Keven Pauling
New Plantings
June is typically the hottest and driest month of the year. If you are planting new plants or trees, be sure to water them as much as two times a day until established. I usually set the water to come on early in the morning and then again after 1:00 p.m. This allows the root zone to cool off and gives the plant plenty of moisture to get through the shock of being transplanted.
Fertilize
Fertilize plants and trees with a good all-purpose fertilizer according to the directions. The most critical part of fertilizing is to water it in thoroughly. I use my garden hose and water until the fertilizer disappears. After that, the drip system will take care of the rest.
Citrus
Pick trees clean to avoid bugs and rodents and fertilize with a citrus fertilizer or a general-purpose fertilizer according to the directions. Trunks of trees that have been trimmed should be protected from direct sunlight by wrapping the trunk with a cloth, a piece of burlap or a simple coat of indoor latex paint. Once the trees have grown enough to shade themselves, you don’t need to protect them anymore.
Weeds
Continue to spray weeds as they appear or pull the occasional one that pops up. If spraying, be sure to mix a little dish soap in the weed killer to make it work better. Use a tablespoon of dish soap in each gallon of weed killer.
Adjust Drip System
Now is a great time to replace the battery in the back of your timer. I recommend watering plants every other day for at least two hours and trees every six days for three hours. Obviously, this may need to be adjusted, depending on the type of plants and trees and how much water the drip heads emit.