This week in the garden: July 5 - 11

Many vegetable and ornamental plants are susceptible to dodder, a parasitic weed that grows as twining threadlike stems over their hosts. If you have dodder, find a link below to UC IPM guidelines for control. (Photo: UC IPM)

Tasks

• Water camellias regularly to avoid bud drop during bloom season.
• If you have nematode problems in your vegetable garden, summer is the time to solarize your soil.
• Rinse dust off foliage, especially the underside of leaves, to discourage spider mites.
• Wash white flies off plants with insecticidal soap.

Pruning

• Cut spent canes of caneberries to the ground after harvest. Attach new canes to the trellis for next year's crop.

Fertilizing

• Apply high potassium fertilizer once fruit starts to form on pepper, cucumber, sunflower and tomato plants.

Planting

• A few winter vegetables may be planted by seed this month. Consult the California Garden Web (https://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu/) for more information.
• If not already done, pumpkins may be planted in July.

Enjoy now

• Annuals and perennials: Russian sage (Perovskia), annual phlox (Phlox drummondii), moss rose (Portulaca), gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia), marigold (Tagetes), zinnia.
• Bulbs, corms, tubers: daylily (Hemerocallis), tiger lily (Tigridia).
• Trees, shrubs, vines: lantana, oleander (Nerium).
• Fruits and vegetables: peaches, plum, tomatoes, zucchini.

Things to ponder:

• Rebuild water basins around deep-rooted permanent plants; water deeply and less frequently.
• Watch for the bright orange twining stems of the parasitic plant dodder. Remove any affected plants.