September
2003 Gardening Tips
by Thea Fiskin, Master Gardener
As summer winds down it becomes much more enjoyable to spend
time working in the garden. September evenings are great for
barbecues and relaxing in the yard. Look around. It's probably
time to perk up your lawn, plant a winter vegetable garden,
divide perennials, and make room for spring bulbs.
GARDEN CHORES
LAWNS: If your fescue lawn is looking a little sickly,
then bring it back to health by aerating (aerifying) to alleviate
compaction and enhance water penetration. Don't just poke holes
with a pitch fork, remove small cores of soil. Afterwards apply
a complete lawn fertilizer and deep water. If you have dead
spots then rake away the dead grass, work in some organic matter,
firm the soil, scatter seed, firm again, and cover lightly with
a humus topper. Water several times a day to keep the seedbed
moist to get maximum germination.
WATER: Remember to change the irrigation timer and reduce
watering as the weather cools. Deep water citrus, stone fruit,
and landscape trees.
WEEDS: If you had weeds last winter and spring, then
now is the time to apply a preemergence herbicide to prevent
annual bluegrass (Poa annua) and other winter weed seeds from
germinating. The same "crabgrass preventer" products
that are used in the spring also work well on winter weeds.
For best results apply uniformly over the entire area and water
well. Don't delay! Get this done as early in the month as possible.
FLOWERS: Divide crowded perennials, lift and loosen clumps
then divide into sections, removing any old dead parts. Amend
the soil with compost, then replant, and water in well. This
can be done to agapanthus, coreopsis, daylilies, Echinacea,
phlox, society garlic, yarrow and most other herbaceous perennials.
Plant seeds of alyssum, calendula, California poppy, forget-me-not,
ornamental kale and sweet peas. A special tip for sweet peas,
soak seeds overnight before you plant.
VEGETABLES: It's time to change the vegetable garden
to cool season veggies, but don't pull out summer veggies too
soon. If we have mild weather, you may still have fresh tomatoes
for Thanksgiving.
Seed beets, carrots, lettuce, radishes, snow peas and spinach.
Set out seedlings of artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,
kale, and strawberries. Introduce kids to the joys of gardening.
Plant small round carrots, radishes in red, purple and white
called the Easter egg blend, and edible-pod snap peas in a large
pot. The radishes grow fast providing almost instant results.
HERBS: It's time to plant catnip, chamomile, cilantro,
dill, Echinacea, fennel, oregano, marjoram, parsley, rosemary
and thyme. Sorry, no basil, soon it will be too cold for this
heat lover.
BULBS: Bulbs are in the nurseries, so be sure to get
there early for the best selection. Look for firm healthy bulbs.
Don't buy any that are shriveled or have soft or mushy spots,
or mold. Buy quality bulbs. Usually larger bulbs mean larger
flowers. Store them in a cool, dark place until planting time
in November.
Remember crocus, hyacinths and tulips require at least eight
weeks of "precooling" to bloom well. I put mine in
the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator in a paper (not plastic)
bag. Be sure to keep the bulbs separated from fruit in the refrigerator.
Most fruits (especially bananas, apples, and tomatoes) release
ethylene gas as they ripen and this prevents bulbs from blooming.
CRITTER CONTROL:
Clean up all debris around trees, like fallen fruits and nuts.
Remove any fruit mummies from trees to reduce the source and
possible infection of pests and diseases in the future.
Snails and slugs will start showing up, use bait or handpick.
Keep plants dust free to prevent spider mites, spray them off
with a blast of water. Be on the lookout for whiteflies. They
are due to show up any time now.
Protect broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and kale from white cabbage
butterflies that lay their eggs on plants. These eggs hatch
into caterpillars and start eating holes in leaves. Try row
covers or using Bt to kill the caterpillar larvae before they
do any damage.
SEPTEMBER days and evenings are great in the garden. So get
out there and start playing in the yard. Perennials and shrubs
planted now will grow roots before winter comes and be ready
to take off next spring.
