August is the warmest month of summer, but the nights are starting to get cool. There is a lot of work to do in the garden this month. It is the month to harvest and start preparing for winter. What work needs to be done in the garden?
Starting in mid-August, right after harvest, you can do pruning of cherries. At the beginning of the month, carry out cosmetic pruning of apple trees, whose fruit ripens at the end of August and in September, as well as pear and peach trees. If necessary, it is advisable to carry out a nurse pruning of walnuts.
After the harvest, you should also carry out pruning of plum, currant and gooseberry. After pruning the bushes, the old shoots will be replaced by new ones. After the raspberry harvest, it is worth cutting the shoots that bore fruit in the current year. It is also worth removing the excess of new shoots. They will bear fruit next year.
After harvesting strawberries, weed them and cut the shoots to a height of 5 cm. If the plants have become diseased, apply sprays. At most, plant strawberries on a new site every 4 years. Do not plant strawberries on the site of tomatoes.
August is the harvest season for many vegetables, including tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and zucchini, and early varieties of cabbage and carrots. It is very common for the leaves of potatoes to turn yellow this month, a sign that they are ready for digging; it is best to use a pitchfork or hoe.
Herbs should also be harvested in August: thyme and sage. Once dried, store them in sealed containers. Once the herbs have been harvested, any residue should be removed from the ground and burned. This will help prevent disease and pest attacks. This month, field vegetables that will be harvested in the fall can be sown into the empty spaces. These include butter lettuce, Chinese cabbage, dill and turnips.
By mid-August you should remove side shoots in peppers and tomatoes. It is also worth breaking the cone of growth above the last flowering cluster, leaving two leaves above it. This treatment should be carried out in dry and rain-free weather. The same treatment at the end of August should be carried out on Brussels sprouts.
In August you can start propagating conifers through cuttings. It is best to root the young shoot tips. From mid-August you can plant spring-flowering bulbs such as hyacinths, lilies and tulips into the ground. At the beginning of August, plant autumn-flowering bulbous plants (about 2 months after planting) – autumn wintercress and autumn crocuses – into the ground.
In order for the lavender to grow nicely, its stems should be shortened to half in mid-August. Such cutting should be done every year. Pond plants should be pruned this month. This way you can keep your pond or waterhole clean and give the plants the right amount of oxygen.
Hedges should be cut in August. They should be cut very carefully. Hedges made of trees and shrubs that shed their leaves for the winter should be cut this month. Perennials should be transplanted and separated in August. They will have enough time to root before winter arrives. At the end of the month it is worth planting peonies. The place of planting is worth changing every 5-6 years.
If you want to establish a lawn, August is the perfect time to do so. Mow the lawn regularly during this month. Fertilize it with nitrogen fertilizers.
Dust collects on the leaves of plants on the balcony and terrace, to remove it, spray the flowers with water. If the flowers can not be sprinkled, then gently sweep them with a dust broom. Trim the stems. Use a small rake or pitchfork to gently stir the soil in the pots.
Main Photo: veronica reverse/unsplash.com
