| HOME (Indoor plants and activities)
Watch closely houseplants that have been set outdoors. They need more
water than they did indoors. They can dry out rapidly in hot, summer
breezes.
Propagate houseplants by taking cuttings from vigorously
growing plants. Place cut end in rooting media,
such as perlite, vermiculite or peat moss soil mix. Enclose in plastic,
and keep out of direct sunlight. .
YARD (Lawns, woody ornamentals and fruits)
Keep newly established plants watered during dry weather. Allow water
to penetrate deeply into soil rather than sprinkling frequently and
lightly.
Apply a mulch around young plants to help conserve
soil moisture and control weeds.
Do not plant bare-root or ball-and-burlap stock
at this time of year. Container-grown plants
still may be planted, but only if you can keep them well watered.
Continue a fruit tree spray program to keep diseases
and insects under control.
Remove water sprouts (sprouts from the trunk) and
suckers (sprouts from the roots) from fruit trees.
Prop up fruit tree branches that are heavily loaded
with fruit.
Pinch off faded rose blossoms. Continue rose spray
program to control insects and diseases.
Many Indiana trees are plagued by "lawn-mower blight." Be
careful to avoid nicking tree trunks while mowing.
When watering lawns, apply 1 to 1.5 inches of water
in a single application per week. Frequent, light
sprinklings will encourage roots to stay shallow, making them more susceptible
to drought.
Bluegrass is a cool-season plant and is under great
stress during hot, dry summers. If water is not
applied, the bluegrass will become dormant and will turn brown until
more favorable conditions
arrive in autumn.
Mow grass one-half inch higher than usual during
the dry, summer months to help conserve soil moisture.
Don’t remove clippings from the lawn unless grass is excessively
tall or weedy. Clippings return some nutrients to the soil and do not
add to thatch buildup.
GARDEN (Flowers, vegetables and small fruits)
Supplement natural rainfall, if any, to supply 1 to 1.5 inches of water
per week in a single application.
Start seeds of broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts
to transplant later for a fall harvest. Harvest
crops such as tomatoes, squash, okra, peppers, beans and cucumbers frequently
to encourage further
production.
Complete succession planting of bush beans and
sweet corn.
Harvest summer squash while small and tender for
best quality.
Standard sweet corn is at its peak for only a day
or so. The supersweet corn maintains its peak
quality for a longer period. Harvest when silks begin to dry and kernels
exude a milky, rather than
watery or doughy, juice when punctured.
Broccoli will form edible side shoots after the
main head is removed.
Mulch garden to control weeds and conserve soil
moisture.
Make sure potato tubers, carrot shoulders and onion
bulbs are covered with soil to prevent development
of green color and off flavors. Applying a layer of mulch will help
keep them covered.
Allow blossoms on newly planted everbearing strawberry
plants to develop for a fall crop.
July is a good time to fertilize strawberries with
.5 pound of actual nitrogen per 100 feet of row.
Harvest raspberries when fully colored and easily
separated from stem. After harvest is complete,
prune out the fruiting canes to make room for new growth.
Remove faded blossoms from annual and perennial
flowers to prevent seed formation.
Condition flowers cut from the garden for arranging
by removing lower leaves, placing cut stem ends
in warm water and storing overnight in a cool location.
The foliage of spring-flowering bulbs can be removed
safely after it fades. This also is a good time
to lift the bulbs for transplanting or propagation.
6-21-07
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