June gardening tips

June:
A hard month for young plants, it is very hot and very dry. Concentrate on helping your plants survive.

Rainfall:
Average: 0.1 inches
Record: 1.7 inches (1972)

Temperature (degrees F):
Average High: 103.5 degrees
Lowest High: 68 degrees (1899)
Record High: 122 degrees (1990)
Average Low: 72.9 degrees
Highest Low: 93 degrees (1990)
Record Low: 49 degrees (1908)

Now’s the time to:
- Stick to your fertilizing program. 
- Check that all the trunk parts of citrus and young trees that are exposed to the sun are painted white. This keeps them cooler and protects them from sunburn. Use white latex paint diluted with water (1 volume white flat latex paint for 1 volume water). 
- Cut your grass higher (2 to 3 inches) to decrease the water use. 
- Check your drip watering system. Verify the ground humidity around all plants. Check your drippers every other day to see if any popped out now that heat is making the hoses softer. 
- Plant pumpkin, winter squash. 
- Start collecting spring bulbs after their leaves die naturally. The exceptions are daffodil bulbs that can stay there, flourish over summer. Daffodil bulbs are toxic, so they are generally safe in the ground. 
- It is a good time to plant palm trees. 

What to sow in the flower garden:
Balsam, Celosia Cockscomb, Cosmos, Four O'clock, Gaillardia, Gloriosa Daisy, Gourds, Kochia, Marigold, Portulaca, Shasta Daisy, Sunflower, Thunbergia, Vinca, Zinnia

Grass:
- Plant Bermuda lawns during the active growing season, May through August
- Fertilize Bermuda grass lawns with Nitrogen each month beginning late April or early May according to the directions on the fertilizer package.
- Apply Iron one a month according to the directions on the fertilizer package.
- Apply one inch of water per week to Bermuda lawns.
- Once every two or three years dethatch Bermuda lawns if necessary. Only dethatch during the active growing season, May through August. This enables the turf to quickly recover.

Roses:
- Cut back on fertilizing established roses to encourage plants to slow down for the hot summer.
- Water deeply as temperatures climb.
- Hose off plants in the early morning to increase humidity and control spider mites.

Things Not To Do:
- Do not expose citrus and other sun sensitive plants to sunburn by pruning during the summer

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