Gardening in the Month of September

Saturday, September 15, 2012

With the summers receding and the drop in temperatures becoming quite evident as the month of September is approaching, days have become slightly shorter. Though the weather conditions would not have much to add to the ornamental aspect of your garden, there still are many reasons to cheer about.

An ideal harvesting month, it is the most perfect time to pick the perfect raspberries and apples for homemade jams and pies, as you can store those for long during the winter months ahead. This is also the month for you to initiate planting for spring, while enjoying the last few of the summer fruits.

Tips for Sowing and Planting in this Month
  • Buy and plant spring flowering bulbs this month and you will love the colours that will bloom in your garden during winters and spring. Get Daffodils, Narcissus, lilies, tulips, crocus and iris. For tulips, it is best to wait till the end of October though. So start planting these now, before it gets too late.

  • You also need to begin collecting seeds from annuals and perennials in your garden. Store them in envelopes after cleaning and drying them properly.

  • For Christmas flowering, purchase already prepared bulbs and put them in bowls made of bulb planting fibre.

  • For a blooming and colourful garden in the following spring, this is the right time to sow seeds of flowering plants and perennial and hardy plants, as it helps form good roots. You can sow seeds of sweet peas, greenhouse and other hardy annuals. Parsley can also be sown to reap crop in early spring. Adding fertiliser is recommended to give your newly-planted trees a great start.
Preparing your Garden for the Upcoming Winter Season

One of the best things about this month is that as it progresses, the need for mowing the garden reduces too. Start clearing your garden to prepare it for the coming months. Dispose the dead plants and shrubs, and dig and add manure to the soil to condition it.

Move plants and shrubs to other suitable areas according to the requirement and also, dig up all the potatoes before they get spoilt due to slug damage. If you have a greenhouse, you can relocate your cacti and other houseplants that have spent the summers outdoors.

Essential Things to Do
  • To prevent pests and insects from crawling and destroying the fruit on your fruit trees, September is the month to tie grease bands around the trees.
  • Tidy up your garden, trim the evergreen hedges and weed out the plants to give your garden a neat look for winters.
  • You'd need to reduce the frequency of watering your houseplants, as the temperatures drop. However, ensure to water your new plants regularly.
  • As autumn is approaching next, cover ponds and other open water areas to avoid leaves getting underway.
As evenings will become a bit too cooler for comfort, there would still be a few days before summer officially gets over. Enjoy the time outdoors with the early varieties of apples of the season.

Graeme is writing on behalf of Seeds provider Kings Seeds

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