Monthly Checklist: June

Lawn Care

Soil temperatures should be high enough to seed or sod your warm-season lawn. If you’re planning to lay sod, click here for our sod guide.

• Before seeding or sodding with warm-season grass, check the pH and correct with Mag-I-Cal if needed.
• Kill off weeds with Weed Beater Ultra. Keep in mind that you need to wait 2.5 weeks before laying sod or seeding after applying.
• If you are planning to start your lawn from scratch, apply KleenUp to kill off existing grass and weeds. Wait 7 days before seeding or laying sod after applying.

If you are not planning to seed or sod a warm-season lawn, the following tasks are for you!

• Apply Infuse Fungicide at the first sign of fungal issues to prevent them from spreading.
• It may be time for another dose of Jonathan Green Lawn Weed Control if you didn’t do an application last month. You can also apply Jonathan Greed Weed & Feed if you’re lawn needs some Don’t use this month if you’re planning on putting down a Crabgrass Preventer too.
• Three months after your first application of Jonathan Green Crabgrass Preventer with Veri-Green, you can put down a second application to prevent crabgrass from cropping up over the summer. If you are planning on seeding this year, you need to wait 3 months to seed after the application of Crabgrass Preventer which will put your seeding timeframe in October.
• Sedgehammer Nutsedge Killer. Nutsedge usually starts showing up in June, so take care of it as soon as you spot it. Remember, never try to hand-pull Nutsedge as it will only encourage new growth

Insect & Disease Control

Continue checking plants regularly for pest and disease problems. As temperatures rise, so will humidity. Fungal diseases thrive in high levels of humidity and spread quickly, so treat these problems as soon as you spot them.

• Apply Thuricide to control Bagworms and other caterpillars. It’s important to control Bagworms now before they’ve built their bags. Once a Bagworm is in its bag, the only effective method of control is to hand-pick it off the affected plant.
• Because it’s Organic, Neem Oil is perfect for controlling disease and insects on your veggies, herbs, and fruits.
• Rose Shield protects your plants against fungi, insects, and mites. Best used on ornamental trees, shrubs, and perennials.
• Quickly control fungal diseases like powdery mildew, rust, leaf curl, and more with Copper Fungicide.
• Protect plants for up to 6 weeks with RoseRx, a systemic control applied directly to the soil.
• Eight Insect Control kills multiple types of insects, including the dreaded Japanese Beetle.
• If they aren’t here yet, Japanese Beetles will be here soon. Set out Japanese Beetle Traps to lure them away from your favorite plants. Always place your traps at least 10 feet away from your desirable plants.

Garden Beds

Maintaining healthy garden beds is the first step to keeping your plants healthy and happy.

• Lobster Compost to add organic matter and amend clay or sandy soils. Can also be applied as a top dressing to entire garden beds to improve the soil for future or existing plantings.
• Apply Preen to prevent weeds in your garden beds so you aren’t spending your summer hand-pulling them out later.
• Mulch your garden beds and around trees and shrubs. Not only does mulch make your garden look tidier, but it also helps soil retain moisture and aids in the prevention of weeds.

Fertilizers

Remember to read your labels to know how often (and how much) fertilizers need to be applied.

• Use Plant Tone for all your plant needs.
• Garden Tone encourages healthy plants and large yields.
• Feed your fruiting and flowering plants alike with Flower Tone.
• Bulb Tone readily feeds newly planted summer bulbs.
• Feed your tropical plants (like hibiscus, palms and mandevilla) with Palm Tone.
• Citrus Tone feeds avocado plants as well as citrus.
• Use Dynamite Slow-Release Fertilizer once when you plant and then sit back and relax as it feeds for up to 9 months!

Pond Care

Summer is the season of algae and the best method of control is actually… plants! Floating plants prevent algae from getting the light it needs to thrive and all pond plants use up the same nutrients algae feeds on. With less light and nutrients, algae can’t flourish.

• Kill algae quickly with AlgaeFix in both ponds and fountains.
• Simply Clear clarifies murky water with natural bacteria.
• Use Chlorine & Heavy Metal Neutralizer whenever you add fresh water to your pond to remove harsh chemicals and metals.
• Microbe-Lift adds beneficial bacteria to improve the conditions of your pond by removing pollutants.
• Feed your fish Koi Vibrance Fish Food. Hungry Koi are known to nibble on plant matter, so keep them fed and keep your plants uneaten! 

Miscellaneous

• Ready to use Coast of Maine Raised Bed Soil is perfect both for new and existing raised beds. Works great in containers too.
• Coast of Maine Potting Soil is great for indoor containers, outdoor containers, and hanging baskets.
• Use Fertilome Root Stimulant to encourage new root development and prevent transplant shock in new plantings.
• Vole Bags are mesh bags that go around the root systems of new plantings to prevent hungry voles from chowing down.

Click here for July’s checklist.