“It’s September” … What needs to be done
PLANTING
- Plant these fall vegetables now: beets, carrots, “greens” (mustard, collard, turnip), kale, lettuce, radishes and spinach.
- Lawn establishment using warm-season grasses such as Bermuda grass, St. Augustine, zoysia and buffalo grass should be completed early in the month.
- Over-seed established Bermuda grass lawns with perennial ryegrass this month, if desired.
- Plant these fall-blooming annuals from bedding plants before buds have opened: marigolds, petunias, asters, pinks, snapdragons and mums. Wait until cooler weather to plant pansies, violas and ornamental cabbages and kale.
- Complete sowing bluebonnets to ensure spring flowers. For season-long color, purchase a wildflower mix that contains annuals and perennials, as well as cool-season and warm-season plants such as bluebonnets, black-eyed Susan, Indian blanket, Indian paintbrush, Mexican hat, plains coreopsis, purple coneflower and evening primrose. Sow seeds in areas that are free of grasses and lightly tilled. Lightly rake area to get good seed-soil contact before watering.
FERTILIZING AND PRUNING
- Apply high-nitrogen fertilizer (4-1-2 ratio) on lawns and shrubs to prepare plants for fall and winter. Container plants will benefit from using high-nitrogen, water-soluble fertilizers.
- Tidy up summer perennials by removing dead and faded flower stems and seed stalks. Continue through fall.
- Root-prune trees and shrubs to be transplanted this winter. Cutting the roots around the plant with a spade will stimulate new root growth in what will become the soil ball when the plant is moved.
GARDEN WATCH
- Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to lawns early in the month to control winter weeds. Depending on the type of weed targeted, it may be necessary to apply two products — one for grassy weeds (annual bluegrass, ryegrass, etc.) and another for broad-leafed weeds (chickweed, clover, dandelions, henbit, etc.).
- Make final application of Image® or SedgeHammer® before mid-month to control nutsedge in warm-season lawns.
- Remove webworms from pecan trees. Cut off the ends of branches as soon as the webs appear. Tear open large webs to expose worms for birds. Spraying is not practical.
- Spray roses suffering from black spot and powdery mildew with labeled fungicide.
- Prepare beds for spring-flowering bulbs. Add organic matter to improve water drainage.
FEATURED PLANT
Butterfly Bush – Buddleia davidii, sometimes known as Sumer Lilac, is a deciduous shrub that is highly attractive to butterflies, bees, moths and hummingbirds. It requires full sun and is a medium grower reaching a height of 6 feet with a spread of 4 feet. It produces small nectar-rich blooms of purple, pink, red or white on long spiked trusses. Shear or deadhead the spent blooms periodically to promote longer flowering.