Check plants often to avoid water stress. This additional watering may leach nutrients from the media. Biweekly fertilization may be necessary to maintain vigor. During hot, dry, August days, avoid deep cultivation in your flower beds. Loosening the soil under these conditions reduces water uptake by increasing loss of soil water and damaging surface roots.
Plants often look much worse after cultivation than before.
Beware of non-traditional fertilizer products on the market, such as soil activators or conditioners, nutrient release agents, soil innoculants, foliar sprays, and others. Buy only those fertilizers with a guaranteed analysis and those proved by university research to be effective. Do not bury or spread used motor oil on the ground as it will prevent anything from growing in that location for many years and may contaminate nearby water sources. To dispose of it, take it to your community recycling center. By law, communities must have such a center, which may be located at an auto service or repair station, or at any station that sells or changes oil.