The Almanac
Average temperature: High 92, low 73
Rainfall: 7.15 inches
1. Moon phases
New moon: July 5
First quarter: July 13
Full moon: July 21
Last quarter: July 27
2. Moon sign planting dates
Above-ground crops: 5, 6, 9, 10 11, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20
Below-ground crops: 1, 23, 24, 28, 29
Control weeds: 2, 3, 4, 21, 22, 30, 31
Prune trees and shrubs: 7, 8, 17, 18, 25, 26, 27
What to plant
3. Vegetables: Boniato, calabaza, cherry tomato, okra, Southern pea, Seminole pumpkin, sweet cassava, sweet potato and yard-long bean; start transplants of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes from seed in mid-July.
4. Flowers: Angelonia, ageratum, begonia, blue daze, bush daisy, butterfly plant, bulbine, cat’s whiskers, coleus, crossandra, false heather, fire spike, gaillardia, ginger, goldenrod, impatiens, Joseph’s coat, lantana, marigold, melampodium, Mexican petunia, Mexican sunflower, moon flower, ornamental sweet potato, pentas, periwinkle, porter weed, portulaca, purslane, salvia, sunflower, torenia and classic zinnia.
5. Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, chive, dill, ginger, lemon balm, Mexican tarragon, mint, oregano, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme.
6. Bulb-type plants: Achimenes, African iris, bulbine, caladium, canna, crinum, crocosmia, day lily, eucharis lily, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, peacock ginger, society garlic, spiderwort, rain lily and walking iris.
Lawn care
7. Return of the rainy season helps green many lawns; water if needed as permitted.
8. Wait until lawns show signs of wilting before watering to help them develop deeper roots.
9. Lawn-feeding restrictions are in effect in most areas; check before applying fertilizer.
10. Some lawns are yellowing; try to renew the green with an iron-only application if permitted.
11. Lawn moths arrived early; control sod webworms when chewing damage is noted.
12. A warm winter allowed chinch bugs an early start in St. Augustine; control at first sign.
13. Turf problems need to be identified; take a square-foot sample to your local extension office.
14. Mow lawns at least weekly at their proper height; take different directions to prevent ruts.
15. Leave grass clippings on regularly mowed lawns to return nutrients to the turf.
16. Regularly sharpen mower blades, change engine oil and clean or replace air filters.
17. Repair bare spots and declining grass left from past problems.
18. New lawns can be established from seed, sod or plugs
19. Avoid sodding shady spots during the rainy season to prevent decline due to rot problems.
20. Where tree roots and irrigation lines are not affected till soils deeply before adding new grass.
21. Spot treat weeds invading turf during the cooler portion of the day.
22. Learn to identify lawn weeds and use appropriate controls.
23. Learn about zoysia lawns and their special needs before considering for home turf.
24. Grass is often hard to establish under trees due to shade and roots; select another ground cover.
25. Eliminate hard-to-mow areas by using mulch or a substitute ornamental ground cover.
Vegetable and fruit care
26. Complete plantings of all summer vegetables; prepare for early warm season plantings.
27. Sweet potatoes are a high yielding and easy to grow crop for summer.
28. Feed summer vegetable plantings monthly or use a slow-release fertilizer as instructed.
29. Till the garden to prepare for mid-August plantings.
30. Cover vacant garden soil with clear plastic for eight weeks to bake out pests.
31. Tomatoes that grow into the summer usually produce few fruits and decline by fall.
32. Start new tomato seedlings for August transplants in small pots or cell packs in mid-July.
33. Tomatoes in containers often have brown bottoms and calcium deficiency; treat to stop end rot.
34. Carefully select herbs for summer planting; most grow best in containers.
35. Locate or order seeds now for mid summer plantings; store in the refrigerator.
36. Many banana and papaya plants made it through the winter; feed monthly for best production.
37. Complete bunch grape harvests and begin picking ripening muscadines.
38. Add new fruit planting to the landscape; make sure they stay moist.
39. Maintain citrus tree feedings and insect sprays to prevent greening.
40. Keep figs moist, feed lightly and maintain a mulch to avoid summer fruit drop.
41. Turn the compost pile every other week.
42. Prune blueberries when the harvest is over; also check and adjust the soil acidity.
43. Prune black blackberry plantings to allow new growths to restart the bushes.
44. Give fruit trees light trimmings as needed to direct growth.
45. Harvest maturing pineapple fruits and use shoots to restart plantings.
46. Papaya fruit flies survived the warm winter; cover fruits with paper bags to prevent damage.
In the landscape
47. Create outdoor living spaces where you can cook, eat, relax and enjoy the plantings.
48. Bring the indoor foliage outside to create a tropical look during the summer.
49. Hang orchids from trees and feed every other week for best growth and flowering.
50. Select bromeliads for the shady areas.
51. Use easy to maintain container gardens as accents for entrances, porches and patios.
52. Plants growing outdoors in containers are likely to need frequent watering; check daily.
53. Weeds grow as well as desired plants; pull, hoe or chemically control as needed.
54. Maintain mulch layers at 2 to 3 inches with trees and shrubs.
55. Storms arrive almost daily: be ready to secure hardscape and ornamental items.
56. Hibiscus, crape myrtles and similar summer bloomers can be pruned but you lose the color.
57. Delay transplanting established in ground trees and shrubs until late fall or winter.
58. Add new trees, shrubs and ground covers from containers but keep moist.
59. Make sure the root balls of all plants are moist at planting time.
61. Keep the root balls of new plantings moist with hand watering to prevent decline.
62. Remove 4 to 6 inches of new growth from poinsettias to encourage compact growth
63. Rains encourage out-of-bounds growth; prune plantings and edge walkways as needed.
64. Mushrooms are common during the rainy season; remove them if children or pets are present.
65. Empty water from pots, old tires and similar containers to help reduce mosquitos.
66. Divide and replant perennials including shasta daises, gerbera, bromeliads and many bulbs.
67. Trim seed heads from spring flowering annuals and perennials; save seeds for replanting.
68. Finish pruning azaleas and gardenias during early July or wait until next year.
69. Root 4- to 6-inch tip cuttings from shrubs and perennials.
70. Feed new trees and shrubs.
71. Give roses a summer grooming and control black spot.
72. Feed outdoor container plantings every two weeks or use as slow-release fertilizer as labeled.
73. Prune hedges when the new growth reaches 6 to 12 inches or allow them to grow naturally.
74. Feed water gardens monthly.
75. Leave as many green fronds on your palms as possible to keep them vigorous and healthy.
Foliage and house plants
76. Summer is a good time to revitalize indoor plants by moving them outside to shady spots.
77. Create container gardens with foliage plants to use as accents.
78. Groom and divide indoor plants to keep them attractive.
79. Transplant root-bound foliage plants into larger containers.
80. Make sure new containers and established plants have adequate drainage.
81. Ask a friend to care for your plants during vacation or move them outside to a shady spot.
82. Fill empty indoor spaces with new plants.
83. Feed home and outdoor foliage plants with a slow release fertilizer as instructed.
84. Check for pests and remove with soapy water as needed.
85. Learn the poisonous plants in your home and landscape that could affect children and pets.
Tom MacCubbin is an urban horticulturist emeritus with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Box 2833, Orlando, FL. 32802. Email: TomMac1996@aol.com.
