Tips for August/September

Greetings landscape lovers! Well, we're almost through this lovely heat and humidity....if one more out-of-towner says " sure it's hot, but it's a dry heat", I'm gonna pop 'em one. It's hard on us and our plants, but fall is in sight. But right now, in this blistering moment, the intense heat continues to make huge demands on your irrigation system. Irrigation clocks should be set to come on late in the evening (around 9 or 10 pm.), and again early in the morning ( around 6 or 7 am.) for approximately 6 minutes, depending on the plant material and water volume. Plant roots can be damaged by hot water if watering is done in the heat of the day. All bubblers, sprays, and drip heads should be checked for good coverage. Basins around plants should be repaired.