Gardening Calendar for August

Maintenance Time for Your Garden!
By Arun Pratap Singh

As the Monsoon rages in its full glory, it is time to get busy in the garden doing some hard work towards protecting and propagating the garden plants. Rainwater has real benefits for plants. So, if after the deluge, everything looks greener, it’s just Mother Nature working her special magic! In Uttarakhand, it rains a lot especially in the Garhwal region and the Doon Valley. This year, it has rains have been heavier than average. Too much of rain can cause serious problems for the plants and can even cause them to die. Sometimes it rains more in August than in July, so one has to take extra care in respect of certain plants as they are prone to get into problems with so much of water. Most plants love a high level of aerial humidity present during a typical monsoon season, but so do the fungi and bacteria. So certain plants become susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases during this quarter of the year.
Prevent Water logging: Most House and Garden plants dislike water logging. One has to constantly observe the potted plants to see if there is any water-logging. Similarly, keep the plants of Begonia, Geranium, Cacti and Succulents away from rain or observe them regularly to prevent any water logging. However, do not skip regular watering because of August downpours. Sometimes, it may not rain enough for water to penetrate the soil deeply to give plants the water they need. There may also be pots kept in the porch, verandas or a balcony where the rain does not reach. These pots need to be regularly watered. However, they will need much less water than in summer months.
Chrysanthemum: If the suckers or the rooted cuttings of Chrysanthemum (Guldaudi) have not been planted earlier they should be definitely planted by the third week of August as in Mussoorie, the Chrysanthemum flowers about twenty days earlier than in Dehradun and about 45 days earlier than in Delhi. The rooted cuttings planted in July can now be transplanted in slightly bigger pots having a soil mixture consisting of 1 part of garden soil, 1 part coarse sand, 1 parts leaf mould (or Coco peat), and 2 parts cattle dung manure along with 20 gm of fertiliser mixture (one part of Urea, two parts of Single Super Phosphate and one part of Potash).
If however, you have not planted the chrysanthemum so far, still you can do it. Soft wood cuttings about three to four inches long should be taken and planted after treating them with rooting hormone. They will develop roots in about three weeks’ time. Soak the soils slightly moist but never wet as the cuttings may rot. Planting should be done in pots having one part of soil, one part leaf mould or coco peat, two parts sand and two parts of cattle dung manure. It is advisable to treat the potting soil with a contact fungicide like Dithane M-45 or Captan @ 3 gm/litre of water ten days prior to planting.
Move the Chrysanthemum plants and the cuttings away from rain to the verandas or porch as they are much affected by the water-logging.
It is time to plant Dahlia cuttings too. You can take tip cuttings from your own mother plants and plant them in sand after dipping them in rooting hormone. While the soil should be moist, it must never be wet otherwise the cuttings will rot.
Rose plants may be transplanted now if they are needed to be shifted or re-potted. Keep the garden free of weeds by regular hoeing and picking of weeds. Mow the lawn at least twice during this month to keep the grass in shape and prevent weeds from establishing in the lawn. Hedges planted earlier this year in spring may be clipped now. Shrubs and climbers like Pentas, Ixoras, Thungbergia, Cestrums (Raat ki Rani), Mussaenda, Beloperone, Bauhinia acuminata, Exocaria, Pyrostegia venusta, Pothos (Money Plant), Philodendron can be planted or pruned now. Propagation of Jasmines, Tabernaemontana (Chandni) and many evergreen plants can be done even in August. In Mussoorie and other hill towns, this is the time to sow spring flowering plants like Phlox, Verbena, Petunia, Pansy, Daisy, Lupin, Dianthus, Nasturtium and Sweet William. The bulbs of Tulip and Hyacinth can be sown in August and September.
In this quarter, soil nutrients get leached as it rains a lot in Uttarakhand. Feed the plants regularly during the period with a balanced fertiliser like NPK (19:19:19), Polyfeed (M/s Nagarjuna Fertilisers) or Nitrophoska (of BASF) at the rate of 5 gm/pr litre of water as Fertigation. The feeding should be done at ten days interval during the monsoons. In case of indoor plants, the frequency can be reduced to twenty days. A handful of Neem Cake and a tea-spoon of sterilised Bone meal can be added to the pots as an organic feed.
KITCHEN GARDEN
Early cauliflower seedlings can be transplanted during August on the ridges. Japanese varieties of cauliflower can be sown from Mid August onwards. Turnip (Pusa Sweti) And Carrot (Pusa Kesar) can be sown now. Tomato seedlings purchased from the market can be transplanted in August in the kitchen Garden. Sem bean can be sown now.
In this quarter, soil nutrients get leached as it rains a lot in Uttarakhand. Feed the plants regularly during the period with a balanced fertilizer like NPK (19:19:19), Polyfeed (M/s Nagarjuna Fertilizers) or Nitrophoska (of BASF) at the rate of 5 gm/pr litre of water as Fertigation. The feeding should be done at ten days interval during the monsoons. In case of indoor plants, the frequency can be reduced to twenty days. A handful of Neem Cake and a tea-spoon of Bone meal can be added to the pots as an organic feed.
IN THE HILLS, Radish, Carrots, leafy vegetables like spinach, bet leaf, lettuce, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Brussels Sprout can be sown by mid August. French Beans and Cumber can also be sown now. It is harvest time for April sown Cumber, beans, Okra, and summer squash. Apply regular fertilizers or manures in the Kitchen Garden during this period.
Fruit Garden: Fruit trees like Mango. Litchi, Guava, Lime and Sapota if not planted in July can be planted now. New growth of Citrus plants is affected in August by Citrus leaf miner. Spray Fenvalerate or Rogor @ 3 ml/litre to prevent this problem. Fruit flies attack the mango during July and August. The affected fruits should be destroyed. Nuvan @ 2 ml/litre can be sprayed to prevent the attack at ten days intervals as a preventive measure.
Grape plants also should be sprayed with Dithane-M45 fugicide @ 3 gm/litre to prevent Anthracnose and leaf spot diseases. Air layering of Citrus fruits, Sapota (Cheeku) and Guava can be done during the first fortnight of this month. In the hills peaches, plums, apricot, almond, pear, and apple are harvested in July and August. This is time also to transplant the Strawberry in well prepared beds.