September
Monthly Garden Tips
In September the weather here in Zone 5 Pittsburgh starts to
moderate a little, and with the cooler temperatures comes a
renewed desire to get out in the garden. Here are some of the
things to do this month:
General Tips
Shrubs & Trees
Annuals & Bulbs
Perennials
Veggies
Fruits
Lawn
Houseplants
Pest Control
- Fall is for planting- trees, shrubs, bulbs, grass seed,
mums, asters, pansies and the list goes on. The cooler
temperatures, and more plentiful rainfall makes fall a
wonderful time to plant. An added benefit to fall planting
is that it gives you a head start for next spring. Plants
that are planted in the fall will be all settled in and
ready to grow when the ground thaws and temperatures warm up
next spring.
- Late summer and fall weed control is much more critical
than most of us believe. Perennial Weeds.
This is the best time to eliminate perennial and vine type
weeds such a Canadian Thistle, Field Bind Weed, Poison Ivy
and many others. During this season plants are moving food
from the leaves to the roots for winter storage. Sprays
applied to weeds and brush now are more easily translocated
from the leaves to the roots insuring the best possible
control.
Here are some recommendations:
- Thistles-Thistle Down, by Monterey, is the best product
on the market today for thistle and many other hard to control weeds. It is
expensive, but it works.
- Poison Ivy –Poison Oak & Ivy
Killer, by Bonide will usually eradicate this vine
with one application.
- Grass in flower and shrub beds – Grass
Beater kills the grass without harming broad leaf
plants.
- General Weed Control –Kleen Up, kills both annual
and broadleaf weeds. It works like Roundup, but better.
Winter Germinating Annual Weeds – These are the weeds that
are such a problem in our gardens during April and May. They germinate in
late summer to fall remaining unnoticed during the winter and ready to
create havoc in spring. . The solution is to apply Amaze
during September, which is a granular pre-emergence herbicide, which puts an
end to weeds as they germinate. Take care not to use Amaze around
plants you desire to reseed.
- Start fall clean-up in the flower beds, cutting back
anything that has finished blooming and is looking tattered.
Leave plants such as sedum, ornamental grass, and others
that offer winter interest.
- Dispose of diseased or pest-ridden plant material in the
trash, although these materials can be composted, this
should only be done if you’re certain that your compost pile
reaches hot enough temperatures to kill any pathogens or
over-wintering insects/eggs.
- Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. The new
plants will have several months to grow new roots and will
be ready to grow early next spring. Select accent plants
for your landscape that will provide autumn colors. Trees
that have red fall color are Flowering Dogwood, Maples, Oak,
Serviceberry, Smoke Tree, Ginkgo, Sour /Black Gum,
Ornamental Pear, and some Crab Apples. Shrubs with stunning
fall foliage include sumac, viburnum, winged euonymus and
Barberry, Spiraea, Fothergilla, Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Itea,
Chokeberry, Clethra, and Blueberry.
- Allow plants to finish the summer growth cycle in a
normal manner. Never encourage growth with heavy
applications of fertilizer or excessive pruning at this
time. Plants will delay their dormancy process that has
already begun in anticipation of winter in the months ahead.
New growth can be injured by an early freeze.
- Water newly planted trees and shrubs to provide
sufficient moisture and prevent winter damage. Add a three
inch layer of organic mulch such as shredded bark around the
base of plants to retain soil moisture and regulate soil
temperature. Keep the mulch a few inches away from stems and
trunks.
- Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. The new
plants will have several months to grow new roots and will
be ready to grow early next spring.
- Trees that bleed or are susceptible to disease if pruned
in the spring may be pruned now. This includes maples,
birch, black walnut, oaks, honey locust and mountain ash.
Prune young trees to a single central leader; remove broken,
crossed or rubbing branches; and gradually remove lower
branches. Always make proper pruning cuts just beyond the
branch collar but not leaving stubs.
- Give evergreen hedges a final trim to ensure they are
neat for the winter.
- It is especially important to mulch after planting if
bulbs are planted very late in fall. Mulch insulates the
soil, keeping it warmer longer so root growth can occur.
- Spring flowering bulbs planted this month will provide
welcome color early next spring. Drifts of a dozen or more
bulbs of one variety make the most impact. Planting depth is
normally 3 times the height of the bulb; space the bulbs
according to the package directions. Espoma Bulb
Tone should be incorporated in the soil below the
bulbs.
- The larger the bulb, the better the flower. Look for
large bulbs, free of bruising and handling injuries to
guarantee success.
- Winter pansies, ornamental kale, flowering cabbage, and
fall mums may be planted now, to give color to the garden
now that summer flowers have faded away. The sooner they are
planted the better so a strong root system can develop
before the onset of winter. Flowering kale and cabbage will
turn a beautiful color with the cold and will last until
covered with snow.
- Try planting bulbs in containers, and when doing so it’s
worth placing them in two layers, one slightly staggered
above the other. Plant small bulbs on the top layer and
larger ones lower down. This will ensure a spectacular
spring display. Consider planting hardy spring bedding
plants, such as winter pansies, primroses, or violas on top.
- Some annuals such as Coleus and many tropical plants can
be taken indoors and grown as houseplants during cold winter
months.
- Pot up some spring flowering bulbs for indoor color
during the winter. Store the pots in a cool, dark place,
until new growth emerges from the soil, and then move them
to a bright window.
- This is a good time to evaluate your autumn landscape to
see where new perennial plants can be added to provide fall
color. Asters, perennial blue salvias, and some of the
sedums (including the popular 'Autumn Joy' and stunning new
Mr. Goodbud.) are good choices for long-lasting color at
this time of the year. If your soil is moist and the spot
is sunny, try Helen's Flower (Helenium) cultivars with their
fall colors of reds, oranges, and yellows. Goldenrod is
another possibility. There are many nice cultivars,
including ‘Fire Works (3-4’), 'Golden Fleece,' (2’), and
Little Lemon (1’) Contrary to popular belief, goldenrod
doesn't cause allergies.
- You may notice a dust or talcum-like powder on your,
phlox, monarda or lilacs this month. That's powdery mildew.
It's a fungal disease, that while unsightly, it often causes
little damage to ornamentals and garden plants. Applying a
fungicide now will keep the disease from spreading. Use
Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide (for copper)
or Safer 3-in-1 Garden Spray which is
natural sulfur based fungicide. Another alternative would be
to include Bonide Fung-Onil, which contains
a powerful chemical fungicide, as the third element into
your spray rotation. One spraying will not, however get rid
of the problem, so be prepared for subsequent applications.
- If you prefer not to use chemicals, thinning the plants
to improve air circulation will help, as will pulling mulch
away from roots and stems.
- If you have perennial grasses invading your
perennial garden you know that it is almost impossible to
remove. The most effective way to remove it is to kill it
with Bonide Grass Beater. This herbicide
will kill the grass without harming broad leaf perennials.
- Dig and divide perennials that are growing beyond
their assigned spaces – or ones that are dying out in the
middle. Discard the dead centers and replant divisions from
around the perimeter. Fist-sized pieces are fine. Late
summer through early fall is the time to divide some of your
plants that are over grown, don’t wait; they need time to
establish themselves before cold weather arrives. Examples
of perennials that can be divided include: Astilbe, Bearded
Iris, Black-eyed Susan, Bleeding Heart, Daylily, Echinacea
(cone flower), Foxglove, Peony, Phlox, and Shasta Daisies.
- If you want to try to over winter your mums, cut the
stems to the ground once plant tops die back. Apply a thick
layer of straw or bark mulch in Mid November, removing it in
the spring as the frost leaves the ground.
- For tomato and potato Late Blight
protection, spray them with a copper based fungicide, 10
days later spray with a sulfur based fungicide, and then for
the next application switch back to the copper. We recommend
using Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide (for copper)
and Safer 3-in-1 Garden Spray for the
sulfur based fungicide. Another alternative would be to
include Bonide Fung-Onil if you are not an
organic gardener. Fung Onil contains
the very effective chemical fungicide ‘Daconil’,
and it can be used as the third element of your spray
rotation.
- If you notice any symptoms of late blight on your
tomatoes or potatoes, pull the plants out immediately and
put them in a plastic trash bag and discard them in the
trash.
- Do not put them in your compost pile, as compost can
stay warm enough for the disease to over-winter and affect
your plants again the next season.
- If frost threatens, cover your tender tomatoes,
and peppers with cloth (bath towels or sheets). Paper and
plastic sheeting will not provide sufficient protection.
Don't worry about your carrots, cole crops, turnips, and
parsnips. They'll actually taste sweeter after being exposed
to temperatures between 28 and 34 degrees F. For harvest in
early winter, cover these root crops with 18 inches of
straw, hay, or dry leaves. This will keep the ground from
freezing so deeply and make it easier to dig them up.
- Harvest remaining vegetables, including green
tomatoes. (Ripen by wrapping each in a sheet of newspaper
and storing in a cool (55 - 60 degrees F.) dark spot.
- Spray tomatoes if stink bug damage is noted. Bonide
Fruit and Nut Orchard spray provides very good control. Read
the label before using.
- If you have not already done so,
remove the old canes from black raspberries and June bearing
red raspberries now that the fruiting season is over.
Removal of the old canes of ever bearing/fall red
raspberries should be delayed until after mid October.
- September is the best month of the entire year to seed
your lawn. This includes both seeding a new lawn and
reseeding (over seeding) an established lawn to make it
thicker and healthier. Test your soil, and if you needed,
apply lime, fertilizer.
- September is also a good time to apply a grub control to
your lawn if problems were experienced this summer. We
recommend St.Gabriel Organics”Milky Spore Grub
Control.
- With the cooler days of early fall, grass growth speeds
up (and slows down later in fall with colder temperatures),
so keep mowing as long as it is growing. Set the blades to
cut grass at least two inches high.
- Do not wait for frost warnings to move your plants
indoors. Temperatures of 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower can
damage many tropical house plants. If needed, spray
them first with one of the following products:
Bonide Eight, or use Bonide Systemic
Houseplant Insect Control.
- Repot pot bound plants with Fafard
potting mixes.
- Fertilize your houseplants with Bonide Liquid
Plant Food, or Schultz All Purpose Plant
Food Plus through November, and then stop feeding
them until next spring.
- September is the best month to plant Amaryllis bulbs.
Remember not to plant them too deep.
- If you have a problem with either dogs or cats
disturbing your garden, spread Havahart Dog & Cat
Get Away
granules over the problem areas.
- Fall Webworms can now be seen in tree
branches and shrubs. They are the big, silky tents that are
usually spun towards the tip of the branch. Inside the
webbing there are many hungry caterpillars that will eat the
plants foliage if not controlled. Although they usually
cause no permanent damage, I like to remove them when they
are found. My organic method of control is removal of the
web mass with a stick, followed with a smashing of the
worms.
- We have had a
several calls recently about bagworms. Bagworms are almost
completely developed now – making it to late too treat for them.
Bagworms are best treated in June with Bonide Fruit and
Nut
Orchard Spray. They can be identified as little gray / brown
elongated bags 1-2” long hanging from defoliated evergreens.
Open a few, and if you find larva within, try to pick off as
many as you can to help control next year’s population.
- Stink Bugs problems continue to grow,
and so we are on the lookout for solutions. St
Gabriel Organics’ Stink Bug Killer is an effective
organic insecticide that knocks this pest dead in an
instant. It can be used indoors, but on the downside it can
also damage plants. Bonide Fruit and Nut Orchard
Spray contains the organic insecticide Pyrethrum is
safe to use on plants and deadly on Stink Bugs. This product
comes in a concentrated form and so a portable sprayer is
required. Another new product is the Rescue Stink Bug Trap.
An advantage of this trap is that it attracts the target
insect from only at a distance of about 30 feet. It thus
catches stink bugs located on your property, and does not
draw them in from around the neighborhood.
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