September in your garden

Spring is here!

The signs of lengthening days are unmistakeable now. Blossoms are appearing on seemingly lifeless branches, birds are twittering away earlier in the morning and the chooks are coming back into lay after their winter hiatus. Get with the urge and venture forth into the garden. There's plenty to keep you busy now.

September in your Vegie Garden

Prepare your vegetable garden beds for spring planting. Dig over the soil incorporating plenty of organic matter including compost and well rotted manure. Don't forget to mulch the beds after planting to help suppress weeds and conserve water. September is still a good time to plant Rhubarb and Asparagus as seedlings and Potatoes.

Many seedlings can be raised now but keep cold tender seedlings under glass or clear plastic, or in propagation boxes, such as: capsicum, cucumber, eggplant, pumpkin, tomatoes and zucchini. There is plenty of time yet before they need to go into the soil outside.

Your spring vegetable garden can take on seeds or (for those less patient) seedlings of leeks, onions, cabbage, parsley, parsnips, cauliflower, peas, radish, silverbeet, lettuce, swedes and turnips. Many herb seeds can be sown now.

Pruning Nelly Kelly black passionfruit is recommended now if it threatens to outgrow its allotted space. Cut away the main bulk of leaves and small branches. They are heavy feeders, so lots of chicken manure (or the pelletised version, such as Dynamic Lifter), with some added potash (for fruit formation) watered in well should reward you with lots of gorgeous flowers and late summer fruit. You could also use Fruit & Citrus Food.

Citrus need feeding up now. Their yellowing leaves are a sign that they are seeking more food after their winter production. You can feed them with old manures, blood'n'bone, enriched mulches or Fruit & Citrus food. Always water in before and after feeding. You can also prune old citrus trees now by removing all old, twiggy growth.

The warming soil makes it a good time to plant another citrus variety (try a Kaffir lime if you love Thai food, or a Tahitian lime for a great supply of lime juice). Choose a warm, sunny, well-drained and sheltered spot (away from draughts and wind tunnels).

Strawberries will be needing a pick-me-up after winter. A regular application of a weak liquid manure around strawberries is better than a whole lot all at once. Mulch well also to keep developing fruit off the soil. You might also like to fashion some netting over plants to stop any birds getting to the fruit before you do.

Gardening to enjoy

Plant gladioli corms now for a spectacular summer display.

Dahlia tubers can also be planted from late this month right through until Christmas.

There are many flowers you can grow from seed now. Try Marigolds, Salvias, Petunias and Sunflowers. You can also plant seedlings of old favourites such as Asters, Delphiniums, Foxgloves, Snapdragons, Cosmos, and Dianthus.

Impatiens can seem to flower forever in some gardens but it is a good idea to now cut them back to the ground and feed with animal manure.

Prune native plants after their winter flowering.

Divide Chrysanthemum clumps now for their splendid display around Mothers' Day.

Spread animal manure/blood'n'bone and mulch between shrubs to keep weeds under control while feeding the soil.

Spring bulbs which have finished flowering are now developing next year's flowers. A light dusting with blood'n'bone or complete bulb food will add extra nutrients to the bulb as it dies back. You must allow them to die back naturally without cutting back the foliage, or tying it up, in order for them to complete their life cycle. If you really must, you can dig out a whole clump without disturbing the root ball and transplant them to a less conspicuous part of garden.

Cyclamens are nearing the end of their brilliant show. Give them a breather by allowing them to dry off and place potted specimens outside under the shade of some shrubs until next February when they start to show life again.

Re-pot potbound houseplants now. If the pot is too large the best you can do for them is to scrape away as much of the top of the potting mix as you can without disturbing roots and then replace with enriched mix. A liquid application of seaweed tonic is a wonderful pick-me-up after the winter trials they have endured in hot or stuffy houses.

This month and next month is the ideal time to establish a new lawn, and take advantage of the spring rain. Try a drought tolerant lawn, such as Buffalo or native Microlaena.

Feeding your garden

This is the start of the main feeding regime for most plants. Go organic, do it lightly and regularly, even every 3 weeks from now until the start of autumn. Your fruiting and ornamental trees, shrubs and annuals will appreciate this more than irregular and heavy doses.

Shallow-rooted plants, such as camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, daphnes, pieris, ericas and others will do well now with large quantities of old manures (such as cow or sheep) covered with mulch, or use Azalea and Camellia food. Remember the water saving granules at the same time.

Liquid feed spring flowering annuals every two weeks.

Give your Roses, Fuschias and Hydrangeas a boost with an all-purpose plant food.

Trials & Tribulations

Aphids

Now that spring is here keep a close eye out for aphids on soft, young growth. Numbers can increase rapidly if left undetected. Remove and squash them by hand or spray with Chilli and Garlic spray, Pyrethrum or Confidor.

Citrus

Citrus trees can be affected by citrus gall wasp at this time of year. This small wasp lays its eggs in soft stems in spring. The larvae then tunnel through the stem forming a lumpy looking growth. Cut off any stems with galls and burn them immediately. There is no chemical control. Yellow sticky traps may be hung in the tree to trap adult wasps.

Azalea Petal Blight

Keep an eye out for signs of this fungal disease which first appears on the flowers as small, circular spots approximately 2mm in diameter. These spots quickly enlarge into irregular blotches and under humid conditions the flowers brown off and become soft and pulpy. Affected flowers tend to persist on the bush. Remove any affected flowers and dispose of them. Do not add them to the compost as this may contaminate your mix. To control the disease early, spray with a copper based fungicide when the buds start to colour and continue to spray every two weeks during the flowering season.

Gardening With Kids

No excuses to be inside now! Strawberries are a favourite with young and old alike. If you can spare space in the garden, let them feed it well and plant some seedlings. If you think the kids will look after a pot, there are plenty of fun ways to grow strawberries upright in tiered pots.