It’s September, spider month! If you’re like me, you walk through your garden this time of year with a hand or stick in front of you just to keep from walking face-first into spider webs. The brightly colored orb weavers are especially fun. But although they are large and can bite, they won’t unless they are threatened and can’t escape. They are an important part of your yard’s ecosystem because they eat flies, moths, beetles, wasps and mosquitoes.
Here are a few September gardening tips to help you keep your yard beautiful and blooming this month.
PROTECT AGAINST BRUSHFIRES
Protect your home against fires by cutting and removing dead leaves and limbs from trees and shrubs, especially if they grow near your home. It’s best to remove branches growing six feet or less from the ground, any that overhang the roof or eaves, and woody vegetation that is growing up against structures. Also clear leaves from gutters.
Store any wood you’re saving from your cuttings far away from your home or any structures. Water trees deeply. The extra moisture adds to their fire-resistance.
LACE TREES
Beautify landscape trees and reduce the risk of wind damage with an annual lacing of your trees. If done by a certified arborist, this is a skillful and artistic pruning to reveal a tree’s structure and allow wind to pass through. Arborists will know the best time of year to lace individual trees. They also can help save trees severely damaged by wind or fire. To find a certified arborist in your area, go to the Professional Tree Care Association of San Diego County and the International Society of Aboriculture
ORDER WILDFLOWER SEEDS
Order wildflower seeds now so you can plant them when the fall and winter rains come. Before the rain starts, sow California poppy seeds, tidy tips, baby blue eyes and more. The Theodore Payne Foundation has been an excellent source of all-native California wildflower seeds. Choose from mixes designed for coastal, inland or mountain gardens or from original mixes developed by Payne, a pioneering nurseryman in Los Angeles. Store seeds in a cool, dry, dark place until time to plant
Force weed seeds before you plant your wildflowers or start a new planting bed by watering the bed. When the seeds sprout, pull them out right away or remove them with a hoe.
The Theodore Payne Foundation is also a good place to go when looking for wildflowers blooming in California. Take a look at May Gardening Tips for more information.
A lot of information for September Gardening Tips 2019 comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.