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Gardening Tips for September

By Joe Daniels

Could it be that the last few days of summer are upon us? They say time flies when you're having fun. (Do you think many school-age children feel that way?) Here are some things you can tend to for the next few weeks. Keeping up with things will allow you to continue to enjoy the garden until the weather turns frosty.

Seasonal Chores

• Enrich garden beds with compost or peat moss. Don't forget to compost both fallen leaves and grass clippings as well as kitchen scraps. Learn how to compost and have the ultimate recycling.
• Collect soil samples now for testing so you can correct pH imbalances. (Remember the test kits cost $9.)
• Fall is harvest time, including harvest of choice seed from favorite and top-performing non-hybrid wildflowers, garden flowers, herbs and vegetables.
• Many large garden spiders will be seen at this time. Most are beneficial and not poisonous. To reduce spiders in the home for winter, seal up cracks and spaces at the foundation and remove debris nearby.
• Apply touch-up mulch if needed.
• Generally no more fertilizer should be applied to plants.
• September is often a dry month; water as needed.
• Keep up weeding, deadheading, and pest patrol.
• Order seasoned firewood for winter.

Houseplant Maintenance

• Clean up plants and prepare to bring them back indoors, before night temperatures fall below 55 degrees for the winter. Remove dead leaves and stems, as well as any soil on the outside of the pot. Check for insects prior to bringing plants back in.
• Be sure to wash windows this fall so that houseplants placed nearby can have maximum sunlight over winter
• Some herbs such as parsley or sage, can be dug up, potted, and used as houseplants.
• Stop weekly feedings of Christmas cactus in September for re bloom during the Christmas holidays. In October and November provide darkness for 15 hours a night in a cool place (50-60 degrees). Water plants about twice a month. (Tip: Some have had success with leaving Christmas cactus outdoors for a few cool nights (around 40-50 degrees). The chill sets the buds, but they usually bloom before Christmas if you try this approach. )

Bulbs

• Early September is the time to plant irises. Add organic matter and fertilizer to the soil prior to planting. Remove dead leaves and trim fans to about 4 inches tall. Plant near the surface (top of rhizomes just visible), about 12-18 inches apart. Water often for a few weeks.
• When the weather cools, begin planting spring-flowering bulbs. (crocus,daffodils, tulips,etc.). If this September is still warm, wait until October. Discard any bulbs that are rotting or infested..
• As a general rule, plant bulbs at a depth of 2 1/2 times the bulb's width.
• Dig up any tender bulbs (summer flowering, e.g., gladioli, dahlias, and tuberous begonias) and store them in a dark, well-ventilated area. This is best done before the temperature drops below 50 degrees or no later than when a slight frost has been observed on the leaves.

Vegetables

• Keep herbs producing new foliage by removing flowers and seedpods from basil, mint, parsley, sage and thyme.
• Seed cold-hardy vegetables now, including peas, lettuce, green onion sets, radishes, and spinach.
• Plant many garlic varieties in the fall.
• Continue to harvest vegetables at their peak. Ripe and overripe vegetables can be magnets for rodents and other pests. Have too much zucchini? Donate your excess to a local food bank!
• Harvest garlic and onions when the tops have dried up. Pull up the whole plant (top and all), let it dry, and then braid garlic or onions together for winter storage and an attractive decoration. Onions with thick necks do not store well and should be used first.
• Start potting up some chives, parsley, and other perennials for a kitchen winter garden.
• Preserve herbs for winter use by freezing or drying them.

Herbs

• Start potting up some chives, parsley and other perennials for a kitchen winter garden.
• Preserve herbs for winter use by freezing or drying them.

Lawn Care

• Continue to mow the lawn until growth ceases for the year. As the season cools, some grasses (Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue and perennial ryegrass) will actually grow faster, and more frequent mowing will be needed. If your lawn has already gone dormant due to drought, discontinue mowing. Unless you have a newly planted lawn, your lawn will need less water in the fall.
• Fertilize your lawn in mid to late September to give it an early start for next spring.
• Fall is an ideal time to establish a new lawn of the cool sea son grasses. Seed and water thoroughly, but infrequently (after grass has germinated) to encourage deep roots.
• This is also the best time to reseed bare spots in the lawn.
• Keep weeds from forming seeds, remove seed heads promptly. Control winter annual or perennial weeds in the lawn by applying an appropriate herbicide if weeds are extensive.

Perennials, Biennials and Annuals:

• Start perennials from seed this month. Allow seeds of delphinium and hollyhock to self-sow.
• Collect wildflower seed from native plants in your garden.
• Plant perennials, as many do best if planted in the fall.
• Divide and plant daylilies, iris, peonies and phlox. Eliminate weak or diseased plants
• Harvest cut flowers for drying- baby's breath, celosia, statice, and strawflower. Hang plants upside down in a dry and well-ventilated area.
• Plant ferns in early fall for best results. Plant them between or under shrubs, trees, and in other moist, shady areas. Add several inches of leaf mold or peat to the soil prior to planting for best results.
• This is a good time to rearrange plants in beds, and to plant container-grown perennials and shrubs. Keep them well watered until winter to promote good root development.
• Cut back short-lived perennials in early September, if it was not done in late August.

Rose Care

• Do not deadhead or fertilize roses after Sept. 1st.
• Prune only diseased or damaged canes. Other pruning should be done in the spring. Fall pruning increases the chance of winter drying and damage.
• Order your roses for fall planting.

Tree and Shrub Maintenance

• Prior to leaves dropping, prune all dead wood.
• For an energy efficient landscape: place evergreens on the north and northwest sides to block winter winds. To block early morning sun, plant deciduous trees on the east, to block late afternoon sun, plant on the west. Do not plant on the south side: trees here would block cooling summer breezes.
• When night temperatures are in the 40s and days are no longer warm, transplant trees and shrubs. Do not add fertilizer to the planting hole. It will stimulate late growth that could be damaged in winter.
• If you are moving plants from one area of your garden to another, be certain that they are well watered for at least several weeks prior to moving. Plants that are drought stressed do not transplant well.
• Now is a good time to move needle-leaved evergreens if they need to be moved to another area. Be sure to have a large enough rootball on each plant to sustain it.
• Begin to decrease supplemental watering this month to allow woody plants time to prepare for winter. If it is a dry fall, you will need to water monthly through November.