have a long soil probe that tells you whether you actually have good moisture (or too much) down deep where it’s needed. They’ve saved many plants!
2. Keep Soil Moist & Roots Cool with Mulch
A good mulch layer (2-3″ deep) has so many benefits. It looks amazing, keeps weeds down, helps retain moisture, adds organic matter to the soil, AND keeps plant roots nice and cool in the summer. Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories shared amazing results with us from a mulch study they conducted in San Antonio a few years back. Soil temperatures were measured at 6″ deep (where plant roots live) on a 105 F summer day. Bare soil, 6″ down was 102 F. Soil under grass was 92 F. Soil beneath a 3″ layer of mulch was only 76 F!! Mulch your beds! Mulch also makes a great placeholder while you’re still deciding what to plant.
3. Plant Blooming Perennials for Summer!
So many of our favorite plants for South Texas don’t just tolerate warm weather, they only begin to thrive and look their best in the summer. Think of blooming perennials like Firebush, Esperanza, and Pride of Barbados for awesome summer impact. Think of big purslane hanging baskets, Gomphrena, and Periwinkles for bursts of bright color. And browse our Texas native plant section for plants and trees that have thrived through hundreds and even thousands of Texas summers. If you’re still wanting to plant food, you can do that too – okra, basil, eggplant, thyme, watermelon, peppers, black-eyed peas and more are great planted in June.
4. Watch for Summer Bugs, Critters, and Plant Disease
Yes, bad bugs will be around more during the Summer, but don’t treat unless there’s significant damage. We can help identify the pest and if/how to treat. You don’t want to kill too many good bugs while trying to take care of the bad bugs! If you see brown areas in the lawn that are easily pulled up, it’s usually a sign of grubs eating the roots of your grass. You can control grubs with Bonide Insect and Grub Control. Chinch bugs love hot dry areas in lawns. They make the lawn look dried out along sidewalks and pavement. Spot-treat those areas with Cyonara in easy ready-to-spray bottles. For organic control, use Spinosad or Diatomaceous Earth. We’ve also seen a lot more caterpillars than usual this spring munching on veggie gardens. Just a few caterpillars can be relocated, but if you have a lot destroying your plants, you can treat with organic Bt in liquid spray or powder form.
5. Stay Tuned for Fun June Events at Gill’s!
We’ve been overwhelmed with the response to all our events this spring and we’re not stopping! We absolutely love hosting you all, not just for plant shopping, but for learning and building our wonderful local gardening community. We’ve got a big June planned starting with a Gulf Coast Humane Society pet adoption day on June 6th, then flower bingo, plant trivia night, our 2nd annual Father’s Day cookout, and another Nightbloom Market on June 25th! Stay tuned here for updates.
