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  • HOME
    • About Master Gardener Volunteers
    • 2023 Master Gardener training
    • Demonstration GARDEN
  • Request Our Help
    • Speaker Request
    • Garden HELP Desk
    • School/Community Garden Consultation
  • Garden Zone
  • GARDEN CALENDAR
    • January winter
    • February to do list
    • March timely tips
    • April 15th last frost
    • May spring frenzy
    • June garden tasks
    • July summer tasks
    • August hot summer
    • September gardens
    • October fall begins
    • November planting
    • December gardens
  • Our Publications
  • Videos
  • Consider a Donation



​September
Garden Tasks
​in the Piedmont 
​

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Cup Plant at our Freedom Park Demo Garden
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Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs

  • Divide spring- and summer-blooming perennials. Plant new perennials.  
    • The winter allows plants to develop strong roots to help them withstand the heat next summer.
    • Keep them well-watered.   
  • Plant parsley, cilantro and chervil.
  • Continue to spray roses every 10-14 days.
    • Groom roses constantly: Don't leave dying stems on the plant; remove weak, broken or spindly shoots.  
  • Get ready for fall blossoms:
    • Cut plants back by one-third; fertilize after pruning; keep them watered.  
  • Hydrangeas:
    • With cool nights, bloom production slows; blossom colors mellow with a twinge of brown.
  • Plant peonies:
    • Look for older varieties that need less winter chill to develop next year's blooms. 
  • Fertilize annuals:
    • Give them their last feeding to keep their blooms coming as long as possible.
  • Caladiums:
    • Dig, cure and store the tubers before they become too hard to locate.
  • Order bulbs and garlic, while selection is good. 
    • Keep them cool till time to plant in October or November, after soil temperatures drop.​​
  • Put out plant markers before perennials die back, so you’ll know where not to step or dig in next year's garden.

Vegetables & Fruits   

  • Tomatoes:
    • Remove all blossoms so plant nutrients flow to tomatoes that are already set.
    • Tomatoes stop producing when night temperatures fall below 65 degrees (F) and days become shorter.   
  • Plant broccoli, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, radishes and spinach.
  • Control the whitefly population:
    • Hang sticky yellow strips among your plants to trap them, especially on tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and squash.  
  • Control tomato hornworms and fruit worms with BT or Sevin when these critters are active this month. 
  • Begin planning a backyard berry patch to plant in October and November.
    • Try ‘Apollo,’ ‘Atlas,’ ‘Earlibelle’ and ‘Titan’ strawberries and different Highbush and Rabbiteye blueberry varieties. 

Lawn & Landscaping 

  • Fertilize cool-season (fescue) lawns in mid-September and again in November. 
    • If you did not have a soil test done, use a fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio with one pound actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
  • Check for white grubs and control, if necessary.
  • Over-seed thin, bare areas as grass begins responding to cooler temperatures in September and October. 
    • Use a blend of tall fescue cultivars at six pounds per 1,000 square feet and apply a starter fertilizer.  
    • Light, frequent sprinklings several times a day will keep the bed moist and ensure good seed germination.  

Trees, Shrubs & Groundcovers

  • Water your trees. Drought problems may be showing up on your established shade and flowering trees. 
  • Discontinue fertilizing trees and shrubs; any new growth could be damaged by an early frost.

​Pruning 

  • ​Do NOT prune shrubs or trees in late summer or early autumn (September-October). Pruning stimulates new growth that may not have time to harden off before frost.
  • You can remove any deadwood from shrubs or trees.  

There's more to do...

  • Take a soil test!!
    • Especially if you grow vegetables. Recommended amendments, like lime, can be applied before planting time next spring.
    • Soil test kits are available from the NC Cooperative Extension Office, 1418 Armory Drive, Charlotte.​
  • Water outdoor container plants daily, as needed; make sure to provide adequate drainage. 
  • Start adding leaves to your compost pile. 
    • Beware of adding weeds from your yard!   
  • Bring certain plants indoors. 
    • Gather up houseplants that have spent the summer outdoors.
    • Wash foliage and repot if necessary.  
    • Take cuttings from coleus, lantana, geranium, begonia and impatiens to brighten up the indoors and replant outdoors next spring.  
 Extension Master Gardener℠ Volunteers of Mecklenburg County 
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 ​The Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a part of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and North Carolina State University
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