September Gardening Calender

Spring is officially here with air and soil temperatures climbing. But do watch out for those rogue frosts and be aware that the overnight temperatures are still low. It’s wonderful to see the tuis back cavorting in the kowhai and hearing the kaka as they fly overhead.

Towards the end of the month our very special horizontal elm will be clothed with spring green blossom and there should be a plethora of shrubs and trees flowering in your own gardens – rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, viburnums, magnolias, boronias, native clematis and a few of the early hybrids and montanas, lots of woodland perennials and of course tulips.

KITCHEN GARDEN

Vegetables
• Tomatoes are offered for sale this month but in Wellington they should come with a warning; only plant under cover such as in a heated glasshouse or closed in porch area. If you wish to risk planting outdoors you will need to protect the plants with polytunnels or cloches.
• Do not plant tomatoes in the same soil two years in a row. Viruses can be transferred from one season to the next.
• Do not plant tomatoes in soil that had a previous crop of potatoes as they can carry the same viruses.
• Sow tomato seed in trays of Seed Raising Mix from early September and transfer to small individual pots as soon as they can be handled. When the risk of frost has passed, plant seedlings in rows up to 75cm apart and 45cm between each plant.
• Continue to plant out early crop seed potatoes (Jersey Bennes, Cliffs Kidney, Swift) only where there is no risk of frost.
• Growth of broad beans can be quite rapid and those sown early will begin to flower. Keep weeds away from the stems. They will need staking or wrap garden twine around the bushy plants to keep them from flopping over. Pinch out the growing tips when the plants reach 1m to promote bushy growth and encourage pods to form. These tips are delicious added to a green salad.
• Spray Broad Beans with Bravo to prevent rust and chocolate spot. Be on the lookout for early aphids and spray Betta-a-Bug Garlic and Pyrethrum.
• Plant seedlings of globe artichoke, broad beans, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, leek, lettuce, onion, peas, rhubarb crowns, silverbeet and spinach.
• Sow seeds of beetroot, parsnip, mustard, spring onions and carrots.
• Tender seeds such as aubergine, capsicum, chilli, cucumber, melon, tomato, pumpkin and zucchini must be sown under glass.
• Sow the following herbs from seed – coriander, dill and chervil.
• French tarragon plants will come available for sale.
• Thyme and marjoram can be divided and replanted in fresh soil.
• Ensure vigorous seedling growth by regular watering on of Yates Black Magic Seedling Fertiliser. This feeds through both leaves and roots, is high in phosphorous required for developing seedlings and will stimulate vigorous root, stem and leaf growth.
• Protect young seedlings from snails and slugs with Tui Quash.
• Use polytunnels and cloches to protect plants from cold and wind.

Fruit
• Feed all fruiting plants with Burnet’s Gold Fruit and Citrus Food.
• Spray fruit trees. Fungal diseases can enter the growing shoots and continue through the season.
• Leaf curl in peaches can only be controlled by spraying with Champion Copper during the bud swelling and bud burst period.
• Brown rot is a devastating fungal disease which invades the fruit during the flowering and early fruit formation stages. Follow a strict spraying regime using Fungus Fighter applied during the blossom period through to fruit formation at 10-14 day intervals.
• Pipfruit will need to be sprayed at bud swell with Champion Copper and then with Fungus Fighter just prior to flowering, at full bloom and again at petal fall.
• Hang traps in apple trees codlin moth control.
• Control black aphids on the new growth on citrus trees with Confidor or Beat-a-Bug.
• Spray grapes at bud burst with Champion Copper and feed.
• Plant young passionfruit vines. Well drained soil is essential. A raised growing position is perfect with plenty of organic matter incorporated into the soil.
• Plant tamarillos in a warm sheltered spot free from heavy frosts.
• Figs – protect new growth from sap-sucking pests by using Yates Nature’s Way Insect Spray. Mulch over the root system and sprinkle the surrounding soil with lime or dolomite.

ORNAMENTAL GARDEN

Planting
• Feed absolutely everything. There are specific Burnet’s controlled release foods; one for roses, one for acid loving plants and also one for general use suitable for native plants. All these can be used to fertilise plants growing in containers.
• Yates Dynamic Lifter pellets are organic and contain ingredients that will release nutrients slowly, feeding up to 10m2 per kg. They will also help to organically enrich and improve the soil. Make vertical holes down into the soil if plants are growing in the lawn.
• As the leaves of bulbs die back, feed with Tui Bulb Food to improve next years’ flowering.
• The native clematis, Clematis paniculata is in full flower. Find a position for one in your garden with a cool, moist root run and give it some sun to grow up into the sun. Its flowering traditionally marks the beginning of the Maori garden calendar.
• Start spraying roses with insecticide/fungicide combination spray such as Yates Super Shield. If you only have a few roses there is now a ready to use spray available called Yates Rose Spray.
• Hydrangeas can be given a late prune and cuttings can be used to propagate new plants. To enhance the blue varieties, apply Aluminium Sulphate and lime for the pink/red varieties. This is also good to acidify the soil for other acid loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, daphne, ericas and boronias.
• Trim back winter-damaged leaves from perennials so the fresh new growth can come through.
• Cut back salvias to a point where you can see the new leaves emerging. Be quite brave as this will improve the look of the plants in the long run.
• Penstemons can be cut back to ground level.
• Cut azaleas back after flowering and protect leaves from thrips with Confidor spray. Also spray Viburnum tinus and rhododendrons.

General
• Improve soil with Dynamic Lifter, gypsum, Blood and Bone or compost.
• Rainfall can be erratic so watering may be necessary
• Foliar feeding is very effective at this time of year as the leaves will take up nutrients instead of the roots in the cold soil.

LAWNS
• Feed the lawn to encourage new growth. Use a premium slow release lawn food or Dynamic Lifter Organic Lawn pellets.
• Sprinkle on Soil Insect Killer where you see bare patches caused by porina moth caterpillar. Follow the instructions on the container for the correct application rate (less than that used for grass grub control). Do not soak into the soil as the porina come to the surface at night to feed on the grass.

Read more about how to rid your garden of pests and diseases here >>