Master Gardener Tips for September

   Divide spring-flowering perennials and either transplant, share    with a neighbor or give as a gift to a friend.

              Keep flowers from forming on herbs to maintain their growth and

                      to keep them from going to seed, ex: basil.

                Neat housekeeping is the mantra for keeping roses looking good.

Clean up under the bushes so that black spot and other diseases won’t

spread. Also, keep up with your spraying schedule.  I see some beautiful

bushes in the area, so you are really following these directions.

                    Geraniums are looking pretty thin now, trim them back and when

                   cooler nights arrive they will become bushy again.

                    Now it is time to apply fire ant bait to the entire landscape.

              Do you like radishes?  Plant them now.

             If you want, overseed the lawn with rye grass.  It will help to provide a green lawn all winter. Of course, then you have to mow it.

              However if you do, you cannot apply a preemergent herbicide for

                   winter annual weeds.  The weed control will kill the grass seed.

             Dig up and divide your spring bulbs.

              Begin planting mums for beautiful fall colors.

             If there is kudzu trying for a foot hold in your area, spray now with herbicide or mow it back to the ground.

             Do you have a rain gauge to help you monitor the amount of water you need?  About an inch a week is recommended.  However, we cannot control Mother Nature or Ernesto, so please don’t run your sprinkler system after a deluge of 4-5 inches of rain.