August Outdoor Gardening

• Continue deadheading (removal of spent flowers) roses, annuals and perennials.

• Plant peonies at the end of this month through October. Send a SASE with 32 cents postage to receive our Peonies booklet.

• Plant Colchicum, True Autumn Crocus and Madonna lilies in August for September blooming.

• Look for annual white grub damage in the lawn.

• Keep edible size vegetables picked so the plants will keep producing.

• Keep records of harvesting dates to help in planning the next year's vegetable garden.

• If you don't have a vegetable garden, plan on attending your local farmers market to purchase farm fresh produce.

• Continue regular watering, weeding and insect control in both flower and vegetable gardens.

• Sow nasturtium seeds now for winter bloom.

• Stock up on plant supplies such as peat moss, vermiculite, pots, pesticides and fertilizer before they are removed from the shelves.

• Begin potting hardy tulip, hyacinth, narcissus, etc., bulbs to be forced in December.

• Enjoy local county fairs.

September Outdoor Gardening

• Divide daylilies in early September so wounds will have sufficient time to heal.

• Lawns can be fertilized and dethatched or core aerated at this time. New lawns can be seeded during September and early October.

• Apply broadleaf weed control to the lawn.

• Take cutting of annuals such as impatiens, geraniums and begonias that are to be kept over winter. Don't wait, you may be too late!

• Dig up tuberous roots of dahlia and begonia tubers and store for winter.

• Continue to harvest vegetables including tomatoes, peppers and beans through September. Be sure all desirable produce is out of the garden before it is damaged by a killing frost.

• Do not harvest collards, kale and brussels sprouts until they have been subjected to a freeze.

• Begin to harvest winter squash and pumpkins late in the month.

• Fall apples are ripening. A trip to a nearby apple orchard would surely be an enjoyable way to spend a September afternoon.

• Have your garden soil tested this month.

• Bring in houseplants that summered outdoors. Before they are brought in, hose down the foliage and clean the containers to remove any insects.

• Allow amaryllis bulbs to go dormant. The bulbs must rest for at least one month before they are forced back into growth. Send for our Amaryllis factsheet with a SASE with 32 cents postage.

• Continue to pot hardy bulbs to be forced into indoor bloom. These bulbs will bloom in early to mid-January.

• Plant pansies for fall color.

• Establish a cover crop to the vegetable garden.

• Note plants that provide fall color so you can include them in your planting plan next year.

• Have sheets and cardboard boxes on hand to cover tender plants if there is an early frost.

• Thanksgiving (or Christmas) cactus can be forced into bloom in time for the holidays. Provide 15 hours of complete darkness each day, such as from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., for approximately eight weeks. Keep temperature at about 60 to 65 degrees F. Temperatures of 55 F will cause flower buds to set without the dark treatment.

• Store leftover garden seed in a cool, dry place. A sealable jar with a layer of silica gel or powdered milk in the bottom works well.

• Bring houseplants that were moved outside for the summer back indoors before night temperatures drop below 55 degrees F. Gradually decrease the amount of light to acclimate the plants and help reduce leaf drop. Be sure to control insects and diseases before putting them near other houseplants.

• Fall is a good time to plant many container-grown or balled-and-burlapped nursery stock. Prepare a good-sized hole, plant at the same depth it grew in the nursery and water thoroughly. Mulching will help protect against large fluctuations in soil temperature and moisture. Be sure to stake or guy-wire tall plants to protect them from strong winds.

• Do not be alarmed if your evergreens, particularly white pine and arborvitae, drop some of their older needles. All evergreens shed needles at some time, but not all at once as deciduous plants do.

• Dig onions and garlic after top falls over naturally and necks begin to dry.

• Harvest mature green tomatoes before frost and ripen indoors. Individually wrap fruits in newspaper or leave them on the vine, pulling the entire plant out of the garden. Store in a cool location, about 55 to 60 degrees F.

• Save plants such as coleus, wax begonias, impatiens, or fuchsia for indoor growing over winter. Dig plants and cut them back about halfway or take cuttings of shoot tips and root them in moist vermiculite, soil mix or perlite.

• Watch for garden chrysanthemums to bloom as days grow shorter. Some may already have bloomed earlier in summer, which will decrease the number of fall blooms.

• Plant spring-flowering bulbs beginning in late September. Planting too early can cause bulbs to sprout top growth before winter. However, allow at least four to six weeks before the ground freezes for good root formation.

• Cut flowers, such as strawflower, statice, baby's breath and celosia for drying and hang upside down in a dry, well-ventilated area.

• Dig and store tender garden flowers for winter storage. Gladiolus corms should be dug when leaves begin turning yellow. Caladiums, geraniums and tuberous begonias should be lifted before killing frost. Dig canna and dahlia roots after a heavy frost. Allow to air dry, then pack in dry peat moss or vermiculite and store in a cool location.

• Remove raspberry canes after they bear fruit.

Late Summer 1996
Cover Crops | Tomato Problems | Annual White Grub Homeowner Control Options | Phalaenopsis: "No Better Orchid for Beginners" | Bug Bites | Lawn Care Calendar | To A Violet | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | OTC Hearburn Drug | Food Safety Checklist |Healthy Cooking: Cabbage | Nutrition Facts: Meal Planning 101 (Part 3 of 3) | Health and Household Tips | Did You Know?

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