June…

Lawns- Use a broadcast spreader to fertilize your lawn with a premium, slow-release fertilizer with a base ratio of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2. (Ex: Nitro-Phos Super Turf 19-4-10). This is a non-burning fertilizer that does not require watering but, of course, works best when watered in. Purchase a spreader that has a dispersal guard, to keep granules from going unnecessarily onto streets, sidewalks, driveways, and patios. Be especially careful with the inside of the pool for the iron granules will cause rust marks to appear all over the paint job of the pool’s floor. After the application, be sure and use a powered blower on all paved areas to prevent oxidation marks from fertilizer granules. These granules can be blown into the lawn or garden areas. And as always, consult your local plant center for organic alternatives (See Randy Lemmon’s Lawn Fertilization Schedule shown below for more details on yearly recommendations).

Shrubs and Hedges- Trim to maintain their shape and appearance.

Special Note: If you notice your juniper’s leaves turning to a brown color, chances are the plants have spider mites and should be sprayed with Malathion or other recommended insecticide. To check for these insects, hold a sheet of white paper under some foliage, then tap the foliage with the back of your hand. You should be able to see tiny insects crawling all over the white paper.

Bag worms are another insect that attack junipers. These insects make a hanging cocoon with juniper leaves. You will find conical cocoons made of brown, dead juniper leaves. These are “sleeping bags” for the worms inside. At night, they lower the bags down about a third of the way down their body and eat the juniper foliage from their suspended hideout. Use Malathion to treat this problem.

Purchase new seasonal flowers- Replace spent spring plantings. Some of the more popular annuals that do well in LOCF include marigolds, zinnias, coleus and pentas. Also consider some of the new blooming perennial plants such as lantana, verbenas and coneflowers, which will be new permanent plants for several years to come. These are also found in some gardens here in LOCF. Remember to keep all beds weed-free.

Pots, Containers and Beds- Remove any dead or diseased plants and replant fresh healthy container-grown ones.

Consider pruning your trees now as hurricane season begins in June- Uplift and thin out your trees. Do not risk dangerous limbs from trees or top-heavy trees laden with heavy rain toppling on your home and personal vehicles, endangering you and your loved ones. Tree root balls give way when the earth becomes saturated with excessive rainfall during a hurricane. LOCFCA maintains a tree trimming maintenance program for all the trees surrounding our Lakes, Pool areas and the common walkways. Our common areas trees are ready, and so should yours.

Check for chinch bugs - Remember, chinch bugs migrate, and if neither you nor your neighbor has them, they can still arrive on a lawn mower from a hired service company.

Special Note: A new insect to identify this month is the June bug, sometimes called the May bug. This is a reddish-brown flying beetle that likes to gather around the porch light at night beginning in spring. It tunnels 2-5 inches lays the eggs for grub worm larvae. The grub worm is a white, c-shaped larva that grows underground up to 1 inch in length. These larvae will feed on weed roots and other available root vegetation. By September, the grubs begin feeding on St. Augustine, Bermuda, and other lawn grasses. To detect grub worm presence and damage, take a walk on your lawn. If at any point the grass feels spongy or springy underfoot, stop.

Press with your hand to consider how it feels loose. Next grab some grass with one hand and pull lightly a few times. If it is not tightly attached, but gives or lifts, there are grub worms underneath indeed. This can be confirmed by digging a 1-foot square hole. If up to 10 grub worms are found in the excavated soil, there is an infestation in your lawn. Using a broadcast spreader, apply a granular chemical called Ofthanol, or other suitable product recommended by a local chemical store.

July…

Raise the mowing height to the highest setting on your mower - Continue mowing weekly through September. This is to protect the grass from the extreme heat and drying out. The grass may not appear attractive at the first cutting, since it was not cut short and tight, but the grass will begin to appear greener from the extra moisture retained in the longer leaves. To continue mowing as at 3 inches will cause the grass dry up and to begin to turn brown.

Check for summer patch fungus, if the grass begins to yellow - Examine the base of the grass stems, called stolon runners, or simply runners. By getting on your knees and spreading the grass apart, a white mold will be seen growing on the leaves and runners at the level of the dirt line. If the grass looks sparse, and pulls off easily with your fingers, the grass is affected by gray leaf mold, another fungus that deteriorated the leaves at the point of attachment to the runners.

Special Note: Treat gray leaf spot (blotches on grass blades) using fungicides with active ingredients like Daconil, Consan or Banner. Consult your local plant center for organic alternatives, if desired.

Check for fungus on the bark of Magnolia trees, Crape Myrtles and Wax Ligustrum shrubs - It will show up as a grey discoloration and will be apparently different than the rest of the healthy bark. Douse the tree roots with an appropriate systemic fungicide. Capstan is an excellent choice.

Special Note: Powdery, black residue on your crape myrtle trees… Preventing sooty mold involves controlling the pests that are the root cause. Spray with a neem oil product, insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to control most pests. Dilute and apply the product according to the manufacturer's instructions. To remove the black sooty residue after having killed the insects, dilute 4 ounces of liquid dish soap per gallon of water and drench the trees in the solution. Wait three to four minutes; then thoroughly rinse the trees with fresh, clean water.

Test irrigation systems to ensure all stations are operating properly-          Watering your lawns early in the mornings (4 am) is recommended and/or late in the afternoon (6 pm) is a good alternative if you cannot do so in the mornings. Do not water during the hottest part of the day (10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.).

Special Note: During the height of the summer heat, you may notice one or several runners floating on top of the lawn after just having mowed. The first impression is that the mowing blade needs sharpening. The fact is that the runners are coming up to the surface to seek much-needed water due to a shallow watering schedule or infrequent rains. This is an indication to adjust your irrigation time a couple of minutes to suit your landscape’s requirements.

Recommended Lawn Watering Practices…

Irrigation and watering needs are dependent on many factors - The kind of grass you have, your soil profile, mowing height, and the kind of irrigation system or sprinkler system you have. Plus, of course, what Mother Nature doles out. This basic irrigation schedule takes into consideration temperatures and rainfall:

• Normally, turf and landscapes in this area do fine with 1-1½ inches per seven-day week (twice  per 7 days) when daytime temperatures are in the 70s and 80s.
• As daytime highs hit 88-92 degrees, you can probably up that to every four to five days.
• When temperatures exceed 93 degrees consistently (normally July-August), you should  probably water every two to three days.
• The kind of grass you have is also very important. St. Augustine needs the most water, Bermuda the next most, and Zoysia far less than the previous two.
• Your soil, however, is ultimately the most critical factor. Clay or sandy soils not very well enriched with organic matter needs more water because they dry out quicker.
• . That's when water pressure is best, there's less wind to evaporate the moisture, and the turf will have a store of water for the warm day ahead. If you have an automatic sprinkler, schedule it to run between 3 and 8 a.m. If you don't have an automatic system, start the sprinkler when you first get up. If you water at night, you run the risk of suffering fungal diseases  like brownpatch.
• Newly sodded lawns need to be watered twice daily, especially during the heat of the summer. Keep the "mud" wet under the root zone so it will break down and allow the roots to establish in the soil below. Don't drown the new sod, just keep it moist enough to soften the soil and help the roots grow down.