1 Sep 2008
September Gardening Tips for Valley Center:
“Preparation” is the key word for September.
· Prepare for fire season by clearing brush and removing all dead growth. Trim trees and shrubs near your house and thin the crowns of clustered trees. Make sure fire engines have adequate access to and on your property. Clear a 100’ perimeter around your home of brush and chaparral. Make sure that you have an adequate supply of fire gel to spray on your vulnerable areas (the Valley Center Fire Department can assist you in identifying them). Use Barricade or Thermo-Gel as they both will not harm plants. The other leading brand will kill foliage.
· Prepare your gardens for winter planting. By cleaning and preparing your beds this month with fertilizer and/or mulch, you’ll be ready to plant in October. If you want to plant Sweet Peas, prepare a north/south trough for best results.
· Continue to feed Roses with the rose food of your choice.
· This month should be the last time you feed outdoor tropicals (if you have any). They have to start “hardening off”, in preparation of the cold months ahead. They seem to love cottonseed meal. We have a few Azaleas that we also give cottonseed meal.
· Don’t do major trimming of any type of evergreen, frost tender trees, or shrubs. Their new growth would be just right for frost damage.
· Divide, clean and trim your Iris. Throw away the old center of the clump, each division for planting should have a fan of leaves. Trim the leaves down a few inches from the rhizome.
· Don’t let your Camellias dry out during these hot months. Lack of proper watering will make the buds turn brown and later drop off.
· If you want to plant bulbs next month, now is a good time to start buying them. One of our favorites is Ranunculus – the more you pick, the more they will bloom. And don’t forget the Narcissus family, which hardly takes any summer watering at all. Pick out the plumpest, biggest bulbs for best results but wait for next month to plant.
Mariellen Kast
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