THE ALMANAC - SEPTEMBER

LAWNS 
1. Mow less frequently, and raise the height of cut as the growth rate slows down.
2. Start to think about Autumn Lawn care; including scarifying, aerating and top dressing.
3. Toughen your lawn up for winter by applying Autumn Lawn Feed which is high in Potassium. Do this after scarifying and aerating but before top dressing. Don't apply Summer feed as this will result in weak soft growth that will be prone to disease in the Autumn weather.
4. Time of the year to prepare and create new lawns from seed or turf . Do not start this work if drought  conditions or wet ground prevail.
5. Your last chance to use lawn weedkillers to control perennial weeds such as daisies or buttercups.
6. Remove any toadstools which are infesting your lawn. These can be spread to other areas by mowing them when cutting the grass.

VEGETABLES 
1. Continue to sow vegetables for overwintering, to mature next Spring: turnip, spinach, winter lettuce, oriental veg and seed of overwintering onions, both salad and bulb types.
2. Plant overwintering onion sets in late September.
3. Dig up potatoes before slugs do damage. Leave them out to dry for a few hours before storing them. Only store sound tubers in paper sacks or boxes.
4. Regularly pick fast maturing vegetables, such as French beans, runner beans, courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers, to prevent them from becoming stringy, tough, or bitter and to encourage further crops.
5. Remaining outdoor tomatoes should be picked by the end of the month and ripened indoors. The whole truss can be cut so that the fruits can ripen on the vine under a cloche or on a windowsill indoors.
6. Aubergines may still be cropping under glass. Pick them once they have coloured but before the skin starts to wrinkle..

GREENHOUSE
1. Plant up containers with Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) bulbs and prepared hyacinths for a Xmas display.
2. Start to reduce watering of Houseplants as light levels drop.
3. Ventilate Conservatories during the remaining warmer days to prevent  soaring temperatures, but reduce ventilation once the cooler and gusty weather sets in.
4. Damping down usually becomes less necessary as the month progresses. Best to do any watering or damping down earlier in the day as this gives the greenhouse time to dry off before the lower temps of the evening arrive.
5. September is the ideal time to apply biological control  for Vine Weevil.
6. Plants being brought back indoors after summer outside should be checked for signs of pest and disease. Particular attention should be given to red spider mite, mealybug and scale insect.

TREES AND SHRUBS
1. Give evergreen hedges a final trim to make sure that they are tidy for the winter.
2. Keep early flowering shrubs such as Camellia and Rhododendrons well watered during dry spells to ensure good flower bud initiation for blooms next spring.
3. Take semi-ripe cuttings of evergreen shrubs such as Cistus, Ceanothus and Viburnum.
4. Take hardwood cuttings of roses , choosing well-ripened, healthy shoots.
5. Order mature or large plants now for planting in October or once the rains have moistened the soil.
6. Clear dead leaves once they begin to fall as they fast become a source of disease in the garden. Put them on the compost heap where they will soon decompose into good plant food.

ROSES
1. Climbing roses can be pruned once they have finished flowering ; sideshoots from the main framework of branches are cut back to a couple of buds. Any dead, diseased or spindly growth is cut out and the new young growth are tied in to the supports, from the base. Thick woody, old growth can be cut out at the base to stimulate more vigorous growth.
2. Continue to dead head bush types so as to encourage  new flower.
3. Rake any debris off the bed to disuade pest and disease which will build up to give you more trouble next season.
4. Check ties and stakes for signs of wear and replace if needed .
5. Cease spraying insecticides and fungicides now as pests are on the way out and so are most of the diseases.
6. Continue to keep your beds and borders weed free.

PERENNIALS
1. Sow sweet peas in a cold frame or the greenhouse for early summer blooms next year.
2. Any spring flowering biennials such as Viola, Digitalis (foxglove) or Erysimum (wallflower) grown from a earlier sowing can now be planted.
3. A good time of the year for planting new perennials , especially towards the end ofSeptember as the soil is still warm and moist . Gives them chance to settle in before the winter.
4. Bring inside any tender perennials such as Fuchsia , Gazania , Lantana and Abutilon, before any frosts cause damage.
5. Wait for the first frosts to knock Dahlias and Cannas before lifting the tubers or rhizomes. In warmer climates , they are usually left in the ground. If you choose to do the same, make sure the crowns are covered with a protective layer of straw or peat.
6. Continue your hanging basket maintenance to stretch the flowering into the Autumn.