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closeI remember the fun my father and I used to have. It often revolved around specific times and events of the year. We would pick blackberries, look for maypops (an interesting hollow fruit that you can step on and pop) and enjoy pears when they were ripe.
We would also collect catalpa worms. They were large caterpillars with a harmless horn on their tail. They are good fish bait, and we would knock them out of catalpa trees with a stick and then put them in a cricket cage. Sometimes after we left to go fishing we would find the catalpa worms crawling on our clothes.
They must have fallen on us when we were hitting the tree. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
However, you couldn’t do these things all the time. They had their seasons. After the blackberries were gone, you had to wait until next year.
We missed them, but would content ourselves with looking for them in the next season.
There are some landscape events that we do not want to miss. There is a season to some of the things as well, and we do not want to miss it. Here is a reminder of some things we want to do before it is too late.
If you want to reseed areas in the lawn, do so quickly. We usually recommend seeding late April through June. You can probably get by with it now, but hurry. Seed Bermuda grass, centipede, zoysia or carpet grass now so it has time to get established before the cold weather. Otherwise, the winter may kill it.
We do not recommend fescue for our area. It will grow for a while, but usually dies out over time. It can’t take our heat and humidity. If you’re going to seed it, September and October are the best times.
You can sod at any time of the year if you are very careful. April through July is the best time. Aerate or dethatch lawns as soon as possible. They need time to recover before winter.
Mole crickets and white grubs have been laying eggs and beginning a new generation. If you have had problems with them in the past, early July is an excellent time to control them. They are small now and easy to control. As they get larger with time, they will become difficult to manage.
Prune spring flowering shrubs (azalea, forsythia, India hawthorn, etc.) one last time.
Most shrubs can be pruned from Jan. 1 to Sept. 1. Spring flowering plants start making flower buds in late summer and fall. We prune them only from after bloom to mid-July to keep from cutting off the developing flower buds.
Prune climbing roses, blueberries, blackberries, gardenia and hydrangea after they bloom or fruit.
Plant a late crop of sweet corn, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, okra, peas or beans by July 20 to give them time to mature by frost. See a vegetable gardening calendar at http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubs/PDF/C963.pdf.
Get more tomato plants by rooting your own. Pinch 4- to 6-inch suckers from existing plants. Make sure they are clean and free of disease. Strip the leaves off the lower half and stick them in moist sand or potting soil in a shady place. Keep them moist but not wet. Check several times a day to make sure they are not drying out. You can put the pot in a clear plastic bag to keep plants from drying out until they root. Don’t leave the plastic bag for long in direct sun, because temperatures can get too high for the plants inside the bag.
Pinch mums to make them bushier this fall. Clean the dead out of perennial and annual beds, refertilize if necessary and add mulch to prevent weeds. Wait until fall to move or divide most perennials.
Thank you for your patience as we handle your calls at this time of year. Job vacancies in some Extension offices are making our job more challenging. Please help us by giving a complete description of your problem when you contact us and by bringing in a sample or e-mailing photos. Check our publications online to see if you can find the answers you need at www.ugaextension.com/houston/anr/ or www.gaurbanag.org.
Willie Chance is the Extension agent in Houston County. To subscribe to our home gardening newsletter or for garden questions, send e-mail to mg@uga.edu or see our Web site at www.gaurbanag.org
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