September Chores Part 1

September is fast approaching and with it we anticipate some welcome relief from the heat and humidity and all things fall. It is also a time to roll up our gardening sleeves and get back to work after a time of rest (or downright neglect) from attention to the yard and garden. There are plenty of gardening chores to be done this month. Here are a few of them.

September is a crucial month for dividing and transplanting perennials. Perennials treated this way now have time to develop good new root growth before cold weather slows them down. Dig, divide, and replant overcrowded beds of bearded iris, daylilies, shasta daisies, tall phlox, and many others. Spread evenly over the new planting area a liberal amount of organic matter and bulb fertilizer. Mix this into the soil at least six to eight inches deep. Space roots at least one foot apart in all directions so that root competition will not be a problem for a few years.

It is also time to plant fall greens and salad crops. Plant cabbage, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce from transplants. Plant beets, carrots, chard, kale, rutabagas, mustard, turnips, and lettuce from seeds. Try several kinds of lettuce—head, romaine, and leaf types.

Light pruning of shrubs and hedges this month is permissible as long as it is done very carefully. As always when pruning, first take out any diseased or damaged wood and crossing branches. Then shape the plants, removing the tips of the newest overextended growth. It is not advisable to severely prune at this time, as the new, tender growth will be susceptible to the coming cold.

If you decide to prune your big leaf hydrangeas (mopheads) this fall, be very careful not to interfere with next year’s crop of flower heads. This standard hydrangea species (H. macrophylla) blooms in late spring on the tips of the previous year’s growth. So when you prune, cut out only old canes sporting faded flowers. Be sure to leave all current year‘s shoots undisturbed.

Camellias are often plagued by scale insects, which suck plant juices and cause discoloring of the leaves, eventually severely weakening the plant. The latter part of September may be cool enough to spray with horticultural oils for control of scale on camellias and other broad-leaf evergreens. But beware—if temperatures remain above 85 degrees, it is still too hot to use oil sprays. Wait awhile.

If you are a grower of pumpkins or winter squash and you planted seeds or plants early (in April, May, or June) you may be seeing early coloring and ripening of these crops. What to do? If the vines are still healthy (green and growing), the best approach is to leave the fruit on the vines and keep the vines healthy for as long as possible. As the vines begin to die down (becoming more brown than green) let the fruit cure in the field for 10-14 days. This curing process will harden off the skin, which will allow the fruit to store longer. After this, the fruit should be sprayed or washed with a 10% chlorine bleach solution (9 parts water to one part bleach) to help kill any fungi or bacteria that may be present. Be sure to let the fruit dry before storing them. If possible, store in an airy place at 55-60 degrees and a relative humidity of 65-75%. Make sure you store only the best fruit, as rots from poor quality fruit can spread quickly to the good fruit. Do not allow the fruit to touch each other.

September is the perfect month to start a compost pile. Leaves are beginning to fall. You’ll soon be dragging out the lawn rakes!

More September chores later.

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, and former Perry High School horticulture instructor. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery and Lewis Farms Produce located on Georgia Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478)954-1507, timlewis1@windstream.net, and at LewisFarmsNursery.com.

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