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In the Garden with Rick...
September Gardening Tasks
September in San Francisco is the time to think about permanent landscaping. Trees and shrubs do especially well when planted in our warm autumn soils and are able to take in the winter rains. Efficient use of water in the garden is also important since this can be one of our hotter months and we are facing drought conditions. Enjoy the warm summer days and evenings getting your garden prepared for the months ahead.
- Check container plants often for proper soil
moisture.
- Applications of fertilizers should be reduced. Flowering plants and roses require a slow release, low-nitrogen fertilizer.
- The blossoms of determinate tomatoes (bushy tomatoes that don’t require staking) should be thinned by one-half -- just cut off the blossoms. This will result in larger, riper fruit.
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- Fruit ripens at a quick pace this time of year, so make a point to harvest daily before pests have a chance to feast on your fruit.
- Fertilizers and pesticides should never be applied during the heat of the day -- regardless if they are non-toxic.
- Plant a winter vegetable garden. Sow seeds of beet, carrot, lettuce, mesclun mix, radish, snow peas and spinach. Set out seedlings of artichoke, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and strawberry.
- Water liberally, but efficiently. Keep all trees well-watered, particularly citrus trees. Citrus planted in containers need watering almost daily as citrus is mostly water. Citrus plants will get their last feeding this month.
- Bougainvillea pruning can be done at this time to shape or direct growth. Long stems should be cut back to keep producing flowering wood, if you are growing your plant on a wall. Hard pruning to renew the plant should be done after the last frost in springtime. Fertilizing should also be done only in the spring and summer months.
- Shop for spring bulbs now.
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- Hardware Hotline September, 2008
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