|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
| Do you have a gardening question? The UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County can help. Our volunteers are part of the University of California’s Cooperative Extension program and we are trained to use research-based information to educate our fellow residents on home horticulture, pest management, and sustainable landscape practices specific to our area. Our monthly “Ask a Master Gardener” column will answer your questions and offer tips. Have a question? Email lifestyle@embarcaderopublishing.com. |
August gardening tips
Protect plants from hot August sun
Plants, like people, can suffer sunburn in the hot summer sun. They often experience sunscald or sunburn, which can result in white or leathery spots on tomatoes or peppers, brown spots on leaves, and peeling bark on young trees. How to protect them? Provide shade cloths during the hottest part of the day. Avoid heavy pruning that leaves fruits exposed. Keep plants well-watered during extreme heat and use mulch to retain moisture and reduce heat stress. For young trees, paint their trunks with diluted white latex paint. The good news: you can still eat fruits with sunscald by cutting out the affected areas.
Control dreaded powdery mildew
Do you see a white, powdery film on the leaves of your squash, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins or other plants? It is likely powdery mildew, a wind-borne fungus that loves our warm, dry summers. It causes the leaves to wither, and eventually, the entire plant will die. There is no cure, but there are some environmentally friendly things you can do. Spraying the leaves with water in the morning will help wash away spores and slow fungus growth. Consider removing badly infected plants to make space in your garden for fall vegetables. Next spring, choose powdery mildew-resistant varieties and be sure to plant them in full sun.
August gardening events
UC Master Gardener gardening events are taking place throughout the county this month. Here are some of them, with more are listed on our events page.
- Starting Your cool-season garden, Saturday, Aug 9, Cupertino
- Open garden Saturdays, Aug. 9, 16, 23, 30, Palo Alto
- Planning your cool season vegetable garden, Saturday, Aug. 9, Sunnyvale
- Top 10 habits of successful gardeners, Aug. 12, online
- It’s time to plan for your cool season veggie garden, Tuesday, Aug. 12, Saratoga
- Plant clinic, Tuesday, Aug. 12, online
- California native plant sale, Saturday, Aug. 16, San Jose
- Lawns: Choices for turfgrasses, groundcovers and meadow grasses, Sunday, Aug. 17, Palo Alto
- Managing invasive plants, Thursday, Aug. 21, online
- ‘Seedy Saturday’ seed swap, Saturday, Aug. 30, Sunnyvale
Encourage dahlia blossoms
Dahlias are among the most spectacular summer flowers, often blooming until October. Their blossoms range from pompom size (about 2 inches) to giant dinner-plate size (10 inches or more), with many sizes in between. To encourage blooms, make sure tall flowers have support so they don’t flop over or break off. Disbudding — removal of all but the central bud on each stalk — will result in larger, more spectacular flowers. Deadheading — cutting the spent flowers back to one node below the bloom before they can set seeds — will encourage lateral blooms. Water the plants regularly and continue to apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer throughout the summer. For tips on growing dahlias in the Bay Area, check out the California Dahlia Society’s helpful month-by-month tips for growing dahlias in the Bay Area.
Create a defensible space
Even if you don’t live in Santa Clara County’s Wildland Urban Interface, landscaping with fire safety in mind is a smart move. Creating defensible space — especially in the first 5 feet around your home — can dramatically improve your home’s chances in a fire. Start by removing dead or dry vegetation, using non-flammable hardscaping, and relocating flammable objects. Then, work outward to 30 feet, reducing fuel risks and pruning regularly. You may not have acres to manage, but regular cleanup and thoughtful planting can provide peace of mind — and protection — when it matters most.
Would you like to ask a UC Master Gardener about a plant problem? Submit questions to our Help Desk online. You can also attend our Zoom Plant Clinic Online on Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 7 pm. You can also subscribe to our monthly Tips and Events newsletter. San Mateo residents can also find gardening advice on the UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo and San Francisco website. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
