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This Month in Your Garden
SEPTEMBER |
Roses |
This month you may notice that
some of your roses are looking a bit
rangy without a lot of new blooms. This
time of year roses like to be cleaned up a bit. Cut
back any very long canes, especially the ones that
are stretching into your walkways. Remove any
dead canes. Don’t be concerned about a few dead
canes-it’s very normal, especially in climbers.
However, if the cane ever has dark black streaks in
it, that may mean root rot which is very serious and
a result of poor drainage. If you have any Old Garden
Roses, you will want to give them a good
pruning now, if you haven’t already. After they
bloom, they need to be cut back because they
bloom on old wood, so they need to get ready for
spring now. Be careful cutting back your large
climbers and ramblers though - just as I was about
to cut a large unruly cane yesterday I noticed the
worried face of a mother dove looking at me from
her nest nestled in the cane. Birds will often build
their nests in your roses so take care.
After you cut them back a bit and clean
them up, you should give your roses a dose of fertilizer
this month for a burst of bloom this fall.
This should be the last time you fertilize for the
season if you are using chemicals, because you
don’t want them to have lots of new growth when
winter comes and it’s time to prune. If you are
using organics, you can fertilize more often because
you are feeding the soil; however, don’t use
anything that is high in nitrogen after this month.
Of course, continue dead heading for
healthy roses, watch for fungus and keep them watered
at a rate dependent on the weather we get. If
we get Santa Ana winds, once a day go out and
give them a shower if you are using a drip or
soaker system.
You will find some great deals on roses
this month. Take note though, the roses that have
been in containers all season often take a little
longer to settle in and thrive, but it may be worth it
to get some great prices to fill in those empty spots.
This is also a good month to notice the roses that
may need to be rearranged during the dormant period
(after you have pruned them in January). Don’t try to move them now because the stress will be
very hard on them with the heat. If you must move a
rose, make sure you remove all the leaves and then wait
a few days.
Make sure you are enjoying your roses after all
your hard work. And if you bring them inside, cut them
before ten o’clock for the most fragrance, before the
heat of the day dries out the oils. |
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Perennials and Shrubs |
September is part summer, part fall.
Some days you may still find yourself
doing little more to your shrubs and perennials
than trying to keep them alive during spells of extreme
heat and drought and other times you may
find yourself looking for new, interesting plants to
add to your garden on cool mornings at the nursery.
Watering is still priority number one for established
bushes that have been under duress from the
summer heat. Santa Ana winds may be around the
corner any day to add insult to injury, so don’t neglect
them now. You can still plant tropical plants,
any warm spells brought on by Indian summers will
not bother them, but you had better hurry because
soon the cooler nights will not make them happy in
their new homes.
Shop for perennial bulbs that will start to
show up in the garden centers now, but wait to plant
them until a little later in the season. They get
picked over quickly and you want to get the color of
your choice and the big, plump ones first. In our
area, daffodils, anemones, ranunculus, grape hyacinths
and Dutch iris can be planted without being
chilled first.
If you are looking for something new, consider
planting some of the South African bulbs that
do well in our climate and have charming flowers
and foliage that make Southern California gardens
unique. Look for babiana, crocosmia, watsonia, tritonia,
or sparaxis.
Divide bearded iris now if you didn’t do it in
the early summer. Clumps that are more than three
or four years old will stop blooming if they are not
divided regularly.
If you haven’t tried bearded iris lately, there
are many new varieties that are repeat bloomers that
will come back and bloom again later in the year.
Look for the letters RB in the descriptions in catalogs
or on-line when ordering.
You can also start feeding your hydrangeas an
acid-based fertilizer for blue blossoms next year if
the variety you grow is so inclined. And while
you’re at it, give your azaleas some too! It is time
for their second feeding of the year. |
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Fruits and Vegetables |
If you’ve considered growing
some vegetables in your garden,
autumn is the ideal season to begin. Winter vegetables
generally require less care, less watering and so
many edibles thrive in our mild winter climate. It
will be important to prepare your growing bed in a
location that will receive at least 6 hours of sunshine
in mid-winter. Amend the soil generously with a
high nitrogen fertilizer, then let the soil settle for at
least a week, watering daily. Prepare your watering
system to keep the area evenly moist during seed
germination. Sow seeds at the proper depth and
spacing. If seeds are sown in the evening hours in
moist soil they immediately have an advantage.
During hot days or Santa Ana wind conditions, a
shade covering helps retain moisture.
Beets, carrots, kohlrabi, onions, parsley, chard,
spinach, peas, turnips and rutabagas can all be
planted this month.. Cabbages, Brussels sprouts and
cauliflower can be started in flats early this month to
be transplanted out in 4 to 6 weeks. An easy crop to
jump start a winter garden is lettuce. Purchase a
couple of leaf lettuce pony packs, and at the same
time, get a seed packet of a mesclun variety. Sow
some of the seeds and transplant the seedlings. The
transplants will mature quickly for your first crop;
meanwhile, the seeds will sprout and begin growing.
Thin them to the recommended spacing and then
successively plant a few seeds every 10 to 14 days
for a continuous harvest of fresh greens through the
winter months. Because lettuce has a shallow root
system, it should be kept evenly moist and the soil
covered with a mulch to retain moisture. Side dress
the crop every 2 to 3 weeks with a compost tea or
other nitrogen-rich liquid fertilizer. Harvest the entire
plant when tender and sweet. Lettuce becomes
bitter in extended maturity, or if it is moisture deprived.
Regular and adequate water is important for avocado
and citrus trees this time of year to prevent the
fruit from splitting. Any late vegetable crops need
regular watering also, to fully mature and to complete
their bearing cycle. As they finish fruiting,
pull the plants and clean up the beds to prevent diseases
and pests that prey on failing plant material. |
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