05/26/2023
JUNE GARDEN CHORES
VEGETABLES
* Vegetable crops generally need another dose of fertilizer about 5 to 6 weeks after planting, or when fruit starts to form.
* Check and harvest cucumbers, squash and green beans regularly (daily) to help keep plants producing. They also mature quickly and are best harvested while young and tender.
* Watch for dark brown spots in tomato leaves. This could be early blight and can be prevented with a fungicide spray.
* Water the garden early in the day to allow the foliage to dry before nightfall. Wet foliage overnight can lead to disease development.
* Use 2 hands to pull beans, cucumbers, squash, etc. to avoid breaking the
plant.
* There is still time to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, green beans, winter squash.
* Use row covers to exclude potato & cucumber beetles, flea beetles,
leafhoppers and vine borers.
COMMON TOMATO DISEASES
How to identify and manage
Check out information found at the link below from NCSU to get a jump on identifying and managing several fungal and bacterial plant pathogens that commonly attack tomatoes. Correct diagnosis is key to effective disease management!
https://www.buncombemastergardener.org/resources2/common-tomato-diseases-how-to-identify-and-manage/
ORNAMENTALS
* Irises and daylilies can be divided even while in bloom. This is useful if you need to keep flower colors separated.Remove any remaining flowers, cut leaves half way back and replant the divisions as soon as possible.
* Prune out dieback from hybrid rhododendron, azaleas, mountain laurel and blueberry. Anytime is a good time to prune dead wood from trees and shrubs.
* Check new plantings for water Trees and shrubs can take 2-3 years to fully get established and herbaceous perennials up to 1 year.
* Pinch chrysanthemums to encourage more blooms and stockier, bushier
plants.
* There is still time to plant seeds for fast maturing annuals such as cosmos, zinnias, marigolds, and small sunflowers.
* If you have moved house plants outside for the summer, this is a good time to repot and add fresh soil. Also remember to monitor the soil moisture as plants will dry out faster outside.
* Check hanging baskets daily for water, especially that are exposed to the sun or winds. Plastic containers will dry out slower than those with coconut liners.
* Remove faded flowers from purple coneflower, rudbeckia, phlox, Shasta
daisy etc. to encourage a second show.
FRUIT
* Stay on top of brown rot on peaches and plums, and black rot on grapes.
Maintain regular fungicide sprays as a preventative as these diseases cannot be controlled once they have infected the fruit.
* This is a good time to remove excess sucker and water sprout growth from apple trees. Removing the excessively vigorous growth now will allow more of the plant’s energy to go into fruit and desirable growth, and will result in less re-sprouting than winter pruning.
* A healthy strawberry bed can be renovated after harvest. Beds more than 3 or 4 years old are often best removed and replanted in the fall or spring.
LAWNS
* Mow frequently enough to remove no more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time, cool season grasses 3 inches high. Try not to mow when grass is wet to avoid spreading disease.
* Maintain the mowing height for fescue lawns at 3 inches. Try to mow
frequently enough to remove no more than 1/3 of the blade at a time.
* Do not fertilize cool season lawns until September.
* Regular rainy weather will produce good conditions for brown patch, a fungus disease. If brown patches begin to occur do not irrigate and do not mow the lawn when wet.
If you grow tomatoes in North Carolina, or elsewhere you will eventually be affected by disease. Several fungal and bacterial plant pathogens attack tomatoes. Determining which disease or diseases are…
