Apply Medina Growin’ Green or Milorganite to your lawn. Water in well approximately 30 minutes per area to begin working. These feed the soil and your lawn.
Prevent broadleaf weeds
Use Hi-Yield Crabgrass & Weed Preventer
Plant new grass
Lay new sod or Bermuda seed anytime this month – plan to make time for watering!
Follow city watering guidelines
Continue watering established lawns if we don’t have rain.
Warm temps allow you to take your indoor plants outdoors for some fresh air. Just be sure to keep them protected from the sun. Shady patios are perfect for a short stay. Wash off the dust and bring them back in nice and clean.
If your houseplant looks unhappy, think location first. It may need to be moved to a different spot with different lighting.
Keep them away from the AC vents (they like humidity and the AC dries them out)
General rule for watering; water well then re-water once the soil feels dry to the touch
Spring is time to start fertilizing your houseplants. Your plants will love organic Hasta Gro
If they are getting too big for their pots, bump up to a slightly larger pot.
Fertilize
All granular fertilizer should be watered in well.
Tomato & Pepper Plants
Fertilize regularly with organic Rose Glo or Hasta Gro, Plant Tone, or Medina Growin' Green, or conventionally with High Yield 21-0-0 (ammonium sulfate).
Annuals & Perennials
Use organic Medina Growin' Green, Rose Glo or Plant Tone, or Hasta Gro.
Azaleas, Magnolias, Gardenias
Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or Espoma Azalea Food.
Roses
Fertilize organically with Maestro Gro-Rose Glo.
Hibiscus & Tropical Bloomers
Use organic Maestro Gro-Rose Glo, or conventional Hibiscus Food.
Trees & Shrubs
Fertilize organically with Milorganite, Medina Growin' Green.
Prune
All early spring bloomers if not already done, such as Azaleas, Indian Hawthorn and Carolina Jessamine. Trim hedges as needed to maintain good form. Poinsettias to approximately 12” tall.
Watch Out For
Fungus, Powdery Mildew
Treat organically with Neem Oil. Use Fertilome Liquid Systemic Fungicide on ornamentals.
Grub Worms
Use organic Spinosad Soap, or conventional Season Long Grub Control.
Spider Mites
Treat organically with Spinosad Soap or conventionally with Cyonara, Bonide Systemic.
When watering during periods of windy dry conditions, it’s important to water slow and deep. Be sure to watch the spray of your sprinkler and adjust accordingly with the wind
Water all plants well after planting and regularly through the first year. Plants will begin to use more water as they grow and bloom. Outdoor potted plants dry out quickly as do hanging baskets and small annuals.
Mulch
Apply mulch around trees, flowerbeds and vegetable gardens to reduce weeds and help retain moisture. We like cypress, hardwood and pinestraw mulch. These reduce weeds well and will not float away.
Plant
September is vegetable and seed month.
There are numerous selections of vegetables to be started in the garden or in containers. Come in and pick up our fall vegetable guide.
Tomatoes & Peppers
Tomatoes and peppers can be planted through the middle of the month.
Apply organic Nature's Blend or Peat Moss for lawns, or conventional F-Stop granules as a preventative to brown patch fungus, which shows up as temperatures drop during fall and winter months.
Spray only growing weeds with Captain Jacks Deadweed Brew or Horticultural Vinegar. These products kill all vegetation; so protect plants from drift or over spray.
Apply organic Corn Gluten meal, or Weed and Grass Stopper with Dimension in the fall and spring to prevent seeds from sprouting. It will not control already growing weeds.
Weed B Gon or Image can be applied once we cool down into the 80’s temps. An organic option is Captain Jack’s Lawn Weed Brew.
Watch For
Masses of worms eating your oak tree.
Treat with organic Spinosad or Thuricide, or conventional Cyonara. Read: Oak Tree Caterpillars
White Flies on tropicals and perennials, especially lantana and hibiscus.
Treat with organic Insecticidal Soap,Neem Oil,Spinosad Soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1 Spray, or conventional Cyonara or a long acting drench like Fertilome Tree & Shrub
Note: Please, Please, Please, don’t kill the bees!
They are one of the best sources we have to pollinate our fruits, vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.
Planting Season!
Fall is Our Best Planting Season!
Trees, shrubs, and perennials get a great bonus when planted in fall. South Texas enjoys relatively warm soil temperatures through fall and winter, and cooler air temperatures direct the new plant to grow roots all through this time. So, a plant put into the ground in fall will grow twice as fast the following spring as one planted in spring due to having developed twice the root system, and it will also suffer much less stress in its first South Texas summer. We are lucky that we can garden year round here, but fall is our best season for planting!
Check the window lighting for your indoor plants. The sun is moving with the change of the season and may bring more or less light indoors.
Heater vents can cause blemished foliage and dry plants out more quickly. Watch your placement of any new plants coming indoors.
With cold fronts coming, plan to move your house plants indoors, if you have moved any outside during warmer weather. Provide adequate lighting & adjust watering.
Let this be your last feeding for your outdoor tropical plants that are becoming houseplants for the winter. They need to rest.
Keep watch for any tagalong critters or insects & move them back outdoors. Treat if needed.
Water your newly planted vegetables and bedding plants regularly, but take care not to overwater with cooler nighttime temperatures.
Cut back on watering your established plants and lawn as temperatures cool down, since they use less water. If you are unsure when to water, use a moisture meter to take out the guesswork.
Prune
Your hardy, woody ornamentals and tropicals only to shape, not severely.
Fall bulbs like paper whites and amaryllis, will make a spectacular show this winter and spring, and now is the time to buy them. Paper whites need to be chilled for 4 to 6 weeks in your refrigerator then planted in pots or in the ground. They can make beautiful gifts for the holidays. Be sure to get a free instruction sheet on their planting and care.
If you’re cooking for the holidays, you can still plant herbs for that “fresh from the garden” flavor. Even if you’re not cooking, they’re still fun to grow.
All plants that are especially stressed, or recently transplanted
We recommend organic Hasta Gro or Plant Tone
Water
Water your newly planted vegetables and bedding plants regularly, but take care not to overwater with cooler nighttime temperatures.
Cut back on watering your established plants and lawn as temperatures cool down, since they use less water. If you are unsure when to water, use a moisture meter to take out the guesswork.
Prune
Woody Ornamentals
Your hardy woody ornamentals to shape, not severely, so as not to encourage new tender growth.
Your fall blooming plants, like asters and mums, that have finished their bloom. Remove spent blooms from annuals, like petunias, snapdragons and dianthus to encourage more bloom.
Pansies, petunias, alyssum, dianthus, snapdragons, ornamental cabbage and kale, geraniums
Hardy Trees, Shrubs and Vines
The roots of hardy plants grow during our cool months even though their leaves may be changing color or falling from their branches. This provides a better root system so they thrive in spring and can survive the long, hot summer. Live oaks, magnolia, cedar elm, hawthorns, holly, sage, junipers, roses, just to name a few, are winter hardy and would be appropriate to plant now. Read more: Plant Hardy Trees And Shrubs Now
Christmas cactus is one of nature’s gifts for those who are gardening challenged. Just keep them dry and in very filtered light. How’s that for easy?
A beautiful holiday plant, the Christmas Cactus blooms at Christmas and also sometimes around Easter if cared for properly. Keep the plant in a well lit location (like near a window) away from direct sunlight-too much heat and light can stunt the growth and burn the leaves. It should also be away from drafts, heat vents, or other sources of hot air. Feel the soil with your fingers; if it is dry, it’s time to water thoroughly. Before watering again, check to see that the top inch of soil has dried thoroughly first. Mist leaves as well as watering the soil.
Fall bulbs like paper whites and amaryllis, will make a spectacular show this winter and now is the time to plant them.
Paperwhite Narcissus 1. Refrigerate for 4-6 weeks prior to planting. (plant around Thanksgiving for holiday blooms!) 2. Fill a clear vase with a few inches of pea gravel. 3. Nestle bulbs side by side into the gravel. 4. Add water up to the bottom of the bulb and place near a sunny window.
Amaryllis Plant in a pot or in the ground. If planting in the ground, place in morning sun and afternoon shade. Every three years in October, you can dig up and divide these bulbs as they multiply underground! Feed regularly with Hi-Yield Bone Meal every 4-6 weeks.
Indoor Plants
Bring fresh air and interest indoors. Houseplants like schefflera, sanseveria, pothos ivy, & philodendrons bring a clean organic feel to your home. While you move plants in from outdoor areas, be sure to check for insects and treat if needed.
Poinsettias indoors do best in cool dry areas with indirect light. An easy way to water them is with a few ice cubes every few days. Read: Poinsettia Care
Fertilize
BEDDING PLANTS Fertilize organically with Hastagro, Medina Growin Green, or Milorganite, or conventionally with Osmocote Time Release 14-14-14. Do not fertilize TROPICALS. They need to rest.
LAWN
If you didn’t fertilize your lawn in October or November, instead of applying a chemical fertilizer, we recommend you use an organic fertilizer such as Medina Growin Green or Milorganite. These products feed the grass & soil microbes slowly and naturally.
LAWN FUNGUS This can be a major problem after long periods of wet, cool weather or over watering. There are two major kinds of lawn fungus – Take All Patch and Brown Patch. Treat Take All Patch organically with Nature’s Blend Organic Compost, or Peat Moss, or conventionally with Fertilome Systemic Lawn Fungicide or Scotts DiseaseEX.
Treat Brown Patch Fungus with Fertilome F-Stop Granules.
Water
Only as needed – but dry cold fronts, high winds and low humidity can dry plants quickly.
Established lawns only need water every couple of weeks, provided we don’t get rain.