Come back each month to get helpful tips and tricks from our Master Gardeners on what to be doing in the garden during the months of the growing season!

SEPTEMBER

Flowers 

• Allow September rose blooms to stay on plants to aid in winter protection. 
• Watch for black spot on roses and remove infected leaves.
• Lift gladiolus corms when leaves begin to brown.  Dry in sun for a few days.
• Divide most perennials except asters and mums, which haven’t bloomed.
• Divide and replant peony roots.  Avoid planting too deeply. 
• Bring coleus, geranium, caladium, and begonias indoors.
• Place amaryllis in cool basement for a 3-month rest period. 
• To set buds, Christmas cacti require a rest period and cool nights (55 degrees).
• Sow snapdragons, cornflowers, and other hardy annuals a few weeks before the first frost date.  Mark where planted to avoid damaging seedling in spring.
• Carefully inspect spring flowering bulbs before planting.  Discard soft bulbs.

 Vegetables

• Pinch out the growing points at the top of Brussels sprout stems so bottom sprouts will reach maturity.
• Remove newly set tomatoes, blossoms, and new growth five weeks before expected frost because they won’t have time to mature.
• Dig and pot parsley, chives, and tender herbs for transfer indoors to sunny window.
• For better keeping, harvest carrots, beets, and turnips, before first frots kills foliage.
• Gather squash, pumpkins, and gourds when ripe and before frost damage.  Leave 2-inch stem on vegetable for better storage.

  General Garden Maintenance

• Sow annual ryegrass or oats for winter cover and green manutre in beds that won’t be planted until late in spring.  Keep watered.
• Remove all weeds from garden before they go to seed.
• Watch for early frosts.  Cover the garden when frost is predicted to obtain up to another month of growth. 
• Water plants well for greater frost protection and maximum growth.
• Cut back perennials after frost.
• Clear garden beds immediately after harvest.  Destroy any diseased plants by burning, composting in a hot pile, or sealing in container for disposal.

Lawn, Shrubs, and Trees

• Early September is the last time to plant spring-flowering shrubs.
• Aerate lawn when temperature is 60-70 degrees.
• Stop planting evergreens by mid-September.

Fruits

• Harvest pears when light green.  Separate from branch with a slight twisting motion.
• Harvest grapes.  Fertilize with one-cup bone meal per plant.
• Harvest apples.  Rake leaves and fallen fruit from apple trees to control disease and insect problems next year.  Be careful not to injure long-lived fruiting spurs when harvesting.
• Cut out spent raspberry and blackberry canes after fruiting.

~Published in Portage County Master Gardeners Newsletter in August 2011~