Home » September Garden Guide
September Garden Guide
September Garden Guide
- Allowing September rose blooms to stay on plants aids in winter protection.
Watch for black spot on roses and remove infected leaves - Lift gladiolus corms when leaves begin to brown. Dry in sun 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, caldium and begonias indoors.
- Place amaryllis in cool basement for a 3-month rest.
- To set buds, Christmas cacti require a rest period and cool nights (55 degrees).
- Sow snap dragons, cornflowers and other hardy annuals a few weeks before the first frost date.
Mark where planted to avoid damaging seedlings in spring. - Carefully inspect spring flowering bulbs before planting. Discard soft bulbs.
- Remove newly set tomatoes, blossoms and new growth five weeks before expected frost
because they won’t have time to mature. - Sow annual ryegrass or oats for winter cover and green manure in beds that won’t be
planted until late in spring. Keep watered. - Remove all weeds from garden before they go to seed.
- Pinch out the growing points at the top of Brussel sprout stems so bottom sprouts will reach maturity.
- Watch for early frosts, Cover the garden when frost is predicted to obtain another month
of growth. Water plants well for greater frost protection and maximum growth. - Cut back perennials after frost
- Dig and pot parsley, chives, and tender herbs for transfer indoors to sunny window
- For better keeping, harvest carrots, beets, and turnips before first frost kills foliage.
- Gather squash, pumpkins, and gourds when ripe and before frost damage.
Leave 2-inch stem on vegetable for better storage - Clear garden beds immediately after harvest. Destroy any diseased plants by burning,
composting in a hot pile or sealing in container for disposal. - Early September is the latest time to plant spring-flowering shrubs.
- Aerate lawn when temperature is 60-70 degrees
- Stop planting evergreens by mid-September.
- Harvest pears when light green. Separate from branch with slight twisting motion.
- Harvest grapes & ferilize with 1-cup bone meal per/plant.
- Harvest apples. Rake leaves and fallen fruit from apple trees to control disease and inspect
problems next year. Be careful not to injure long-lived fruiting spurs when harvesting. - Cut out spent raspberry-blackberry canes after fruiting.
Brought to you by: Master Gardeners Association, UW Extension, Stevens Point, WI