Watering: One of the biggest, and perhaps most obvious garden maintenance tip is more focus on watering.

• Set your irrigation systems for the morning hours, allowing time for them to finish before 11AM (San Antonio follows year-round water restrictions).
• Water container plants thoroughly, keeping in mind that if they have severely dried out you may need to water and go back in about 15 minutes and water again. (You might even need to set your pot in a larger basin filled with water for 20-30 minutes so the water can be absorbed from the bottom, like a wick.)
• Severely dried containers may present as: soil that has pulled away from the sides of the pot or bubbling that comes up from the soil which indicates air pockets.)

Pests:

• Observation in the landscape is another key garden maintenance tip. Chinch bugs are rapidly ravaging large portions of turf in July. Look for uneven, brown patches, usually in the hottest areas of your lawn, or along driveways or sidewalks where reflected heat is an issue.) Other garden pests are on the hunt to take advantage of under-watered and/or neglected plants. Spider mites love the hot, dry,  conditions of summer.
• Prevention is the best method when it comes to controlling pests, but if you have a problem already, take pictures, bring in samples, and Rainbow Gardens can get you the correct products for the correct issue.

Planting:

• The hot temperatures make it a less than ideal time to plant practically anything in the landscape right now. If you can hold off until fall do so. Fall is the BEST time to plant trees, shrubs, and woody perennials in San Antonio). However, early fall tomatoes will be arriving, and you may want to get your favorite selections. Follow our BBPP method for best summer planting success. 
• If you do plant this mid summer, be prepared to spend extra time watering and caring for your plants as roots struggle to get established in the heat. Shade cloth is your best friend in July.
• Enjoy houseplants and succulents during this time of year. Turn your houseplants a quarter turn every couple of weeks so they receive equal amounts of sun exposure and grow uniformly.
• Enjoy the cool of air conditioning inside creating unique terrariums and succulent displays. Rainbow Gardens’ greenhouses are still stocked with plenty of options for indoor plants. Tending to indoor gardens means less garden maintenance outside in the heat.

Pruning:

• A timely garden maintenance task is pruning oak trees. Pruning oaks in the heat of mid to late summer, or the coldest periods during winter, helps to prevent the devastating disease oak wilt.
• Pruning at the correct time of year and painting the pruning cuts are two of the top methods for preventing oak wilt. Rainbow Gardens keeps our shelves stocked with pruning sealant for this very reason. (Don’t think your trees need to be pruned? Check the turf under the canopy of your trees, if it’s declining, it could be from too much shade.)

Planning:

• July is a good time to take a look in the landscape and notice plants and areas of turf that are struggling. Plan to make changes in fall by moving and transplanting plants to another area, and replacing declining areas of turf with groundcovers.
• Fall veggie gardening is right around the corner; plan your vegetable garden layout in the cool indoors and be ready when Rainbow Gardens brings in your favorites.
• Take time to make a list of repairs and replacements that might make your landscape more aesthetically pleasing. Broken trellises, washed out fences, chipped and faded pots can take away from the overall beauty of your gardens. Tally your list, gather supplies, and you’ll be ready when cooler weather allows you to work longer hours in the garden.