SEPTEMBER GARDENING TIPS
Spring has finally arrived! You can see the garden coming to life with blooms popping up again after a long, dark winter. One can expect a mix of weather conditions through September. Some days you’ll find mild sunshine and others you’ll find rain and heavy winds.
Take advantage of those optimum weather days to get any outside jobs done. Be sure to keep on top of those weeds, catching them while they are young is much easier than once they have established and seeded. Along with keeping on top of any insects because from September they really start to show an interest in your plants as the temperatures warm up.
Here we will talk about what you can do in the garden for the month of September
- Look at planting indigenous trees to bring birds into the garden.
- Be sure to prune spring-flowering shrubs as soon as their flowering stage has finished, this will encourage new growth.
- Be on the look out this season for aphids as they feast on new shoots and flower buds. They just love everything in the garden that is young and fresh. Control them with Plant Protector or Margaret Roberts Organic Insecticide.
- With so many plants bursting to life, spring is the ideal time to replenish nourishment to improve your soil. That means you need a good quantity of compost and a mix of organic fertiliser to improve and condition your soil as well as feed your plants.
- Powdery mildew normally flourishes in spring. Apply Rosecare plus , Funginex or Neem oil to control powdery mildew on flowers, roses and ornamentals.
IN THE FRUIT TREE GARDEN
- Finish picking the last of the citrus crops – lemons, limes, mandarins, and kumquats that are all ripe and ready for harvest.
- Looking at adding some more fruit trees? All deciduous fruit trees can still be planted from July to September taking advantage whilst the plants are still dormant. Come pop in and see our wide selection.
- Be sure to start feeding your figs, bananas and pawpaws with Super Phosphate and fruit and flower.
- An application of Wonder Kelp every two weeks will reward you with healthy fruit trees – this seaweed-based plant tonic promotes strong root growth and increases fruiting and flowering capacity.
- If you are based in a mild areas where frost is not an issue, you can now prune back your citrus after harvest. Pruning opens up the framework of the plant allowing more light into the centre of the plant. Fertilise with Wonder Fruit & Flower around the drip line after pruning.
- Remember to prune your apples, pears, and apricots if you’ve not yet done so. Wait for summer to prune peaches, plums and almonds.
- Spraying your stone fruit trees after pruning with Efekto Virikop will help protect them from leaf curl disease.
- Fruit can be ‘injected’ while they are still small and before they change colour with eggs from the fruitfly. Combat this by applying Protek spray kill 5 to the trunk or underside of the leaves of plants to protect the fruit.
- Have you noticed small bumps on the leaves of your citrus trees, almost like your plant has acne? Apply Koinor to treat for citrus psylla.
- Did you know that aphids can have up to eight babies a day, some of which are born pregnant themselves! This makes for an extremely fast-growing population – and a good reason to control them ASAP you can do so with Efekto Aphicide or Protek complete.
- Continue to prune back to promote new growth.
IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN
- A new season means exciting new crops start planting beans, capsicums, cucumbers, eggplants, sweetcorn, tomatoes, basil, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, lettuces, radishes, rocket, spinach, and Swiss chard.
- Continue harvesting your broccoli, cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, kale, leeks, early-season lettuces, parsnips, rocket, Swiss chard, spinach, and spring onions.
- It’s berry planting time. Plant things like strawberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Strawberries, blueberries and gooseberries are also happy to grow in pots and containers.
- To ensure a good crop, prepare beds by working soil over with a garden fork, and add a blend of compost, kraal manure and an All Purpose fertiliser prior to planting.
- An application of Kelp fertiliser every two weeks will keep your garden thriving – this seaweed-based plant tonic promotes strong root growth, reduces transplant shock, improves germination rates, and increases flowering and fruiting capacity.
- Remember to feed tomatoes, peppers, beans and eggplants with a Fruit & Flower fertiliser.
- Look at feeding your herbs and evergreen vegetables with Nitrosol or Trelmix every 2 weeks to keep them happy and flourishing.
- Aphids are one of the main pests to look out for on new growth. Aphids can occur in the hundreds! Left unchecked, aphids deplete vegetables of valuable nutrients and plant sugars, and can cause new leaves to deform. It is important to control aphids before they cause damage. Applying neem oil once a week will help keep aphids under control.
- You aren’t the only one waiting patiently for the new leaves on your seedlings? Caterpillars can chew and eat those new leaves. Look at controlling these destructive pests by spraying Efekto Eco Insect Control or Margaret Roberts Organic Insecticide
- Watch out for snails and slugs, which like to hide amongst your plants. Control them by lightly sprinkling Snailban or sluggem around your vulnerable plants.
- Have you noticed round brown spots on your tomato leaves? This may be tomato blight. You can treat this with Virikop.
- Keep an eye out for distortion of young leaves, fruit and yellow speckled areas on leaves this may be caused by Thrips. Control them with Efekto Eco Insect Control or Margaret Roberts Organic Insecticide.
INDOOR PLANTS
Info
- Are you forgetting which plants you fed in your indoor plant collection? Why not do a weak solution of Kelp liquid feed with every watering that way you know your plants are covered. Remember to only feed if you see active growth points.
- Just because they’re inside, doesn’t mean your houseplants are safe from pesky insects. Wipe the leaves down with Oleum this will give your plants protection and a glossy finish to the leaves.
FOR THE FLOWER GARDEN
- Continue picking your Camellias, daphne, daffodils, tulips, lavender, poppies, orchids, stock, aquilegia, and azaleas and create beautiful bouquets for your home.
- Needing to brighten up spots in the garden, why not plant alyssum, asters, begonias, chrysanthemums, Californian poppies, carnations, cosmos, dahlias, dianthus, gazanias, gypsophila, impatiens, marigolds, petunias, nasturtiums, phlox, salvia, snapdragons, statice, sunflowers, and verbena. These plants will offer an instant splash of color. A wide selection is always available on our shelves.
- Now’s the time to feed your roses, giving them that extra boost to produce healthy growth and an abundance of flowers, try Wonder Rose & Flower or Culterra Rose’s.
- Did you know? An application of Kelp liquid fertiliser every two weeks will keep your flowers thriving – this seaweed-based plant tonic is known to promote strong root growth, reduces transplant shock, improve germination rates, and increases flowering capacity.
- Look at applying flower power and gwano pellets to flowering borders and plants that are in pots and containers this will give them a much-needed boost for the upcoming season.
- Don’t forget to feed your azaleas as soon as they have finished blooming with Wonder Colourburst Azalea, this will help aid in the plants recover and healthy growth.
- Continue watering bulbs that have finished flowering with an All Purpose liquid fertiliser until their leaves die down completely.
- Spray your roses with Rosecare plus or Makhro rose protector to control black spot, mildew and aphids.
- If you start seeing a black covering on your leaves, this might be Sooty mould it’s a black, powdery fungus that is a secondary fungus caused by sucking insects. Treat flowering and evergreen plants with Efekto Insecticide Granules.
- Are your azalea leaves becoming thick, curled, fleshy, and pale green to white in colour? If so, you’re dealing with azalea leaf gall. You can remedy this with Efekto Virikop as soon as possible.
- Lily borers will start popping up now, keep an eye on your clivias and arum lilies, be sure to have some knox worm on hand, as they can do devastating damage to your plants.
- Common diseases that pop up in spring include powdery mildew, which appears as a dusting of white spots on leaves, stems and flower buds. You can remedythis with neem oil, or Funginex.
- Have you noticed small white insects that often congregate on the undersides of leaves and fly up in a cloud when disturbed? That may be Whiteflies, control them by spray the the plant down with Efekto Garden Gun RTU, or Margaret Roberts Organic Insecticide.
- If you are seeing brown spots on the leaves of your geranium your plants may have rust. Treat them with Efekto Virikop or Protek Bactericide and Fungicide.
- Snails can be destructive when left to their own devices. Place Sluggem or sluggit every few weeks to keep slugs and snails at bay.
- Look at pruning back your camellias as soon as they finish flowering.
- Plant hanging baskets with summer colour in mild areas, and blend in herbs or strawberries for some edible options. Don’t forget to add flower power to the potting soil – this will give them a boost for the upcoming season.
FOR THE LAWNS
- In spring, it’s important to stimulate root growth by improving the movement of oxygen, water and nutrients to the roots. Aerate your lawn by stabing holes in the soil using a fork, then apply a good layer of lawndressing and fertiliser like fertilawn and you’re good to go!
- If your lawn has seen better days or you’re starting from scratch, then it’s time for a lawn overhaul! Spring is an ideal time to get started. Feed your lawn with Protek Lawn and foliage for a wonderful lush green lawn.
- Everyone wants a vibrant green lawn in time for summer. But if you notice that the leaves are brown after watering, it may be a lawn fungus infection. You can treat this with Makhro Lawn Protector to control the disease.
- No one likes weeds on their lawn. Here’s how to get the best results from our weedkillers. Use either Protek lawn versus weeds or Pure Lawn also Makhro Lawnweeder is great. All are available at Tuingenoot.