General
Gardening Tips:
• Plants and trees that provide color in the month
of August include crape myrtles, Pee Gee hydrangeas, viburnums,
hypericum and butterfly bush. Visit the nursery and see
these beautiful plants in bloom.
• Plant ornamental grasses such as miscanthus, pennisetum
and hardy pampas grass for motion and contrast.
• Fall mums are in - plant now for a colorful autumn.
• Check all plants, especially newly planted ones,
for water on a regular basis. Water deeply and thoroughly
as needed. Pick-up a copy of our free brochure, Proper Planting
& Watering Instructions.
• Gator bags provide a great way to keep trees watered
during hot and dry months. These bags, which can hold up
to 20 gallons of water, are secured to the trunk of the
tree, where they release the water slowly to the root ball
over the course of 15-20 hours.
• Spruce up your summer landscape with beautiful color
in containers and hanging baskets. Our staff can assist
you in selecting combinations of annuals, perennials and
shrubs that work wonderfully together. We have a tremendous
selection of window boxes, hanging baskets and planters.
Be sure to use Barretta Potting Mix when planting and a
water-grabbing polymer such as Soil Moist to reduce the
frequency of watering.
• It's a great time to add a water feature to your
landscape that you will enjoy not only this summer, but
all year round. The experts at Barretta can design and build
creative water features that will allow you to enjoy the
soothing sights and sounds of water. Creative pools, fountains
and waterfalls are on display at both Barretta Garden Center
locations. Stop by and speak with our water garden experts
and pick up informational literature about proper pond care.
Water Gardens:
• Clear pond water can be achieved with proper plant
balance. If the pond is in full sun, 50-70% of its surface
must be covered with foliage such as floating heart, water
hyacinth, water poppy, water lily, or lotus.
• Underwater grasses produce oxygen, helping to maintain
D.O. Lexecs. Grasses will improve water clarity by
using Nitrate. Following are some easy guidelines
to know when trying to figure out how many grasses are needed:
• 1 clump of grass per 1 sq. ft. of surface area for
ponds less than 25 sq. ft.
• 1 clump of grass per 2 sq. ft. of surface area for
ponds greater than 25 sq. ft.
• Time to fertilize all water lilies and lotus once
a month to keep the plant blooming continuously throughout
the season.
• Lotus are great plants for container water gardens
on a deck or patio. Whiskey barrels make a perfect container
for these types of water gardens.
• Tropical water lilies make a spectacular show of
color for any water garden. Whereas hardy water lilies bloom
only during the day, tropical varieties, which are considered
annuals in this area, include day and night bloomers. This
makes it possible to enjoy the bloom in the late afternoon
and evening. Day blooming tropical water lilies bloom heavier
than hardy lilies. The flowers stay open longer each day
and they bloom much later into the season. Night blooming
tropical water lilies open their flowers at approximately
5 pm and do not close until the following morning around
9 am. This is perfect timing for those evening barbecues
and parties.
• Time to switch from spring fish food to summer fish
food since water temperatures have risen above 70 degrees.
At higher temperatures, fish metabolize at a faster rate,
thus creating a need for a diet higher in protein, which
the summer food contains.
Pest Controls:
• Various pest problems can occur in August. If you
have plants that are having a problem, bring in a representative
sample to our plant clinic at either of our stores and speak
with one of our plant specialists. We will diagnose the
problem and recommend the appropriate control. Listed below
are some of the problems that can appear this month along
with the proper controls.
• Use Diatomaceous Earth to control crawling insects
such as cockroaches, ants, slugs, silverfish, earwigs, fleas,
spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and carpet beetles. Use
indoors and outdoors.
• Time to control aphids, lacebugs, bagworms, birch
borer, fall webworm, Japanese beetle, obscure scale, oystershell
scale, euonymus scale, pine needle scale, rhododendron borer,
apple tree borer, spider mites. Stop by Barretta Garden
Center's plant clinic with a representative sample and our
staff will instruct you on the proper control measures.
• Use Round-Up or Prontiol to kill weeds and
grasses in brick patios and walks. Stop birds from making
a mess on your patio or automobile finish by placing our
inflatable owls or inflatable snakes in your garden. This
also works to protect fruit from bird attacks.
• Spray roses with Ortho Rose Spray or Immunox
Plus to keep black spot and other problems under control.
• Spray for bagworms on arborvitae and other evergreens.
Use Sevin or Thuricide.
• Spider mites can be controlled on Alberta spruce,
hemlocks and other plants using Ortho Systemic Insect
Control or Cygon.
• Lacebugs can be controlled on azaleas, andromeda
and other plants now with Malathion or Merit.
• If necessary, treat dogwoods for borers with either
Thiodan or Borer Spray.
• To treat hemlock woolly adelgid, euonymus scale
and other pests use Merit for season long control.
• Fruit trees should be on a regular spray program.
See our Fruit Tree Spray Program bulletin.
• Control slugs and snails on hosta and other plants
with Bug-Geta or Deadline (if you have pets, you should
use barrier tape or Sluggo instead of these products).
Barretta Garden Center has free informational bulletins
on the following pest problems, with specific control recommendations.
• Bagworms
• Borers
• Gypsy Moths
• Lacebugs
• Scale
• Spider Mites
• Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
• Caterpillars
• Japanese Beetles
• And more
Fruit and Vegetable Gardens:
• Fertilize fruits and vegetables as needed with a
good quality, slow-release vegetable food such as Barretta
Flowering Plant Food or Osmocote.
• Stake tomato plants.
• If necessary, spray tomato plants and other vegetables
to control diseases. See our staff for advice.
• Barretta Garden Center has free informational bulletins
on many different types of vegetables as well as general
gardening topics.
Lawns:
• If your lawn is in bad shape due to drought stress,
insects, weeds or other reasons and you are considering
a total renovation, August is the time to get started. Consult
one of our lawn specialists if you are planning a total
lawn renovation. We can either teach you the steps for renovating
the lawn or our crews can do the work for you.
• August is the best time to control grubs in the
lawn. Apply Dylox and water it in thoroughly.
• If you want to prevent broadleaf weeds such as chickweed
and henbit next spring, but you would still like to seed
the lawn this fall, apply Portrait weed preventer in
early August. By applying this product now, you will be
able to seed in late September or early October (seeding
can be done 45-60 days after you apply the Portrait).
• If needed, apply a fungicide to the lawn to control
turf diseases such as brown patch, dollar spot and others.
Use Bayleton or Immunox.
• Apply Perk-Up to the lawn to keep it nice and green
throughout the summer months. This product contains 10%
iron, which gives added color without excessive growth.
• Fertilize zoysia lawns for the final time this season
with Barretta Premium 26-4-12.
• If needed, apply a weed control to the lawn to kill
actively growing weeds. Use Bonide Weed Beater or Ortho
Weed B Gone.
Tips on applying weed killer:
• Do not apply weed controls on newly seeded areas.
• Do not apply weed controls on windy days.
• Do not apply weed controls near or on the edge of
waterways.
• Do not allow children or pets to play on lawns freshly
applied with weed controls. It is best to wait one week.
• Do not apply weed controls when temperatures are
above 85 degrees F.
• Always follow the label directions.
House Plants:
• Continue to feed houseplants with a good quality
indoor plant food such as Jack's Classic (water-soluble
powder) or Osmocote (slow-release granular).
• If needed, re-pot root bound houseplants to a larger
pot. Barretta stocks a full line of containers, including
terra cotta, wood, concrete, ceramic and plastic. Use Barretta
Potting Mix when repotting houseplants.
Additional Information:
For more information to help you garden more easily and
successfully, stop in the garden center and pick-up a copy
of the following bulletins:
• Summer Lawn Care
• Roses
• Crape Myrtle Varieties
• Butterfly Gardens
• Fruit Tree Spray Program
• Tomatoes and other Vegetables
• Pest Appearance Timetable
• Proper Planting Instructions
• Water Gardens
