Wow, It's Getting Hot!

  

Wow, It's Getting Hot!

Wow! What intense weather we are getting.  Cooler than average temps last week, now temperatures could be above 90° degrees. This can cause problems for our gardens and landscapes. Tomatoes slow down production and drop blooms, cool season grasses go dormant, insect populations soar, water stress (this year too much rain) affects everything and gardens start to look shabby. Heat and humidity combine to prevent us from trying to control insects and diseases. A case in point, in my front yard the grass is staying wet with dew till noon.  That tells me the humidity is not going to allow me to safely spray for anything in my garden.  Even an organic control will burn plant material in the 95° early afternoon heat.  The chemicals just do not evaporate before the heat rises. 

To prevent the spread of disease don't work in the garden while the foliage is wet. Mulching the garden and flower beds can help by providing a barrier between soil borne fungi and plants.  Be sure to remove and dispose of diseased plant material.

Until the heat and humidity fall all I can do is wash the insects off with water or physically remove them. Yuck.  

As a rule of thumb: Do not spray/apply any chemical on plants when the temperature and humidity (%) added together are 140 or above.  

So, stay cool!