July Horticulture Tips	Jan	Feb	March	April	May	June
	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec

Trees

• Ash trees- leaves that are curled up and distorted may be caused by the Wooly aphid. Control with Bacillus thurengiensis (BT), Sevin, Malathion, Orthene, Eight.
• Ash trees- leaves with orange spots are caused by Ash rust a foliar disease. No control needed, shows up after wet or cool springs
• Ash trees- brown spots on leaves and leaves dropping may be caused by Anthracnose, a fungal disease that shows up during wet, cool weather. No control at this point in the growing season. New leaves will not be infected since the weather is now hot and dry.
• Maple trees- reddish-green bumps on leaves are Maple bladder gall, caused by a tiny mite. Does not harm tree, no control recommended.
• Hackberry trees- green bumps on leaves is Hackberry nipple gall, caused by small insect. Does not harm tree, no control recommended.
• Hawthorn trees- orange spots on leaves and string-like structures protruding from the fruits are caused by Cedar-hawthorn rust, a fungal disease. It's too late for control now, but it will not kill the tree. Plan to protect the tree from infection next spring.
• Walnut trees- Caterpillars feeding on the leaves are walnut caterpillars. Control with Dipel.
• Sycamore trees- not leafing out very well, spots on leaves or leaves dropping is usually caused by Sycamore anthracnose. This fungal disease shows up during wet, cool springs. There is no control recommended for large trees. They will put on new leaves as summer progresses, but will not be as full as other trees.
• Trees with brown edges on leaves and leaves curling, yellowing, or dropping is often caused by heat stress. Water tree deeply every 10 days.

Lawn Care

• White grub control, apply Merit or GrubX on or before July 11. If using Sevin apply the last week of July.
• Maintain lawn through drought conditions
  1. Stop fertilizing, save fertilizer for fall application
  2. Raise mower height to 3.5 inches
  3. Keep mower blades sharp
  4. Water lightly and regularly. During the summer the roots of many cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue, tend to become shallower. It is important to apply water to the depth of the roots to avoid wasting water. Watering from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. is ideal. To keep grass alive water every 3 weeks for 15 minutes.
• Apply 2nd application of pre-emergence to lawn for crabgrass control, July 1-July 7

Vegetable Garden

• Grasshoppers- In the vegetable garden use Sevin and Eight.
• Squash bugs- large gray bugs that feed on cucurbits. Control with Sevin or Eight dust when they are small.
• Beans- holes in leaves and beans may be caused by Bean leaf beetle. Control with Sevin or Eight dust.
• Broccoli and Cabbage- green worms or caterpillars feeding on foliage are cabbage worms or cabbage loopers. Control with BT or Dipel
• Tomatoes- dry, sunken, brown or black lesion on the bottom of fruit is Blossom end rot. It is not a disease, so fungicide applications will not control it. but can be controlled by keeping the tomatoes evenly watered.
• Tomatoes, eggplant & pepper- leaves brownish-rust tint, check for spider mites on underside of leaves. Control with insecticidal soap, horticulture oil or malathion
• Tomatoes, eggplant & pepper- leaves with small holes or yellowish-brownish tint, check for flea beetles. They are very small, black beetles that hop away fast when disturbed. Can be hard to see. Control with Sevin, Eight, or malathion.
• Vine crops (Cucumber, canteloupe, pumpkin, summer squash, watermelon, winter squash, and zucchini)- wilting of vines may be caused by Squash vine borer. Control with Sevin or Eight dust applied at the base of the plant weekly.

Ornamentals

• Grasshoppers- In the lawn, shrubs, flower and ornamental beds use Sevin, Eight, Malathion
• Caterpillars feeding on plants, flowers, geraniums, petunias can be controlled with Dipel or BT
• Phlox- yellow cast to leaves may be caused by Phlox plant bug. Control with Sevin, Eight or Malathion

Garden Planning

• Make notes of plants that are not doing well throughout the growing season and plan to relocate them in fall to a better site in the garden.