Master Gardener^sm Column for the Week of September 5, 2005
Judy Koehly
Brunswick County Extension Master Gardener^sm Volunteer

If you see some fat, striped caterpillars on your dill, parsley, and fennel let them be! Next spring they will grace your garden as beautiful Eastern Black Swallowtails. If you have colorful flowers and flowering shrubs in your garden you’ll enjoy the sight of a variety of butterflies; the pretty, little yellow sulfur butterflies are evident now! Butterflies enjoy a shallow, muddy puddle to drink. They get many necessary nutrients this way. Do keep the feeders full, the nectar fresh, and the birdbath full of clean water.

Azaleas and camellias are setting blooms for next year, so keep them watered through dry times this fall. Chrysanthemums will be coming into their fall glory soon, so fertilize them lightly now for a spectacular show of blooms. To get the best from your hellebores this winter and next spring you can apply a time-release fertilizer. Summer blooming bulbs and perennials can now be divided. Resist the temptation to fertilize shrubs and trees now as tender new growth will not be able to withstand the cooler weather that is sure to come. You can spray all your shrubs with horticultural oil (summer weight only when sprayed in September) to suffocate insect eggs and protect the plants from winter cold.

Lightly prune seed heads of crape myrtle to prolong blooming. Avoid any heavy pruning at this time. It is NOT necessary or suggested that crape myrtles be drastically pruned ever! Never prune back more than 1/3 of the tree or shrub. LIGHT pruning when dormant will create a bushier tree or shrub.

Continue your spraying and fertilization schedule for roses as they prepare for final bloom. Cut back plants up to 1/3, if not already done in August. Remove leaves with black spot and groom constantly, including dead or weak stems and dead flowers. Clip above a fine-leaf stem. Climbing roses can be pruned back now by cutting lateral branches back to two or three nodes.

September is a good time to plant perennials. The winter rest will allow the plants to develop strong root systems that will allow them to better withstand the heat of summer.

Before you move your houseplants back inside, repot any that have become root bound and check them all carefully for insect pests or their eggs. Spray with insecticidal soap. Clear out your windowsills to allow as much light as possible to come in to keep your plants healthy. Houseplants should be brought indoors before night temperatures drop below 50 degrees. Planting pots that will be stored away for winter should be washed in a solution of one part bleach and ten parts water to ward off fungus and disease next spring. You can pot up some herbs to take indoors for winter use. Since many culinary herbs lose much of their flavor when dried why not freeze them instead! Pick the foliage, toss in a baggie, label, and store in the freezer until needed.

Bermudagrass can be fertilized early in September at a rate of ½ pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet and can also be over seeded with rye, but this practice is not recommended for other warm season grasses. St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Centipede grasses can be fertilized with one pound of potassium per 1,000 square feet. You can use 1.6 pounds of muriate of potash (0-0-60) or two pounds of potassium sulfate (0-0-54, or five pounds of 0-0-22). For Bermudagrass be sure to account for the amounts already applied in earlier applications.

Do not aerate or thatch now! September is your last chance to repair and patch centipede with sod. Centipede grass requires the soil to be 70 degrees to grow. Centipede needs ½ inch of water every three days or one inch a week.

Pests that are most prevalent in September are: ants, azalea caterpillars, bees, fire ants, twig girdler, webworms, whiteflies, and yellow jackets. For management and control of these pests, identify the problem, use the recommended insecticide, and as always, follow all directions on label.

If you buy spring flowering bulbs now, place them in the fridge (not in the same bin with fruits or vegetables) and plant them in late November or early December. If you have a bulb and are not certain which end is up, plant it sideways! Before herbaceous plants die back for winter, place identification markers in the area so you don’t accidentally dig them next spring.

Recommendations for the use of chemicals are included in this article as a convenience to the reader. The use of brand names and any mention or listing of commercial products or services in this publication does not imply endorsement by North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, or the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned. Individuals who use chemicals are responsible for ensuring that the intended use complies with current regulations and conforms to the product label. Be sure to obtain current information about usage regulations and examine a current product label before applying any chemical. For assistance, contact the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.

Send your gardening questions or comments to: Brunswick County Master Gardener Column, P.O. Box 109, Bolivia, NC 28422, or call (910) 253-2610. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if requesting information or a reply. Answers may be printed in this column.

For further information or assistance, please e-mail:
Charlie Spencer, Brunswick County Extension Master Gardener^smVolunteer

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Date Created 9/1/2005