8 September gardening chores to do now...

Well, pumpkin spice coffee has arrived, the news is talking about the official end of summer, the days are getting shorter as the sun is setting earlier each day. Labor day is nearing and September is only a few short days away.

A wise man once told me, as you get older, the time goes faster. This is one of the truest statements I can remember. It seemed it was just spring, then lots of days of warm weather happened and summer slipped away. The kids are planning to go back to school, maybe, and fall is around the corner.

This means the clock is ticking as to summer chores. I have outlined 8 things to do in the next two weeks before it is too late.

Pruning: If you have been waiting to shear, prune or trim your plants, you have till September the 15th to do so .... After that, you must wait till a hard killing freeze before you can trim again. Trimming actually initiates new growth, so trimming after mid September will not allow sufficient time for new growth to “harden off” before the frost and freezes arrive. If this does happen, it will not harm your plants, but merely stunt them a little till next year.

Fertilize your yardLawns need it more than ever after a rough year with excessive rains in May, weeds that would not stop and extremely hot days in July which manifested into a drought. An application of a good fall food of our golf green fertilizer will really help repair damage that has been done in the roots of the lawn. It is also a great time to overseed your lawn as warm nights and cool days allow seed to germinate rapidly. Weeds are also slow to emerge now so new seedlings won’t lose the battle for water and sunlight to these adversaries.

Feed your shrubs and perennials-September and October is the time plants really establish themselves by growing more roots. An application of Espoma brand Holly-tone or Planttone will reap huge rewards in keeping plants thriving in your landscape. Espoma offers a balanced slow release organic feed that provides 15 of the 18 essential nutrients for plants to be there best. Sunlight, water and air is all that is missing from that bag.

Inspect for damage on plants-Holes in the leaves are a sign insects are active. If you find some chewing, scraping or something out of the ordinary on your plants, grab a sample or picture and head down to see your local experts at the garden center. We can help you and offer a curative pest control product that can help get your plants back to full health.

Spray for weeds-This has got to be one of the worst years for weeds! One month of rain Back in May has had every major weed germinate like crazy. Using killzall in the landscape and spraying weeds now will stop weeds dead in their tracks. It’s also a great time to spray weeds in the lawn. An application of triclopyr ester now combined with spreader sticker will help eradicate hard to kill weeds in the lawn like clover, wild violets, ground ivy and a long list of others. Its the best time to treat for these weeds now as the chemical enters the leaves and translocates through the roots killing the weed.

Harvest those veggiesBy now you should be reaping the rewards of planting all sorts of veggies and fruits. Canning or freezing seems to really be gaining popularity. If you did not plant a garden, stop at a local roadside stand and purchase some veggies to save for future winter months. I love to freeze peppers and use in chilli on cool fall days. Don’t forget to buy tomatoes and make tomato sauce. There is nothing like it!!

Plant fall annuals-Nothing says fall like mums, asters, ornamental kale or cabbage, ornamental peppers, grasses, pansies and violas. These cool loving plants will add color to grey days ahead and keep your landscape in tune with the changing of the seasons. We have a great selection of cute metal pumpkins which you can easily push stakes into the ground and be ready for fall. Stop in today and see our fall displays.

Start a compost binMake a circle of woven fence or chicken wire. Leaves, grass clippings, food waste are all great items to place in your compost bins to make dark, fertile organic compost once decomposed that your plants will absolutely love!! Add a little water and turn once a week to speed the decomposition process.

As always, thanks for reading, stop in and say hello! Hope to see you soon. -JR Pandy