While the weather is warm and muggy, there is still much to do in the landscape and garden.

Here are a few tips and suggestions that should come in handy during the month of July.

If azaleas look chlorotic (pale green to yellow) check soil pH. They need acid soil because alkalinity locks up iron needed for green color. Sulfur reduces soil pH.

July is a good time to root cuttings of woody shrubs and evergreens, such as azaleas, holly and hydrangea. Use a powdered rooting hormone, stick the cuttings in a lightweight potting media and keep them moist.

Before spraying an insecticide on your vegetables, check the product label. Each insecticide has a time you must wait before you can safely harvest.

Start selecting your favorite bulb varieties now by searching out bulb catalogs. It is time to order so bulbs can be planted this fall. And, be sure to select a good site for spring bulbs. Now is a good time to cultivate the soil 10-12 inches deep and work in some compost.

Summer is not the time to prune tree limbs. If there is a broken branch, however, remove the limb, including the jagged break or split, with a clean cut.

Pulling out plants that have gone past their prime is an important method of preventing a buildup of disease and insect problems. Plants suspected of virus and fungal diseases should be removed and burned, if possible. The longer they are left lying around in the garden, the greater the chance for carrying over problems to next year.

During hot, July weather, be sure to mow your lawn to the appropriate height. This reduces water loss and helps lower soil temperatures. Leave clippings on the lawn to decompose.

Look for damaging insects on evergreen trees like magnolias and hollies. Scale, spider mites, lacebug, leaf miner, spittlebug and leaf hoppers are bad in July.

Annual summer flowers may now look pretty poor due to high heat and lack of rain. Continue to dead-head spent blooms and boost plants with monthly light fertilizer applications.

Fall webworm likely will begin showing up in trees around Hall County later this month. This is the one that forms the webs at the very tips of the branches. Control can be as simple as pruning the webs out of the branches if they are accessible or treating with a registered pesticide such as Sevin or Dipel. Most of the damage is considered cosmetic and no treatment at all is also a viable option.

If you're vegetable garden hasn't turned out as well as you had hoped, you can still buy locally-grown produce! Visit the Hall County Farmers Market beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesdays and 7 a.m. Saturdays.

Plus, you can visit the new Market on the Square from 4 to 7 p.m. today. Farmers are bringing in a great selection of all your summertime favorites.

Billy Skaggs is an agricultural agent and Hall County extension coordinator. Phone: 770-531-6988. Fax: 770-531-3994.