Indoor plants will require more frequent watering and fertilization
as they increase their summer growth.
Houseplants can be moved outdoors to a shady location, but pay close
attention to their watering needs.
Cut garden flowers for indoor beauty. Recut the stems again just before
placing in water. Add a floral preservative, and change the solution
frequently.
Root cuttings of houseplants and garden plants to increase your collection
or share with a friend.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs after blooms fade.
Apply fungicide to prevent and control black spot on roses.
Water newly planted trees and shrubs. Water deeply every seven to 10
days when rain is lacking.
Propagate deciduous shrubs, such as forsythia, lilac, pyracantha and
weigela, by stem tip cuttings.
Remove faded flowers and seed pods on lilac and other spring-flowering
shrubs.
Do not be alarmed at June drop of tree fruit. It is a natural thinning
process for most trees to prevent excessive loads. Thin remaining fruit,
if necessary, or prop up heavy branches to avoid breakage. Most fruit
should be spaced 6 to 8 inches apart on a branch.
Continue applications of home orchard fruit sprays to maintain problem-free
fruit.
Keep grass mowed regularly, but mow high to help protect the crown
of the plant from heat stress.
Lawn clippings, unless excessive, should be left on the lawn.
To keep lawn green and growing, water as needed to supply a total of
1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. If left unwatered, lawns will turn
brown and become dormant but will green up again when conditions are
more favorable.
Discontinue harvest of asparagus and rhubarb around mid-June to allow
foliage to develop and store food reserves for next year's harvest.
Fertilize and water when dry to promote healthy growth.
Mulch to control weeds and conserve soil moisture after soil has warmed.
Many materials such as straw, chopped corn cobs, bark chips, shredded
paper and grass clippings can be used.
Blanch (exclude light from) cauliflower when heads are just 2 inches
in diameter. Tie leaves up and over the developing head.
Keep weeds controlled. They're easier to pull when they are still young.
Start seeds of cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower
for fall garden transplants.
Plan now for your Halloween pumpkin. Determine the days to harvest
for the particular cultivar you want to plant (usually on the seed packet),
and count backward to determine the proper planting date.
Harvest spring plantings of broccoli, cabbage and peas.
Remove cool-season plants, such as radish, spinach and lettuce, as
they bolt, or form seed stalks, during hot summer weather.
Continue planting carrots, beans and sweet corn for successive harvests.
For staked tomatoes, remove suckers (branches that form where the leaf
joins the stem) while they are 1 to 1.5 inches long to allow easier
training.
Remove spent blooms of peony, iris, delphiniums and other flowers.
Pinch shoot tips of chrysanthemums, impatiens, petunias and coleus
to promote bushier growth.
Remove tops of spring-flowering bulbs only after they have yellowed
and withered.
Continue planting gladiolus for a succession of bloom.
Pick strawberries from the garden or a U-pick operation.
Protect ripening strawberries from birds by covering with netting.
Supplement natural rainfall to supply a total of 1 to 1.5 inches of
water per week to the garden.
