Gardening Calendar for July

• Remove infected leaves from roses. Pick up fallen leaves. Continue fungicidal sprays as needed.
• Fertilize container plants every 2 weeks with a water soluble solution.
• Keep weeds from making seeds now. This will mean less weeding next year.
• Keep deadheading spent annual flowers for continued bloom.
• With spider mite damage, leaves may be speckled above and yellowed below. Evergreen needles appear dull gray-green to yellow or brown.
• During weeks one and two, apply final treatment for borers on hardwood trees.
• Plant zinnia seed by July 4th for late bloom in annual border.
• Don’t pinch mums after mid-July or you may delay flowering.
• Powdery mildew is unsightly on lilacs, but rarely harmful. Shrubs grown in full sun are less prone to this disease.
• Dig potatoes when the tops die. Plant fall potatoes by the 15th.
• Cover grape clusters loosely with paper sacks to provide some protection from marauding birds.