Onward and update - June 1 update

It seems a little late to advise planting melon seeds now (see previous post)! But maybe there's hope for my puny melon plants. Only the cucumber and the honeydews have really taken off. Lots of bloom but no fruit set so far.

The Early Girl and cherry tomatoes are at peak harvest. The yellow pear tomatoes are just starting to ripen. They are cute but a little bland for my taste.

Japanese eggplant and zucchini for picking every day. There's good looking chard too but somehow I avoid it right now. I'm letting the last few artichokes stay on the plant. They are small and I do like the blossoms when they mature.

I removed the Italian (flat) parsley but the curly parsley and the basil is doing well. The peppers continue to languish.

I picked the first butternut squash this week. However, I was informed that usually people leave them on the vine until the whole plant withers. This will result in a deeper flavor and harder shell. They are called winter squash because the hard shell makes them keep well through the winter! I did not know that before.

We did have a very few nectarines and aprium, tasty but not enough. The second peach tree is starting to ripen. We just picked the last grapefruit - it is still not as good as the others in the neighborhood and I am thinking of removing it.

We did remove the giant lime tree and it is strange to have that pocket of sunlight in the orchard. Maybe I'll plant big flowers like hollyhocks and sunflowers there next year.

What to do in a Desert Garden in June?

There are tips on what to do in the desert garden this month from the
University of Arizona College of Agriculture Maricopa County Extension
There's also a lot of other helpful information and FAQ's on that website.
Another site of interest on what to do in the garden here in the low
desert is John Chapman's site.

Climate Information for June
in Phoenix, Arizona
Rainfall:

Average: 0.1 inches
Record: 1.7 inches (1972)

Temperature (degrees F):

Average High: 103.5 degrees
Lowest High: 68 degrees (1899)
Record High: 122 degrees (1990)

Average Low: 72.9 degrees
Highest Low: 93 degrees (1990)
Record Low: 49 degrees (1908)

Note: Rainfall and temperatures vary widely within the valley depending upon elevation and microclimate.

To Do List . . .
Turf

Plant Bermuda lawns during the active growing season, May through August

Fertilize Bermuda grass lawns with Nitrogen each month beginning late April or early May according to the directions on the fertilizer package.

Apply Iron one a month according to the directions on the fertilizer package.

Apply one inch of water per week to Bermuda lawns

Once every two or three years dethatch Bermuda lawns if necessary. Only dethatch during the active growing season, May through August. This enables the turf to quickly recover.

Vegetables

Plant Seeds

Armenian Cucumbers, Melons (Cantaloupe, Muskmelon), Sunflowers

Plant Transplants

Sweet Potatoes

Roses

Cut back on fertilizing established roses to encourage plants to slow down for the hot summer

Water deeply as temperatures climb

Hose off plants in the early morning to increase humidity and control spider mites

Fruit and Nut Trees

Pick early-maturing deciduous fruit varieties, which are particularly prone to bird damage, before full maturity. Ripened at room temperature to lessen the bird peck loss.

Cover fruit trees with netting to protect from birds

Apply nitrogen and zinc to pecan trees to produce normal size leaf growth and to enhance kernel development. Pecans also need more water than most other shade trees.

Landscape Plants

Increase water application as the weather warms. June is the driest month. Pay attention to irrigation needs of plants.

Apply mulch to the ground around heat sensitive plants keep the roots cooler and prevent evaporation.

Apply chelated iron to bottle brush, pyracantha, silk oak, and other plants with iron deficiency symptoms.

Prune palms when flower spathes show or delay pruning until after the palm has finished flowering to prevent infestation of Palm Flower caterpillars. If palms are pruned in the spring, leave the top five rows of peels so the caterpillars have a place to hide.

Cut off spent blooms to stimulate rebloom

Native and imported heat tolerant plants can be planted right through the summer months. They will need to be watered on a regular basis until fall.

Transplant palms in the heat of the summer for best results.

If you have previously had a problem, apply around the base of Agaves a pesticide labeled for use on grubs in order to kill the grubs of the Agave Weevil.

Don't List . . .

Do not expose citrus and other sun sensitive plants to sunburn by pruning during the summer

Frequently Asked Questions
Damage is Noticed on the Fruit

Citrus fruit drop
The shed of newly set fruit is a natural thinning worsened by hot weather and dry winds. There is no cause for concern.

Tomato Bloom Drop and failure to set fruit

Hot air and dry temperatures cause the blooms to drop off and the pollen to dry up. The pollen of many vegetables, including tomatoes is not viable once the temperatures get over 90 degrees. Provide shade. Nurse the plants through the summer and they will begin producing again in the fall. Or pull them out and plant new ones in the late summer for fall production.

Tomatoes have a large soft rot at the blossom end of the fruit

Vegetables are not setting fruit

Many of our helpful European honey bees have been annihilated by people trying to protect themselves from Africanized honey bees. In addition, many bees have been killed by mites. As a result they are not available to assist with pollination. Squash, melons, cucumbers and other vegetables that have separate male and female flowers will benefit from hand pollination. Early in the morning use a cotton swab to take pollen from the male flower and place it female flower.

The pollen of many vegetables is not viable in high temperatures so they do not set fruit in the summer.

Damage is Noticed on the Leaves

Leaves are abnormally yellow but the veins are still green

Leaf Drop on Carob, African Sumac, Pine and other evergreen trees

This is a natural seasonal occurrence as the weather warms.

Citrus leaf drop

Leaves of vegetables being eaten by snails, slugs, cabbage loopers, or birds.

Leaves of my squash, pumpkin, cucumber, cantaloupe and/or watermelon wilt, turn black and die. Sometimes an entire plant or section of a plant dies while nearby plants remain healthy.

The leaves or needles have yellow spots or stippling. Leaves are stunted and twisted. There is a fine webbing between leaves.

A shiny little bug is destroying Mexican Evening Primrose, Dichondra, or vegetables

Tomatoes and other vegetables experience "failure to thrive." There are little nodules on the roots.

Bermuda grass is turning yellow-brown and dying in patches, there are tiny white flecks in the soil around the roots

There is a gray or white powdery substance on plants

Seedlings and bedding plants wilt and die suddenly

Damage is Noticed on the Stem or Trunk

Pines are dying back from the tips
This is a probably a physiological response. Check the soil near the trunk. Those with circling roots exhibit the worst symptoms.

There are brown balls/galls on the stems of oleander

Dry, thin bark cracks and splits to reveal black, powdery spores. Foliage above the wound is sparse and leaves may be small. Eventually branches die back to the canker.

Saguaro cactus has large black patches that are oozing and smell terrible

Leaves, twigs (and in advanced stages, branches) of pears and pyracantha are dying back from the tips with a scorched appearance

Damage is Noticed on the Roots

Tomatoes and other vegetables experience "failure to thrive." There are little nodules on the roots.

Bermuda grass is turning yellow-brown and dying in patches, there are tiny white flecks in the soil around the roots

Cultural / Environmental Questions

Tomato Bloom Drop and failure to set fruit
Hot air and dry temperatures cause the blooms to drop off and the pollen to dry up. The pollen of many vegetables, including tomatoes is not viable once the temperatures get over 90 degrees. Provide shade. Nurse the plants through the summer and they will begin producing again in the fall. Or pull them out and plant new ones in the late summer for fall production.

Tomatoes have a large soft rot at the blossom end of the fruit

Citrus fruit drop

The shed of some of the newly set fruit is a natural thinning worsened by hot weather and dry winds. Unless it is extreme, or there are additional symptoms there is probably no cause for concern.

Citrus leaf drop

Leaves are abnormally yellow but the veins are still green

Leaf Drop on Carob, African Sumac, Pine and other evergreen trees

This is a natural seasonal occurrence as the weather warms.

Pines are dying back from the tips

This is a probably a physiological response. Check the soil near the trunk. Those with circling roots exhibit the worst symptoms.

Insect/Pest Questions

Vegetables are not setting fruit
Many of our helpful European honey bees have been annihilated by people trying to protect themselves from Africanized honey bees. In addition, many bees have been killed by mites. As a result they are not available to assist with pollination. Squash, melons, cucumbers and other vegetables that have separate male and female flowers will benefit from hand pollination. Early in the morning use a cotton swab to take pollen from the male flower and place it female flower.

Leaves of vegetables being eaten by snails, slugs, cabbage loopers, or birds.

The leaves or needles have yellow spots or stippling. Leaves are stunted and twisted. There is a fine webbing between leaves.

There are light green and brownish black bugs feeding on my squash, pumpkins, cantaloupe, cucumber and/or watermelons.

A shiny little bug is destroying Mexican Evening Primrose, Dichondra, or vegetables

Tomatoes and other vegetables experience "failure to thrive." There are little nodules on the roots.

Bermuda grass is turning yellow-brown and dying in patches, there are tiny white flecks in the soil around the roots

Disease QuestionsThere is a gray or white powdery substance on plants

Seedlings and bedding plants wilt and die suddenly

Leaves, twigs (and in advanced stages, branches) of pears and pyracantha are dying back from the tips with a scorched appearance

There are brown balls/galls on the stems of oleander

Dry, thin bark cracks and splits to reveal black, powdery spores. Foliage above the wound is sparse and leaves may be small. Eventually branches die back to the canker.

Saguaro cactus has large black patches that are oozing and smell terrible