September Gardening Tips
September is a pivotal month for your landscape, with the official arrival of Autumn later this month, and hopefully, a return to cooler and wetter weather. It’s the gateway month between summer and fall gardening, so get outside and improve your landscape.
September is the time to apply lawn fertilizer to keep the grass healthy and growing up to the first frost. Always follow the directions on the package and avoid over-fertilizing, which will only damage your lawn. Fall-fertilized lawns are better equipped to make it through the winter and resume growth next spring than lawns that receive no fertilizer.
Double check your sprinklers carefully to make sure they are applying all that you expect in an even, uniform pattern.
Think back to last spring. Did you have lawn weeds in February and March before the grass started growing? Those were cool-season weeds, most of which germinated last fall. A pre-emergent herbicide applied in September will help reduce the recurrence of the same weeds next spring.
Sow Spring Wildflowers (like Bluebonnets) seeds now. For more reliable, uniform seed germination of our State flower, purchase acid-treated Bluebonnets seed. This treatment pits the seed coat, allowing nearly 100% germination in one to two weeks.
Need to add new shrubbery or trees to your landscape; this is a great month to do that. Fall landscaping done now will be well-rooted by next Spring and Summer.
Plant your fall vegetable garden. Plant cool-season vegetable garden with transplants of Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Chard, Collards, Lettuce, and Kale. Water your new vegetables and lightly top-dress with mulch to discourage weeds.