June gardening tips: Irrigation, fertilizing advice, things to plant

The heat, humidity and random afternoon thunderstorms of Florida summers have arrived on time this year. This can be a blessing for many gardens and landscapes as the daily rains limit our need for irrigation, but the extra wear and tear on your plants (and you when you work outside) can be rough. Here are some tips to keep your garden growing throughout the month of June.

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Up to 60% of household water usage goes out into lawns and landscapes as irrigation. This can be extremely wasteful especially as we get the fairly frequent rain events throughout the summer. Extra irrigation water takes time to get back into our natural water supplies and can carry fertilizer, pesticides, sediment and other contaminants with it. Here is how you can work to lessen your water usage to save money and help protect our environment:

1. Water as needed: Only run your irrigation when your lawn and landscape show signs that it needs it instead of on a regular schedule. Look for folding leaf blades or light wilting before turning on your system and also make sure your rainfall shut-off device on your system is functional.

2. Don't water pavement: Check your system to make sure it is not spraying water onto sidewalks and driveways. A lot of water is wasted this way so get your sprinklers adjusted so they only spray on turf or landscapes that need it.

3. Don't over-irrigate: A normal lawn irrigation event should put out around ½ to ¾" of water per event at a maximum of two times per week. Test this by placing small containers, such as tuna cans, out before your next irrigation run and see how much collects. If more than ¾" of water is applied, run your irrigation for less time.

4. Use micro-irrigation: Landscape beds should rarely need irrigation after establishment if you have chosen plants well suited for your yard. However, if some is needed during dry seasons, put in micro-spray or drip irrigation as it uses less water. Overhead sprayers on shrubs can also lead to more disease and shrub decline.

By taking these tips into account, you can save some money and have a happier, healthy landscape. Also, new research is showing that homes using reclaimed water are using more water on average in their landscapes so just because your irrigation pipes are pink does not mean you should water all the time.

Along with over-irrigation, over-fertilization is also an issue. In some areas of the state they have banned summer fertilizer applications but this is uncommon in our area right now. However, we should still look to only fertilize the proper amount with the right product so that extra nutrients do not travel to our waterways, causing algal blooms.

The first step to proper fertilization is to get a soil test. Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office for options but Extension does offer low-cost soil tests that can help you determine the right product and amount for your landscape and lawn.

When purchasing fertilizer, you should also only use products that contain at least 50% slow or controlled-release nutrients. This will feed your garden longer and less will be wasted. You should also only fertilize as needed, which for things like lawns is usually once in spring (after April 15) and again in late summer unless a soil test indicates you should do more.

If you do overfertilize you are also encouraging overgrowth within your lawn which can cause you to mow more, thatch to build up, and more risk of some disease and insect issues. Save yourself some time and money and fertilizer correctly.

Vegetables: Okra, Southern Peas (black-eyed, Crowder, etc.), Sweet Potatoes. Boniato, Gingers, Roselle, Tropical Spinach, Amaranth, Calabaza, Long Squash, Luffa, Papaya, Passionfruit, Pigeon Pea, Seminole Pumpkin, and Chayote.

Annuals: Celosia, Coleus, Crossandra, Exacum, Impatiens, Nicotiana, Ornamental Pepper, Portulaca, Salvia, Torenia, Periwinkle, and Zinnia.

Herbs: Basil, Mexican Tarragon, and Rosemary.

Bulbs, tubers or rhizomes: Aztec lily, Gladiolus, Kaffir lily, African lily, Spider lily, Scarborough lily, and Walking Iris.

Wayne Hobbs is an extension agent in environmental horticulture for Clay County.