September Gardening Tips
Theme for the month
- Protect seedlings from slugs and snails with Kiwi Garden Slug and Snail Bait
- Dig plenty of Kiwi Garden Compost “Plus” into your vegetable garden prior to planting
- Plant up hanging baskets and containers for summer colour
- Feed the entire garden to support vigorous spring growth.
It’s September which means Spring has sprung and that means time to get your garden ready for summer. To help with this, we’ve put together a planting guide for September as well as some general gardening tips to help you get your garden set up for brilliant blooms in summer as well general seed sowing & maintenance. After all, September is a busy month for seed sowing and planting. So, ensuring you empty mature compost out of compost bins and dig compost into the garden is important to feed the soil as well as giving you room to start a fresh batch of compost for next season.
September Planting Guide
Making sure you have the right seeds ready for sowing is crucial as September is prime time for planting trees & shrubs. A great gardening tip for September is to prepare both the soil for the seeds you will be germinating, along with any soil for the plants you will be sewing out.
For plants being transferred into new pots or bed we recommend the following:
- Fork Daltons 7-in-1 Boosted Compost into the soil before planting
- Apply Kiwi Garden just Slow Release Fertiliser around plants immediately after planting.
- Water in new soil and fertiliser until dampened but not soaked
It’s also recommended to prepare empty beds by removing winter weeds and turning over the soil to let the soil breathe and replenish oxygen in the soil. For weakened beds:
- Lime freshly dug soil
- Fork through Daltons 7-in-1 Boosted Compost.
- Apply Kiwi Garden General Fertiliser and Kiwi Garden Sheep Pellets and fork into the top 5–10cm of soil.
During September, it important to keep tender young seedlings in trays, so they can be easily moved to shelter if the unpredictable spring weather changes for the worse.
Protect seedlings and soft foliaged plants from slugs and snails with Kiwi Garden waterproof slug and snail bait – its long lasting AND showerproof! Ideally suited to keeping pests at bay.
Another great garden tip for pathway and pavement maintenance is to spray weeds in pathways and driveways with Kiwi Garden weedkiller.
Prepare and sow new lawn areas. Select the correct lawn seed for the area e.g. Kiwi Garden hardwearing lawn seed for areas that have high foot traffic.
Aerate established lawns by going over the entire lawn area and pressing a garden fork into the lawn, 15cm deep, at 15–30cm intervals. Top-dress with Lawn Soil or river sand to fill the cavities left by the fork and feed with Kiwi Garden Lawn Fertiliser.
- Keep your spade clean and the cutting edge sharp to make digging in your garden easier.
- Always keep a pack of bamboo stakes in the shed – you never know when you’ll need them!
Edible Garden – What seeds to plant in September?
Check out our range of seasonal Growfresh vege seedlings in stores. Fresh plants are arriving weekly. But if you want to get ideas for your vegetable garden, there’s a huge selection heading into summer.
September is the ideal time to Plant out seedlings of: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, silver-beet & tomatoes (in warmer areas).
It’s also a good time to sow summer seeds into a propagator for transplanting later: capsicum, chillies, cucumber, eggplant, tomatoes, sweetcorn and zucchini.
If you want to sow summer seeds directly into your garden you have a number of choices including:
- Carrots
- Beetroot
- Radishes
- Spring onions
- Silver-beet
- Peas
- Parsnips
- Swede
- Onions
- Turnips
Sowing all these in shallow trenches filled with Kiwi Seed mix is recommended to provide the best chance for quality crop and a successful transfer into their new soil or beds.
Plant seed potatoes for summer cropping – try growing them in a large bucket or Potato Bag.
Herbs to plant in September
Plant herb seeds of basil, bergamot, borage, chamomile, chives, coriander, dill, parsley and thyme either in the garden or pots that can be placed handy to the kitchen or BBQ.
Plant asparagus crowns in a well-prepared bed. Fertilise existing asparagus beds and mulch with straw to prevent weeds. Once spears begin to appear, pick regularly to promote more spears.
Continue to harvest winter crops of beetroot, cabbage, cauli, carrots and lettuce to make room for summer crops.
Spray broad beans, brassicas and other seedlings with Kiwi Garden free flow copper to control leaf spot and fungal diseases.
September is the ideal time to plant fruiting plants including: apples, apricots, cherries, grapes, plums, pears and strawberries.
Divide established clumps of rhubarb and replant into well composted soil, taking care not to bury the crown (where roots meet leaves).
Spray fruit trees with Kiwi Garden free flow copper at leaf bud burst (as soon as flower petals begin to fall) to prevent fungal infections – especially important on stone fruit to prevent Leaf Curl.
Spray strawberries regularly with Kiwi Garden free flow copper to prevent fungal disease. Mulch with Strawberry Straw to prevent fruit spoiling on bare soil and cover with bird netting to prevent damage from birds.
- Feed well established fruit trees with Daltons 7 in 1 citrus and Fertiliser Pellets.
- Prune passionfruit vines to encourage new growth and fruiting.
- Prune feijoa trees to encourage new growth and fruiting.
Flower Garden Planting Tips
If you’re looking to plant new flowers in September, check out our range of seasonal Growflora flower seedlings in stores. Fresh flowers are also arriving weekly. Try our super colour assorted flower packs for more advanced flowering plants to give instant colour to patio pots and gardens.
Plant flowering annuals in hanging baskets and terracotta pots for the best summer colour.
Plant spring and summer flower seedlings: ageratum, alyssum, amaranthus, aster, begonia, Californian poppy, cosmos, chrysanthemum, dahlia, delphinium, dianthus, forget-ne-not, gypsophila, hollyhock, lobelia, marigold, nemesia, petunias, salvia, snapdragon, statice and zinnias.
In cold areas, sow summer flowering annuals in a propagator using Kiwi Garden Seed Mix.
Plant dahlia tubers, tuberous begonia’s, callas and gladioli bulbs for summer flowering.
Mulch all flower beds with a layer of Kiwi Garden compost “plus” when planting mix in Kiwi Garden slow-release fertiliser.
Mulch rose gardens and areas prone to drying out with Daltons 7 in 1 mulch and feed to help retain ground moisture over summer. Prune camellias, daphne and pieris as soon as they have finished flowering. Pinch out the seed heads of small Rhododendrons to preserve the plants energy.
Feed spring flowering bulbs with Kiwi Bulb Food and allow the foliage to die down naturally to encourage strong flowering for next year.
Prolong the blooming of early spring flowers, such as pansies, by feeding with Kiwi Garden liquid all-purpose fertiliser and removing dying blooms.
- Fertilise existing roses with Kiwi Garden Rose Fertiliser. Spread fertilizer around the base of the plant to about 200–300mm from the main stem.