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.