08/07/2026
August - It's hot! The heat and extended lack of rain will begin
to take a toll on your landscape as it does every year.
Grass will brown - it's ok! This is what grass does in August and September until it cools down again or we receive rain. Grass goes into a dormant state only to return again. Remember if its brown it's fine. If it begins to turn grey in color - additional hand watering may be necessary because it is dying or dead.
Water restrictions are still at once per week watering if you are on SAWS water system. This can be tuff on grass in full sun but it can survive it and has for many seasons here in S.A.. Deep water on your water day. Use two schedules or a time delay setting so it will not run off and has time to soak in before the second cycle.
Watch for insect problems on plants and in lawn areas. Treat as early as possible if signs begin. Typically Lace bugs, White Fly's, Woolly Aphids and Spider Mites on plants will cause flowering to decrease and leaves to curl. Cinch bugs and Grubs in lawn areas can quickly become active. Aphids on plants and Crape Myrtles. You will notice the leaves turning black.
Powdery Mildew can also be present on pants and especially Crape Myrtles . Treat with a fungicide.
Spider mites in Cypress, Rosemary, Verbena, Lantana and other plants are very common with heat and drought stress. The interior of the foliage starts to brown or flowering stops.
Check your irrigation system!!! Many controllers these days have an easy check feature which will allow you to set all stations to water for say 2 minutes and you can walk around the yard and evaluate any issues there may be. One small problem can become an expensive one when it's a hundred degrees everyday for a month or two. Not to mention everyone else is calling the sprinkler guys at this time and it may be a while before they can get to you for service! Consider upgrading your old outdated irrigation controller to one of the new Wi-Fi controllers which have integrated automatic weather adjustments. You can walk around your yard and turn on the zones from the app on your phone and check for issues.
Add mulch to plant beds. A thick layer will help retain moisture in the soil.
It's also important to selectively prune perennials (Salvia Greggii, Mexican Bush Sage, Turks Cap, Skulls Cap, Lantana, Henry Duhlberg Sage, Indigo Spires, etc.) to reduce there size which will help the plant by reducing the amount of foliage it has to support. This can also be useful to reduce insects without having to spray insecticides. Just be sure to remove the trimmings from site. Pruning also prepares the Perennials for Fall flowering and will strengthen the stems and fill out the plant in order to support heavy Fall flowering.
Avoid trimming back heat loving plants like Esperanza, Pride of Barbados, Thryallis. These plants love the heat and flower best at this time.
