What do the September garden chores look like?
September is a bit of a transition month, mixing summer heat by day with a cooling down and definite shift in the air by night. Fall officially begins in the middle of the month, so that means cleaning up after the summer crops and blooms and prepping for the season ahead. Here’s this month’s list:
- Get your garden soil ready for winter — Once you clean out whatever’s left in your vegetable garden, plant a winter cover crop of annual rye or winter peas. These crops help prepare the soil for spring and keep the pests away.
- Planning a new lawn? Now’s the time — The best time for planting and establishing a new lawn is August through mid-September. So if greener grass is on your list, the time to push go is now. For established lawns, September is a great time to aerate. And if you’re using nitrogen to fertilize your lawn, apply a mixture of 1 pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawns. Don’t over water and avoid fertilizing just prior to rain to help prevent run-off into streets and local waterways.
- Stake tall flowers — Fall can be a bountiful time for flowers like dahlias, allium and foxtail lilies. Before the winds of autumn show up in force, stake your taller flowers to keep them from blowing over.
- Harvest your fall crops — September can yield a bumper crop of fall vegetables, including winter squash, parsnips, beets, potatoes and tomatoes. Once the tops die down on your potatoes, dig them up and store them in a dark location.
- Winterize your trees and shrubs — Reduce watering on the trees, shrubs and vines in your yard to harden them for winter. If you’re thinking about planting woody ornamentals or trees, September and October are the ideal months. Conditions are right and getting them in the ground now can encourage healthy root growth over the winter — and send them into the coming spring and summer in great shape.
- Divide your existing bulbs — Below the surface, iris and peony bulbs grow in clumps. After three to five years, flower production begins to wane unless you divide the bulbs. Doing so now — then replanting them — gives the roots ample time to grow before winter.
- Plant new bulbs — The bulbs that flower in the spring — daffodils, tulips and crocus, for example — should be planted in September. Here’s a fun fact: When purchasing bulbs, the size of the bulb is directly correlated to the size of the flower that will bloom in spring. The bigger the bulb, the bigger the flower.
- Control slugs — You know who else loves fall gardening? Slugs. To control them, the least toxic solutions include barriers and traps. Baits are an option too, but use caution around pets.
- Check rhodies and azaleas for root weevil damage — Give your rhododendrons and azaleas a good going-over. If you see notched leaves, you could have root weevils. Apply parasitic nematodes to the moist soil beneath the plants to take care of the problem.
- Don’t forget your indoor plants — The change of the seasons to fall is a great time to clean your houseplants and check for insects. If they’re becoming root-bound, transplant them to a larger pot. Fertilize as needed and you’re good to go. Bringing the beauty of plants indoors can be a wonderful way to brighten things up during the coming winter months.
Kazi za bustani za Septemba zinaonekanaje? Septemba ni mwezi wa mpito, mchanganyiko wa joto la majira ya joto wakati wa mchana na baridi na mabadiliko dhahiri katika hewa wakati wa usiku. Kuanguka huanza rasmi katikati ya mwezi, hivyo inamaanisha kusafisha baada ya mazao ya majira ya joto na maua na kuandaa kwa msimu ujao. Hapa ni orodha ya mwezi huu: - Kupata bustani yako udongo tayari kwa ajili ya majira ya baridi <unk> Mara baada ya kusafisha nje chochote kushoto katika bustani yako mboga, kupanda majira ya baridi cover mazao ya kila mwaka rye au majani majira ya baridi. Mazao hayo husaidia kutayarisha udongo kwa ajili ya majira ya kuchipua na kuondoa wadudu. - Je, unapanga kutengeneza nyasi mpya? Wakati bora wa kupanda na kuanzisha nyasi mpya ni Agosti hadi katikati ya Septemba. Ikiwa nyasi ya kijani iko kwenye orodha yako, wakati wa kuanza ni sasa. Kwa ajili ya nyasi zilizojengwa, Septemba ni wakati mzuri wa kupeperusha hewa. Ikiwa nitrojeni inahitajika kwa ajili ya ufugaji wa lawn, basi ni muhimu kutumia mchanganyiko wa nitrojeni ya kilo moja kwa kila mita za mraba za lawn. Usiwe na maji mengi na uepuke kumwagilia mbolea kabla tu ya mvua ili kusaidia kuzuia maji kutiririka barabarani na kwenye njia za maji za eneo hilo. - Stake maua marefu <unk> Kuanguka inaweza kuwa wakati wa wingi kwa maua kama dahlias, allium na foxtail lilies. Kabla ya upepo wa vuli kuwaka, weka miti mirefu ili iepuke kuvunjika. - Kuvuna mazao yako kuanguka <unk> Septemba inaweza kutoa mazao ya bumper ya majani kuanguka, ikiwa ni pamoja na squash majira ya baridi, parsnips, beets, viazi na nyanya. Mara tu vidonda vya viazi vikiisha kuanguka, vifunike na kuhifadhi mahali penye giza. - Winterize miti yako na vichaka <unk> Kupunguza umwagiliaji juu ya miti, vichaka na mizabibu katika bustani yako ili kuwa ngumu kwa ajili ya majira ya baridi. Ikiwa unafikiria kupanda mimea ya mapambo ya mbao au miti, Septemba na Oktoba ni miezi bora. Hali ni haki na kupata yao katika ardhi sasa inaweza kuhamasisha ukuaji wa mizizi afya juu ya majira ya baridi <unk> na kutuma yao katika majira ya kuchipua na majira ya joto kuja katika hali kubwa. - Gharama bulbs yako zilizopo <unk> Chini ya uso, iris na peony bulbs kukua katika makundi. Baada ya miaka mitatu hadi mitano, uzalishaji wa maua huanza kupungua isipokuwa uigawanye matunguu. Kufanya hivyo sasa - kisha kuzipanda tena - hutoa wakati wa kutosha kwa mizizi kukua kabla ya majira ya baridi kali. - kupanda bulbs mpya <unk> bulbs kwamba maua katika spring <unk> daffodils, tulips na crocus, kwa mfano <unk> inapaswa kupandwa katika Septemba. Hapa ni ukweli wa kufurahisha: Wakati wa kununua balbu, ukubwa wa balbu unahusiana moja kwa moja na ukubwa wa ua ambalo litachanua wakati wa majira ya kuchipua. Mti unapokuwa mkubwa, ua huwa kubwa pia. - Kudhibiti slugs <unk> Unajua nani mwingine anapenda kuanguka bustani? Slugs. Ili kuzidhibiti, suluhisho lisilo na sumu sana linatia ndani vizuizi na mitego. Vinywaji ni chaguo pia, lakini uwe mwangalifu unapokuwa na wanyama wa kufugwa. - Chunguza ikiwa rhodies na azaleas zimeharibiwa na wadudu wa mizizi <unk> Punguza sana rhododendrons na azaleas zako. Ikiwa unaona majani yenye makunyanzi, huenda ukawa na wadudu wa mizizi. Tumia nematodes za vimelea kwenye udongo wenye unyevunyevu chini ya mimea ili kutatua tatizo hilo. - <unk>Usisahau mimea yako ya ndani <unk> Mabadiliko ya misimu kuanguka ni wakati mzuri wa kusafisha mimea yako ya ndani na kuangalia kwa wadudu. Ikiwa zinakuwa na mizizi, zipandikize katika chungu kikubwa zaidi. Fertilizing kama inahitajika na wewe ni nzuri ya kwenda. Kuingiza mimea ndani ya nyumba kunaweza kuwa njia nzuri ya kufurahisha wakati wa majira ya baridi kali.