According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension horticulturist:

Texas gardeners usually sing the same tune this time of year — the heat is oppressive, and moisture is in short supply.

When it comes to moisture, Texas continues to be the place for the haves and have nots, some places have received way too much rain and others not near enough.   

Texas gardeners need to keep their moisture conditions in mind during the hot summer months.

How to help your plants endure the heat

Weeds compete with your garden plants for moisture, so stay on top of removing them. You may also need to pull plants that just aren’t doing well.

It is the number of leaves on a plant that dictates how much water the plant uses.  Plants can take intense heat and light if they have sufficient water. But it would be best not to try to establish plants at this time, regardless of your water situation.

Watch for garden pests

Pest populations also usually flare up during summertime when conditions are hot and dusty.

Be on the lookout for spider mites, aphids, white flies; these are best discouraged as opposed to treating once you have them.

Watch moisture levels as temperatures rise

Vegetation and trees have prospered in many locations with moisture, but many may be entering “a world of hurt” due to drying conditions.

Remember, if you do have newly planted plants they will need at least an inch of water a week, but never apply water daily or plants will not be deep rooted. Water should be applied either once a week or perhaps every three or four days.

Mulch can help protect soil moisture

Don’t forget the importance of mulch. A thick layer of mulch will help maintain soil moisture and reduce weed competition.

The heat is taking a toll on fruit set, so it may be time for some gardeners to pull the plants — such as tomatoes — and wait for more favorable conditions if they just don’t have the moisture needed.

You can’t allow plants with green fruit or berries to suffer from lack of moisture. Summer watering and care for fruit and fall nut production is especially critical to ensure quality.

Provide enough moisture for lawns

One thorough watering, which delivers 1 inch of water at a time, is better than several shallower sessions.

Top garden tips for July

• Raise your mower height to insure deep-rooted grass.
• Stay up on the harvest of cantaloupes, tomatoes, peppers, okra, etc. to ensure quality produce and to encourage subsequent production. 
• Prune dead or diseased wood from trees and shrubs. Hold off on major pruning from now until midwinter. Severe pruning at this time will only stimulate tender new growth prior to frost.
• A late-summer pruning of rosebushes can be beneficial. Prune out dead canes and any weak, brushy growth. Cut back tall, vigorous bushes to about 30 inches. After pruning, apply fertilizer, and water thoroughly. If a preventive disease-control program has been maintained, your rose bushes should be ready to provide an excellent crop of flowers this fall.
• Picking flowers/seed heads frequently encourages most annuals and perennials, crape myrtles, pride of Barbados, etc. to flower even more abundantly.
• It is time to divide spring-flowering perennials, such as iris, Shasta daisy, oxeye, gaillardia, cannas, day lilies, violets, liriope and ajuga.

Firebush can handle the heat, attracts hummingbirds

Texas gardeners looking to add color to their garden might want to consider incorporating firebush into their garden or landscape.

Firebush, sometimes called hummingbird bush, thrives in the heat and is a designated Texas Superstar.

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Are you a mosquito magnet? Science says you might be

If you feel like you’re the victim of itchy mosquito bites more often than others, it may not be all in your head.

Sonja Swiger, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist, professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology and self-proclaimed mosquito magnet from Stephenville, said there is some scientific evidence that mosquitoes have preferences for who to land and feed on.

Mosquitoes primarily rely on carbon dioxide to locate their targets, Swiger said. Body temperature and odor also play significant roles, so anything that alters these factors can make someone more or less attractive to mosquitoes.

To separate evidence from anecdotes, Swiger discussed some of the attributes or conditions that studies have shown to entice mosquitoes.

Blood type matters, sometimes

Several studies have shown mosquitoes prefer type O blood. One study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology found a mosquito species preferred to land on type O blood compared to others, but the difference was only significant between type O and type A.

Though it’s often reported that mosquitoes prefer type O blood, Swiger said it’s worth considering the limitations of these studies.

“Some projects have shown that there may be some correlation between blood type and mosquito preference, but in a comparative study, there’s always a winner,” she said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the absolute winner all the time.”

Some foods and alcohol

People who are intoxicated tend to put out more carbon dioxide and sweat more, which seems to attract mosquitoes — possibly along with other unknown factors.

Swiger said diet can also impact mosquito attraction, though the extent of its effect hasn’t been fully explored. Garlic and vitamin B are often anecdotally reported to deter these bugs, but the evidence is limited.

However, Swiger said bananas and other high-potassium foods have shown to attract mosquitoes, perhaps because they lead to an increase in lactic acid production in the body, which helps mosquitoes locate animals.

This also impacts a person’s skin microbiota, or the microorganisms living on the skin.

“There is some research to support that changing your diet will make you give off different scents,” Swiger said. “So, it may be possible to change your attractiveness to mosquitoes based on what you’re eating.”

Pregnancy attracts mosquitoes

Pregnant women also seem to attract more mosquitoes, primarily because of the increased carbon dioxide output. It’s estimated that women in the advanced stages of pregnancy exhale about a 21% greater volume than non-pregnant women.

Swiger said this goes along with other physiological changes, like increased body temperature, that together make pregnant women easier for mosquitoes to find.

A taste for the local flavor

Sometimes mosquitoes develop more specific tastes in a location over time as an evolutionary trait.

“Mosquitoes in certain neighborhoods can become accustomed to specific scents and start to prefer those over others,” Swiger said. “Their generations are about two weeks long, and urban mosquitoes that bite humans often don’t travel far. As a result, they seem to get familiar with the local scents.”

Other genetic predispositions

There’s still much to uncover as far as mosquito preferences. Swiger said there seems to be other genetic predispositions for what attracts mosquitoes, but these aren’t all clear just yet.

“If you find yourself swatting more mosquitoes than your friends, there is probably some science behind it,” she said. “While there’s no getting around genetic predispositions, staying covered and using repellant might just help you tip the scales in your favor.”