Arizona gardens typically endure from warmth and neglect in August. Nonetheless, as the following planting season approaches, it’s time to organize the beds and plan for fall. This text covers the important duties to assist your August backyard greens, fruit, flowers, and panorama vegetation thrive. We will even cowl which pests to count on and the way typically to water your backyard, bushes, and shrubs.

For details about what to plant and harvest within the low desert throughout August, please see my planting guides or this weblog submit, “What to Plant and Harvest in August: Low Desert of Arizona.” Low desert consists of elevations under 3500 ft within the Southwest, such because the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.

Click on on the title to leap to that part and study extra about what to do throughout August:

Vegetable Gardening

Plan Your Fall Backyard

• Learn “The right way to begin a backyard in 8 easy steps” to get began in your backyard in case you are a first-timer or are in search of just a few ideas.
• Make a plan for fall and winter planting. We normally don’t have sufficient room to develop every little thing we wish. Take into consideration what’s most necessary to have recent from the backyard. Incorporate totally different greens, herbs, fruits, and flowers into your backyard plan.
• If you wish to develop garlic, buy garlic in the event you haven’t already. Retailer it within the fridge till it’s time to plant in October.
• If you wish to plant potatoes subsequent month, buy natural potatoes and start chitting them. Find out how right here.

Put together Beds For Fall Planting

• To organize beds for fall planting, add compost, spent cowl crops, worm castings, and different natural matter to the soil. Natural matter decomposes and must be replenished.
• In case your backyard has struggled or has not grown nicely, take into account testing your soil. Then, amend the soil as directed by the soil check.That is the soil testing equipment I take advantage of.
• In case you are not going to plant till September or October, plant a canopy crop like buckwheat or cowpeas to cowl the soil.
• Reduce cowl crops 2-3 weeks earlier than you propose to plant. Reduce off at soil stage. Pull again the mulch and go away vegetation on the soil or cowl with compost. Be taught extra about the best way to develop cowl crops right here.

Backyard Duties Throughout August

• Take away spentsummer-heat-loving greens and greens previous their prime.  
• Reduce peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes tothe latest leaves. This rejuvenates the vegetation for a superb fall crop. After slicing again, prime vegetation with worm castings and compost.
• Take away particles round vegetation to discourage pests. 
• Take away spent artichoke heads to save the seeds.
• Harvest any remaining I’itoi onions.
• Pot up any indoor-grown seedlings which might be outgrowing their containers if it’s not time to plant them outdoors. 
• Fertilize indoor-grown seedlings each different watering.

My August Backyard Journals

Twice a month, I ship my private backyard journal to members of “Rising within the Backyard Academy.” From the primary seedling to the final harvest, you possibly can observe my gardening adventures in Arizona’s distinctive low desert. As a member, you even have entry to the previous three years of backyard journals and month-to-month courses.

Be part of me, and let’s make your backyard thrive underneath the desert solar!

Low Desert Arizona in August: Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month

The perfect protection in opposition to pests is wholesome vegetation. This may be troublesome as a result of the warmth is annoying for vegetation. Spend time within the backyard every day and catch issues when they‘re small.

• Grasshoppers present as much as feed on new progress. Handpick. Hopefully, the birds enable you to out, too.
• Spider mites may be problematic this month. Learn this submit for therapy choices.
• Squash and Jap Bordered Plant Bugs.This text shares prevention and therapy choices.
• Whiteflies thrive in August backyard situations. They seem like clouds coming off the underside of leaves when a plant is disturbed. Use a soapy water answer of 1 Tablespoon Daybreak to at least one gallon of water on the undersides of leaves day by day to maintain infestations down.
• Corn borer larvae trigger skeletonized patches on corn leaves. Deal with with Bt or a drop of mineral oil on prime of every tassel.
• Chook harm on melon and sunflower leaves. Though they harm the leaves, the plant normally survives. Think about placing out a chicken tub for thirsty birds.
• Chrysanthemum lace bugs on sunflowers. Learn this submit for therapy choices.
• Bagrada bugs, tomato hornworms, three-lined potato bugs, and leaf-footed bugs are widespread this month. Hand-pick all levels and drop into soapy water.
• If rollie-pollies are consuming seedlings (they love beans!), sprinkle a small quantity of this slug and snail bait while you plant. Be taught extra on this weblog submit.
• Milkweed and different seed bugs are widespread on seed pods and greatest left untreated; they normally don’t trigger harm.
• Leaf miners on cantaloupe or different melons. Take away broken leaves.
• The thrill of cicadas fills the air, and their exoskeletons may be discovered throughout the yard. Injury is minimal; they’re seasonal, and there’s no must deal with for them.

Helpful bugs and different wildlife you might even see throughout August:

Lovebirds and finches on sunflowers, bees, murderer bugs, wasps, hummingbirds, praying mantids, lizards, and butterflies like Swallowtails and Gulf Fritillary.

Container Gardening Duties

• Transfer containers to areas of your yard that obtain afternoon shade naturally.
• Group containers and develop baggage shut collectively for an insulating impact.
• Refresh giant containers with extra raised mattress combine in case you are planting in them. Natural matter decomposes and must be replenished. I like this soil combine for raised beds and containers.
• Preserve these small containers put away for at the least one other month.

Arizona August Backyard Duties: Flower Gardening

• Preserve summer season bloomers like zinnia, vinca, cosmos, and gaillardia deadheaded to encourage extra blooms.
• Don’t minimize something again severely; it most likely gained’t get well.
• Plan your wildflower backyard for fall. Be taught extra right here.
• Fertilize container-grown flowers this month.
• Save seeds from summer season flowers like sunflowers, marigolds, tithonia, zinnias, and four-o-clocks. Discover ways to save seeds right here.
• For those who haven’t already, order fall-planted bulbs like ranunculus, prechilled tulip bulbs, and anemones. Retailer ranunculus and anemone corms in a cool closet till it’s time to plant.
• To take away spent sunflowers, don’t pull them up! Reduce them off simply above soil stage, and the roots will decay as an alternative of pulling a big soil ball with them.

Arizona Annual Flowers Planting Calendar helps you study when to plant flowers in Arizona and when to begin seeds indoors.

Caring for Roses Throughout August in Arizona

• Consider your roses. They could look haggard, but when vegetation are severely burned or struggling, take into account shifting them to a shadier location within the fall.
• Roses are sometimes chlorotic, as it’s troublesome for them to entry soil vitamins when it’s so sizzling. Because the soil cools, the plant will start to take up the vitamins.
• Preserve roses calmly deadheaded (I minimize off slightly below the bloom). Don’t fertilize or prune this month.
• Take away roses instantly from confused vegetation. Blooming provides extra stress.
• Make plans for fall planting.Selecting the best varieties helps guarantee your roses survive the summer season warmth. Roses reminiscent of Memorial Day, Iceberg, and Julia Youngster are wonderful decisions as they’re recognized for his or her resilience and talent to face up to excessive temperatures. Including extra roses to your backyard? I get my roses from Heirloom Roses. Use Code GARDENAZ24 for 20% off any rose order by means of December 31, 2024.

Fruit and Fruit Bushes

• Preserve fruit picked on fruit bushes. Clear up rotten, break up, sun-damaged, or fallen fruit.
• Don’t prune this month.
• Apply the final spherical of citrus fertilizer to citrus between August and September. Water nicely the day earlier than you fertilize and once more after fertilizing.
• Lemons and key limes start to ripen this month. Harvest as wanted. They may proceed to ripen over the following a number of months. The flavour is greatest proper after selecting. Lemons may be saved within the fridge for a few weeks, nevertheless it’s greatest to depart lemons on the tree till wanted. Learn this text for citrus rising ideas. 
• Watch pomegranate bushes for leaf-footed bugs.
• Broaden the basins round bushes to increase 1 foot past the drip line as wanted.
• Root strawberry runners to make new vegetation.
• Break up fruit (tomatoes, pomegranates, citrus) is a watering concern. Take away break up fruit and do your greatest to offer common deep watering for vegetation.

Herb Gardening

• Perennial herbs could look somewhat spent. Proceed to reap as wanted, however wait till September to offer them a very good trim and determine if you wish to replant. Be taught extra about rising perennial herbs on this article.
• Harvest and use basil. Reducing again basil typically encourages new progress and retains it from flowering and going to seed. This text shares the best way to develop basil. 

The Arizona Herb Planting Informationhelps you study when to plant over 30 totally different herbs in Arizona and whether or not to plant seeds or transplants.

Panorama Plant Duties in August

• August is an efficient time to plant hardy desert bushes and cacti. Their roots get established greatest in heat soil.
• Wait to plant shrubs and perennials. It’s too sizzling. They may set up a lot better in the event you plant them within the fall.
• To encourage extra blooms, deadhead and calmly prune summer season flowering vegetation and perennials reminiscent of oleanders, birds of paradise, Texas sage, and lantanas.
• If cactus are leaning, this means an issue with the basis system. This may be attributable to an excessive amount of or too little water. Crops could fall over. Contact an expert for help if the saguaro is over 8 ft tall.
• Don’t prime bushes. It’s damaging to the plant. Thinning limbs to open up the cover is okay.
• If a limb breaks throughout a summer season storm, prune again to a important department and make a clear minimize. Clear cuts will heal higher.
• Consider severely confused or unhealthy vegetation. Typical causes for not rising nicely will not be sufficient water, an excessive amount of solar (or shade), or the plant shouldn’t be suited to a desert local weather. Make a plan to maneuver or substitute struggling vegetation within the fall.
• Hose off vegetation vulnerable to spider mites about as soon as per week.
• Pull weeds that emerge after summer season rains. Don’t allow them to set seed.

Arizona Backyard in August Watering Pointers

• Hopefully, we are going to get good soaking rain. For those who obtain .5″ rain, you possibly can most likely skip one watering.
• Take into consideration methods to reap or channel rainfall and direct it in your property.Learn this submit to study extra about utilizing rainwater harvesting and swales and berms to gather and use rainwater.
• Use a soil probe to examine watering depths. Goal to water bushes to three ft, panorama vegetation to 2 ft, and annual vegetation to 1 foot.
• The summer season warmth and dry soils construct up salt ranges within the soil. Native water provides additionally turn out to be saltier later in the summertime. Water twice as deep as soon as this month to flush salts from vegetation’ root zones.
• For those who haven’t already, examine the irrigation system and timer. Run the system, inspecting all drips and sprinklers for leaks and correct watering. 

Watering Containers Throughout August

With sizzling temperatures, monitoring containers carefully and watering typically is essential. You might have to water on daily basis. For those who’re undecided, use a moisture meter to examine soil moisture ranges

If containers dry out an excessive amount of, the soil could turn out to be hydrophobic. When watering, examine the soil to make sure water is absorbed and never repelled by hydrophobic soil. I normally water my containers each 2-3 days in August and refill the ollas every time I water. Including ollas to containers helps with watering through the summer season. I take advantage of ollas from Growoya.

Watering Annuals and Backyard Beds Throughout August

Throughout sizzling climate, annual greens, herbs, and flowers want extra frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 8-12 inches each 2-3 days, permitting the highest of the soil to dry out earlier than watering once more. 

I normally water my raised beds each 2-3 days in August.I take advantage of the backyard grids from Backyard in Minutes to water my raised beds. (Use code Angela10 to avoid wasting $10 off $100 or GITG5 to avoid wasting 5 p.c on any measurement order.)

Tree and Vine Watering Pointers: ¹, ²

Monitor your fruit bushes for indicators of water stress. Leaf curling is normally the primary noticeable signal. Moist the soil from the tree trunk to only previous the tree’s drip line.

• Established citrus bushes needs to be watered as soon as each 7-14 days to a 2-3 ft depth.
• Water annual fruit and excessive water use vines each 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
• Water established fruit bushes each 7-10 days to a depth of 18-24″.
• Grape vines want deep watering each 5 days. 
• Water annual fruit and excessive water use vines each 2-5 days to a depth of 8-12″.
• Desert-adapted bushes, shrubs & vines each 7-21 days (water to a depth of 24-36″ bushes / 18-24″ shrubs / 8-12″ vines).
• Excessive water use bushes each 7-10 days (water to a depth of 18-24″).
• Excessive water use shrubs each 5-7 days (water to a depth of 8-12″).

Sources:

1 – For extra info on watering practices, go to: “Affiliation of Municipal Water Customers Authority. (2023). Landscaping with Fashion within the Arizona Desert.” https://www.amwua.org/landscaping-with-style.

2 – https://extension.arizona.edu/websites/extension.arizona.edu/recordsdata/pubs/az1151-2021percent20percent282percent29.pdf

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