Requested by one of our readers was an article about maintenance works throughout the year.
I thought it would be nice to make a monthly series out of this.
This is part 7, in which I talk about the works in July. You can find the other parts here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Because the life of a gardener is tied to the weather and seasons, it is essential to mind the weather during each month described.
Japan is a long island, stretching from the North-East to the South-West and crosses several degrees of latitude. Plus it has a mountain range running from north to south, which will create different weathers in the west and east.
I will start each article with the average weather of that month focussing on Tokyo and Kyoto if possible.
The weather in July:
In the middle of July, the rainy season ends and the weather becomes very hot but still humid. The average sum of rainfall for this month is around 126mm.
The temperatures ranging from 29 °C (82°F)during the day to 22 °C (72°F) during the nights and we have four hours of average sunshine each day.
Works, which will be done in July:
Pruning of trees and shrubs
The trees are constantly producing new leaves and branches. In summer, they easily become too dense and it is necessary to cut them to provide a better air circulation, which will cool them down and help against harmful insects.
Take action against harming insects
The best way to do this is to encourage beneficial organisms. However, in Japan, spraying insecticides is very common.
Megiri can be carried out
Here, weak new shoots will be cut first and a week or two later, the stronger new shoots will be removed too. Read more about Megiri on our blog about Midoritsumi and Momiage.
As you can see, July is a relatively peaceful time for a gardener in Japan!
