Ask an Expert – August Yard and Garden Checklist

The heat is on, and yards and gardens are trying to keep up with high temperatures and drought conditions. Consider these tips from the USU Extension Gardeners Almanac to help your garden succeed this month. Also included are links for further information.

• Beginning in early August, plant selected cool season vegetables for a fall harvest.
• Deadhead (cut off) spent blossoms of perennial and annual flowers. 
• Deep water established trees and shrubs about once per month during the heat of summer.
• With limited water due to the drought, turfgrass should be the last priority for watering. Priorities include (in order of importance) trees, bushes, perennials, annuals and turfgrass. Click here for more information.  Click here to learn about irrigation needs in your area.

Pests and Problems:

• Check under leaves of pumpkins, melons and squash plants for squash bugs.
• Watch for mosaic virus in vine crops, and remove infected plants to reduce the spread.
• Watch for holes from tobacco budworm feeding in the leaves of petunias, necotiana, geraniums and other annual flowers.
• Protect black locust trees (not honey locust) with a registered chemical to prevent locust borer damage.
• Control codling moth in apples and pears to reduce wormy fruit. For specific timing, see our Utah Pests Advisories.
• Control for walnut husk fly in walnuts, peaches and apricots between August 1 and 15.
• Learn how to identify a hobo spider.
• Control European paper wasp with traps this time of year.
• Monitor for damaging turfgrass insects.

To see a video on gardening tips for August, click here. To learn more gardening tips and tricks, visit garden.usu.edu. For drought information, visit drought.usu.edu.