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September 2008 Garden Tips

Spring bulbs can be purchased now at garden centers and nurseries. Always check the bulbs for signs of disease and damage such as cuts and bruises. Planting time for bulbs in northern climates is mid-September to mid-October, but tulips can be planted even later as long as you can work the soil. Work bone meal into the bottom of planting holes for better growth.

• Continue to water young trees and shrubs. They need regular watering to keep the top 6 inches of soil moist. This is especially critical for the first five years after the tree or shrub is planted. Wait to fertilize until next spring.

• Now is the best time to seed new lawn, patch bare spots, and install sod, since there isn’t as much competition with weed seeds. Do it before September 15.

• September is a good time to plant or divide and replant perennials such as peonies and irises. Fall installation gives plants time to develop a strong root system, so they will be ready to bloom in the spring.

• Split and replant overgrown bulbs. Dig up bulbs after their foliage has died and allow them to dry thoroughly. After drying, bulbs may be split and replanted.

• Snip off any new flowers that form on your tomato plants so that any existing tomatoes will receive the energy they need to develop. Stop deadheading roses after the final wave of fall blooms later this month. Rose hips will form, signaling the plant to prepare for winter.

• Apply your first fall round of lawn fertilizer in mid-September and follow with another application about six weeks later. Use a fertilizer that is low in nitrogen and high in potassium.

• Plant fall-blooming crocus, colchicum, Madonna lilies, chrysanthemums, pansies, asters, and flowering kale for autumn color.

• Check parsley, cumin, dill, and fennel seeds. They should be dry enough now to harvest.

• This is the start of the 8-10-week apple picking season. Early apples don’t store well, so eat them and cook with them to enjoy them now. If your trees haven’t produced many apples, they may have been affected by the use of fertilizer containing nitrogen. Trees in heavily fertilized lawns tend to have lots of foliage but not many apples.

• Stop fertilizing your hardy water lilies in September as you want to let them naturally go dormant as the weather begins to cool. This will increase their chance for survival through the winter months ahead.

• Gather fallen leaves for mulch and compost use.

• Nothing feels as good on a crisp fall evening as sitting around a warm fire in your backyard. Talk to you landscaper about designing a paver patio and fire pit for your yard that will have the neighbors green with envy.
 

RESOURCES

Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association
Gardenminnesota.com

Vermillion Waters
651-480-1986

Villa Landscapes
Burnsville
952-894-1553
Maple Grove
763-425-9277
Oakdale
651-773-7440