Garden Update – Mid July 2015 | Green Speak | Illinois Extension

July 24, 2015

What's going on in the garden this week? Here is a snapshot of observations and questions coming into the Extension office.

Out in the Garden

The rains have ceased and the lawn and garden beds are drying out. It is almost the end of July and I have yet to water a single plant this season, even containers!
Lawns can tolerate a significant amount of standing water while days remain cool. Now that summer has arrived the standing water has begun to heat up and cook the turf. Turf has begun to die off where about 1- to 2-inches of standing water has persisted off and on for weeks.
Our spring seeded lawn area is green and lush, mostly with crabgrass, but green nonetheless! This just goes to show the difficulty in spring seeded lawn establishment. This spring seeded area along with those drowned spots in the lawn will be reseeded at a more appropriate time in late-summer to early fall.
My run at growing hops has not fared the best. Again, excess rain is to blame, and hops do prefer well-drained soils. Knowing this I mounded the planting area when the hops were installed in spring, but it was not enough. Several hop bines have succumbed to what I believe is root rot. Other bines while still showing excess moisture stress still produced. I am excited for harvest.
The garden was recently certified as a monarch waystation. I have yet to spot monarch caterpillars taking advantage of the milkweed.
The rains have put a damper on the summer displays. Most of our swaths of bee balm declined and several annual beds. Leaf spot diseases can be found on most plants, though many still continue to perform.

Homeowner Questions – Mid July

Garden Update – Mid July 2015