gardening calendar - september, october

Gardening Calendar

When Arthur Yates started his seed business in 1883, little did he know that his name would become synonymous with gardening more than two hundred years later. Yates has become an integral part of Australian and New Zealand gardening history with its Garden Guide book considered the bible by green thumbs everywhere.

Here, Yates horticulturalist Judy Horton helps Gardening Central members celebrate the start of spring with some essential jobs for September and October.

 

September Gardening

• Feed

  Azaleas

  as they finish blooming with Thrive

  Azalea

  ,

  Camellia

  &

  Rhodendron

  food.
• Hydrate indoor plants that need more regular watering as the weather gets warmer. While you’re there, check for infestations like mealy bug with Confidor.
• Continue watering bulbs that have finished flowering with Thrive Soluble or Aquasol until leaves die down completely.
• Sow seed or transplant runners into bare patches in lawns. Topdress hollows. 
• Visit open gardens in your area for inspiration.
• Plant some natives to bring birds like

  honeyeaters

  and

  wrens

  into the garden.
• Prune spring-flowering shrubs as soon as they have finished flowering.
• In warm areas plant

  crotons

  ,

  caladiums

  and

  coleus

  to brighten shady parts of the garden.
• Feed all established fruit trees with citrus food.
• Spray

  hibiscus

  with

  Confidor

  to control

  hibiscus beetle

  .
• Separate young

  bromeliad suckers

  from the mother plant when they’re about one-third mature size.
• Use a garden fork to aerate the lawn (pushing and pulling the fork in and out of the soil) then follow up by feeding with a good quality lawn fertiliser

October Gardening

• October’s a wonderful month for planting as shrubs that go in now will make maximum growth over the next few months.
• Fertilise potted plants with Thrive Once A Year Feeder. Re-pot if roots look crowded.
• Continue spraying

  Lebaycid Fruit Fly & Insect Killer

  every two weeks to protect apples and pears from codling moth. Place a band of corrugated cardboard around the trunk to trap wandering caterpillars.
• Prune frost-damaged parts of plants now that frosts are finished for the year.
• Divide and re-pot congested clumps of

  cymbidium orchids

  into fresh Thrive Orchid Potting Mix.
• Feed lawns with an organic-based lawn food like Dynamic Lifter for Lawns.
• Prune tired old

  citrus trees

  , renewing mulch and feeding with Thrive Citrus Food. Remember, though, if cut back severely, the plant may not fruit again for a couple of seasons.
• Plant all the summer vegies such as

  beans

  ,

  sweet corn

  ,

  tomatoes

  and

  cucurbits

  (

  zucchinis

  ,

  melons

  etc.) now that soil is warm.
• Plant

  mandevilla

  ,

  allamanda

  and

  bougainvillea

  . Climbing plants are at home in warmer climates.
• Plant

  basil

  , which grows well with tomato plants. It repels pests and promotes healthy growth.
• Water

  hydrangeas

  with soluble Thrive Flower & Fruit to encourage larger blooms.
• Prune spring-flowering and

  heritage roses

  after flowering. Rose Gun will protect their new growth.
• Sow or plant

  tropical fruits

  such as

  lychees

  ,

  mangos

  and

  custard apples

  .

Related articles:

Garden Diary - September, October, November
Spring Action Plan
Spring Gardening Tips