Summer is still a busy time in the garden, but all the great work done in spring is now paying off. While it may seem overwhelming to garden during the Summer, with the right amount of gardening know-how you will be able to tackle your summer gardening with no problem. Here are a few gardening tips that will help you keep your garden healthy this season.
1. Keep on top of weeds
This Spring was particularly good for plant growth – including weeds too. Right now, there are many weed seeds in the ground waiting to germinate.
Keeping weeds under control before they set seed saves a lot of work in the future. If you don’t have time to remove a weed completely, at least remove the flowers before they drop their seeds.
2. Care for your roses and flowers
To ensure Roses are performing at their best, fertilise fortnightly with a liquid feed throughout the flowering season. A fertiliser such as Richgro Black Marvel Rose & Flower Food Liquid Fertiliser Concentrate with a ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium such as 13-1-7 plus trace elements will do the job. Keep watering Roses with deep soaking and apply a soil wetter if the soil appears dry and water repellent.
To minimise fungal issues water in the early morning and a fortnightly spray of Fungicide until April will provide protection. Hybrid Tea Roses should have their spent flowers and diseased growth removed throughout Summer and Autumn.
It’s a good time to fertilise Camellias, Azaleas and Rhododendrons to encourage bud development for flowering in the cooler months. There are a few specialised Camellias, Azaleas and Rhododendrons fertilisers readily available. Don’t overuse fertilisers as these plants often have shallow sensitive roots which can be damaged by over fertilising. Finally prune Wisteria to keep unruly summer growth under control. Wisteria in the warmer climates can have all the wispy growth removed throughout summer.
3. Keep your garden hydrated
Check that your garden is adequately mulched anywhere between 50 to 75 mm thick for most plants. During hot windy weather, the soil surface can dry out stressing plants. A mulch layer helps to maintain water in the soil and suppress weeds. If you use an organic mulch such as straw or compost this will add nutrients and improve soil health.
The most important tip in Summer is to make sure your garden stays well hydrated over this hotter period. Be sure to add or top up mulch and apply a soil wetter to your entire garden and pots.
4. Protect your lawn
Lift mower blades when mowing the lawn. A longer blade of grass protects the lawns root system reducing evaporation and the temperature of the soil.
Apply a soil wetter to improve watering in hotter weather. If Black Beetles come up from holes in lawns, treat with Richgro Lawn Beetle and Grub Killa.
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