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June Gardening Tips

Garden Maintenance

  • Thin apples when ½” diameter.
  • Mow general cleanup for fire protection..
  • Mulch garden beds to retain moisture and encourage deep roots by deep and infrequent watering.
  • Check sprinklers and drip systems for needed repairs and adjustments.
  • Water early in the day to conserve water and minimize plant disease.
  • Pinch back tips of chrysanthemums, fuchsias, marguerites.
  • Tie up vines and stake tall growing dahlias, gladiolas, and lilies.
  • For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers.
  • Hang strips of foil or CD’s in fruit trees to help deter birds.
  • First summer pruning for stone fruit.
  • Thin grapes.
  • Dig and divide crowded bulbs if the tops have died down.
  • Give your indoor plants a bath.
  • Place a 1” board under pots sitting on pavement to insulate them from radiated heat.
  • Thoroughly clean debris from ponds, fountains and bird baths.
  • Check dates of Master Gardener classes.

Fertilize

  • Strawberries (end of May).
  • Cane berries after harvest.
  • Azaleas, camellias. rhododendron and acid loving plants.
  • Roses at bloom start.
  • Citrus. Monthly.
  • Corn – N when knee high.
  • If you did not use slow release fertilizer for summer bloomers. Give then a feeding now.
  • Fertilize vegetables monthly.
  • Feed indoor plants with slow release fertilizer.
  • To control corn earworms, apply 20 drops of mineral oil to the silks 3-7 days after silks appear.
  • Monitor stink bugs and tomatoes, squash, etc. Hand pick.

Spray: Check the California Backyard Orchard website for current information.

  • Apples and pears for codling moth. First treatment when pears are ½” in diameter and apples are ?”. For timing use codling moth traps or call Master Gardeners at (209) 223-6838.
  • For codling moth control, attach 4” corrugated cardboard bands around tree trunks in early May; in late May or early June remove and destroy bands to kill the larvae and pupae found in the cardboard.
  • Check for citrus scale and control with horticultural oil. Encourage natural enemies and protect trees from ants.
  • If needed, apply Tanglefoot around tree trunks to deter ants and other crawling insects.
  • Pears, except Comice – weak copper spray when in bloom, one to three applications for fire blight.
  • Check roses for black spot, mildew and rust and spray if needed
  • Check roses for aphids; control with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap.
  • Spray for Peach Leaf Curl
  • Note: all the effective insecticidal sprays kill bees and other beneficial. Do not spray while trees are in bloom.

Lawns

  • Set mower blades high to reduce turf stress during the summer.
  • Deep water lawns between midnight and 10 a.m.

What to Plant in June

Plant Seed

  • It is getting late, but…Beans, beets, corn, cucumber, melons, parsnip, peppers, pumpkins, radish, all squash, tomatoes.
  • Gladiola corms every 2 weeks.
  • Dahlias

Plant Seed - Greenhouse or Cold Frame

  • None this month.

Set out Plants

  • Eggplant, peppers, tomatoes.
  • Annuals: ageratum, bachelor buttons, celosia, cosmos, impatiens, lobelia, marigold, petunia.