Maintenance of Trees and Shrubs in July and August

Summertime is an important time in the life of your trees and shrubs.

JULY

• To keep newly planted trees and shrubs healthy they need a good amount of water.  To check moisture, insert a wooden dowel.  If it comes up dry, it is time to water.  Mulching around the tree or shrub helps to retain the moisture.
• Keep mulch away from the bark of the tree.  It is meant to cover roots.
• Do not prune during the summer.  This is the time buds for next year begin growing.  Pruning will interfere with next year's flowers.  Broken limbs or branches should be take out.
• Fertilization should wait a few months, since this promotes new growth too late in the season to survive during the cold weather.

AUGUST

• Water using a soaking method when possible either early in the day or in the early evening.
• Do not fertilize any of your planting until October or November when the leaves are gone and the sap is running down.  The plants will be drawing in the fertilizer nutrients when the spring awakening begins.  Fertilizing now will cause new growth to emerge and die off in winter's cold temperatures. 
• Begin a garden diary with some pictures.  This will assist you in planning for plantings and areas that need trimming because they have become overgrown.

Wemple's Landscaping has a gardening crew to help with watering, pruning or fertilizing.