AUGUST LAWN & GARDEN MAINTENANCE

Check out our essential guide for August lawn & garden maintenance. We have timely tips and expert advice to keep your lawn and gardens looking lush through one of Oklahoma’s hottest months.

Maintenance

Water young plantings well. See our watering guide for details.
Expect some leaf fall, this is a normal reaction to drought.
For stressed trees and shrubs, use Marcum’s Root Stimulator or ferti-lome® Fish Emulsion Fertilizer.
Prune evergreens such as holly and boxwood.

Lawn Care

Apply one of Marcum’s Nursery exclusive fertilizers made for Oklahoma: Kelly Ray’s Fast Growing (46-0-0), Big Mont’s Nitro Green (31-0-0), BR’s Lawn Tonic (28-6-12), or The Original Slow Release (18-6-12) on Bermuda and Zoysia Grass if water is present for growth.
Apply Hi-Yield® Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper Containing Dimension® or ferti-lome® For All Seasons II Lawn Food Plus Crabgrass and Weed Preventer to prevent poa annua, also known as annual bluegrass, seed from sprouting toward the end of the month.
Apply Hi-Yield® Grub Free Zone III beginning in May and reapply in August after June bugs (scarab beetles) have gone underground to prevent grubs and to control mole and vole populations.
Mowing heights for cool-season grasses should be 3″ during hot, dry summer months. Gradually raise the mower height on bermudagrass lawns from 1 1⁄2 to 2 inches.

It’s Time to Plant

Several crops can be started by seed this month; brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, collards, endive, kale, parsnip, peas, and rutabaga.
Plant a cover crop in bare spots in the vegetable garden.
Container perennials, shrubs, and trees can still be planted as long as they are supplied with adequate water.

Pest Patrol

Tent caterpillars and bagworms: If caterpillars are still feeding, apply ferti-lome® Caterpillar Spray with BT or ferti-lome® Spinosad, otherwise apply Hi-Yield® 55% Malathion Insect Spray or Cyonara.
The hotter and drier it gets, the larger the spider mite populations become! Spray plant foliage with ferti-lome® Spinosad Soap, Cyonara™ Lawn & Garden Insect Control or Hi-Yield® 55% Malathion Spray.
Aphids on your Crape Myrtle shrubs or trees? If you notice a sticky substance on leaves, apply Hi-Yield® 55% Malathion Insect Spray or Cyonara™ Lawn & Garden Insect Control.